One of the casualties of our new construction will be our old chapel. It sits on what will eventually be our new lobby. The chapel is in no way architecturally distinguished—its only artistic distinction being the stained glass windows—which will be preserved and reused elsewhere.
Mostly the chapel was used for quiet prayer and daily Mass and on Friday we celebrated the last Mass. There was, it must be said, a certain wistfulness to the moment. Take a look at the prayer we prayed, (composed by Evan Ponton from our staff).
In the mystery of your incarnate love,
you chose to dwell among us.
Rejected by the builders, you became our cornerstone,
and joined together the ends of the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Form us into one Church, built of living stones,
A spiritual house of God, and temple of the Holy Spirit.
For you, O Lord, are our builder and maker,
and lay the foundation of every life and home.
We lift up all those faithful men and women
of our parish, who through the years
sacrificed time, talent, and treasure,
to build and attend to the care of this chapel.
We pray for all those who faithfully and reverently have undertaken devotions here, on behalf of the whole parish:
the daily rosary; weekly and monthly adoration, the Stations of the Cross.
Let us remember with gratitude the many priests
who celebrated Mass at this altar,
and whose priestly care was experienced
in the preaching of the word in this chapel.
Let us pray for those who received the sacraments
in this space over the last 45 years:
- Those who were reborn in the living waters of Baptism
- Couples who founded a holy family in the celebration of marriage
- Those who experienced reconciliation in the Sacrament of Penance or healing and strength in the Sacrament of Anointing
- And all those to whom we wished good-bye and God’s speed through the Funeral Rites here observed.
- Most of all, we remember the prayer of all the members of your household, O Lord, uttered here in this chapel, in sincerity of heart…knowing that each of these prayers is precious in your sight.
These bricks, like each of us, shall soon turn to dust,
With the hopes of one day being made new.
As we take leave of our chapel…
Turn our hearts toward our final destination,
The heavenly Jerusalem,
Where we will be citizens of an everlasting city,
Gathered around the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever, Amen.
