Resurrection finds it was worth wait as parish celebrates renewed church

ELLICOTT CITY – The culmination of a long wait for a new worship space finally happened for patient parishioners May 17 in Ellicott City, where 700 filled the fully renovated and reconstructed Church of the Resurrection to celebrate a new beginning.

The grateful congregation prayed and applauded as Archbishop William E. Lori led a Mass of Dedication that launched a new era for a parish that has thrived in Howard County for the past 50 years.

With Monsignor John A. Dietzenbach, the 15-year pastor of Church of the Resurrection, joining him for the dedication service, Archbishop Lori lauded the upshot of the multi-million-dollar reconstruction/renovation that withstood a series of setbacks after the planning stages got underway in 2015. Much of the funding for the new building came from a capital campaign.

Archbishop William E. Lori lauded the multi-million-dollar reconstruction/renovation of Church of the Resurrection at its dedication Mass May 17, 2024, in Ellicott City. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

“The renewal of this church is more than a facelift, more than the expansion and decoration of a hall in which we gather,” Archbishop Lori said. “This beautifully transformed church speaks to us of the mysteries of redemption that will be celebrated here for generations to come, God willing.”

The project, which was completed by Lewis Contracting Company, was stalled first by a pair of devastating “thousand-year floods” that in 2016 and 2018 battered nearby historic Old Ellicott City, located alongside the then-overflowing Patapsco River. That led the county government to impose a temporary moratorium on development, due to stormwater management concerns in watersheds that included Church of the Resurrection’s location.

Following the lifting of the moratorium that lasted for nearly two years, the COVID pandemic hit in the spring of 2020 – the original year envisioned for the opening of the new church. The ensuing lockdown, supply shortages and skyrocketing price of building materials caused the project to be delayed further.

“All of the delays put us behind by about four years. We broke ground at Pentecost two years ago. It’s appropriate that we have our first Sunday Mass at Pentecost two years later in our new church. Our ‘Vision 2020’ (campaign goals) turned out to be ‘Vision 2024,’ said Monsignor Dietzenbach, who has shepherded the project from the outset. “It has been worth the wait.”

Parishioners, visiting priests, Archbishop Lori and Monsignor Dietzenbach basked in the beauty of the expanded renovated church and its first packed house. The parish, which includes 2,400 families, had spent the previous two years attending Mass under a 4,000-square-foot heated tent on the property.

Archbishop Lori marveled at the dramatic transformation, as he stood in a reinvented place that formerly had housed the gymnasium at the Resurrection-St. Paul School, which has been located on the property since 1966.

Church of the Resurrection is part of a pastorate with St. Paul Church. It dates to 1838 in Ellicott City.

“This process, from inception to completion, was a kind of paschal mystery,” said Archbishop Lori, who drew a burst of laughter from the congregation. “Through the challenges of fundraising, the pain of demolition, the agony of delays and price hikes, not to mention the exile of worshiping in a tent in weather – hot and cold. You did not get to this point without undergoing the cross!”

“As we look around us this evening at a worship space transformed, we can say that Resurrection Church has experienced a resurrection,” Archbishop Lori added.

“It is the same space in which your community has worshiped for years, the same space which never quite hid its origins as a gym, the same space where you listened to the voice of Christ in Scripture, where many of you and your children were baptized, confirmed, reconciled, where all of you shared in the mystery of the Eucharist week after week.”

Planning for the renovation of Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City began in 2015. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

During an address to his parishioners near the end of the dedication service that exceeded two hours, Monsignor Dietzenbach – who led a long, pre-service procession into the new building with the archbishop by turning a ceremonial key to open the front doors – told the worshipers, “You have been so supportive, so good at putting up with so much.”

Following the service, he added, “I was looking at the faces of all the people I know [during the dedication]. I felt so glad for them, knowing how long they had waited for this and how happy they are. I [finally] feel like I can sleep tonight.”

Prominent among the features in the extensively reconstructed church are a collection of nine stained-glass windows, which had been part of St. Brigid in Baltimore, which closed in 2019. A statue of Jesus, the Blessed Mary and Joseph also came from St. Brigid.

Also included is a sanctuary that features a new altar made in Peru, which arrived four days before the dedication; a tabernacle that came from St. Dominic in Baltimore; a new audio-visual system and organ; a sound system from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, newly tiled floor and four additional bathrooms and added kitchen space.

Cathy Hanks, chairwoman of the liturgy committee at the church and a parishioner for seven years, played an important role in providing advice and suggestions on the practical needs for the new digs.

“My input was about function. It has to work for Masses and meetings, like the new coffee bar and gathering space for church and school functions downstairs,” Hanks said. “We added one more elevator. Accommodating the handicapped was very important with the new bathrooms. Every doorway is wide enough for wheelchairs.”

Hanks teared up as she talked about the Mass of Dedication and the proclamation displayed in the building from Howard County Executive Calvin Hall, who proclaimed that May 17 would remain “Church of the Resurrection Day” in the county.

“My only problem with the Mass was trying not to cry so much,” she said.

Jeanne Dell’ Acqua, a parishioner for 48 years, said she is thrilled with having such a beautiful church to attend, after such a long wait. But she quickly added, “The community is what has always been the (main) attraction at the Church of the Resurrection.”

To view more photos click through slideshow below or to order prints, visit our Smugmug gallery here.