LINTHICUM HEIGHTS – The nearly 1,000 people who entered St. Philip Neri Church for Christmas Mass also got to marvel at a newly renovated house of worship. This was their gift to God.
“They stood here in awe,” said Mark Rachid, the parish’s business manager. “The tears, the emotion – I never expected to see that.”
“I think this is an effort to put God back in first place, “ said Father Michael DeAscanis, pastor of St. Philip Neri, which was established in 1964. “Somebody once said (of) the 1970s and ’80s: We put into our houses cathedral ceilings and marble floors; we put into our churches shag carpeting and drop ceilings.
“It was almost as if the emphasis turned to us instead of God.”
The $1.5 million renovation was funded through larger donations from parishioners, as large as $15,000, but also through recurring donations consisting of $25 a month.
When work on the project began in 2017, it was only to restore the walls of the church, which were suffering from moisture damage. But those involved realized the rest of the church might benefit from some refurbishing, too.
“Father DeAscanis decided,” Rachid said, “let’s get the parish (involved). Let’s create something beautiful for God.”
The pastor said he was both excited and nervous about the project, saying he did not want to “mess it up.” The parish formed a renovation committee and named the project “Restoring God’s House.”
There were lively discussions over the four years of the project, but Father DeAscanis said prayer brought peace, and the Holy Spirit guided the parish.
Construction finally got underway in June 2020, when it was unclear if its goal of celebrating the first Mass in the new sanctuary on Christmas Eve would be realized.
The laying of the church’s new marble tile floor happened only around a week before Christmas. As workers waited on the arrival of tiles, the parish prayed to its patron saint for help and they prayed to God.
“If it be your will it will get here … and it will be in place for your birthday,” Rachid recalled praying. “And it happened.”
The impeccable tile floor, made from marble sourced in both Italy and the United States, was just one of many additions. The parish contracted with multiple artistic sources to bring new beauty to the church – from Italy and Peru, to Northern Virginia, Pennsylvania, and within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The ambo (lectern), altar’s crucifix, tabernacle, baptismal font and liturgical appointments including candles and holders, are all new creations. The existing pews were refinished and the Stations of the Cross were refurbished by an artist.
Father DeAscanis’ favorite addition is the grand wooden reredos, a screen embellished with gold leaf, which stands prominently to the back of the tabernacle and altar.
“I think the whole piece is the central point now of people’s focus,” he said, adding that three steps now, instead of one, lead up to the altar, making it easier for priests to see parish members.
A majestic hand-painted starscape adorns the ceiling above the altar, with a Peruvian carving of the Holy Spirit at its zenith, represented by a dove. The dove is a work of Artesanos Don Bosco, which provides handcrafted artworks from artists living in poor rural Peruvian communities.
“We provide work for young people so they can have an option other than emmigration,” said Matteo Santi Amontini, a missionary who works both with the parish and trains and supports the artists in Peru. “It’s for kids who had no future. I think you can see they do a beautiful job.”
Father DeAscanis mentioned another example of the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the renovation, regarding St. Philip Neri’s already-existing carved statues. The plan was to discard the old statues; instead they simply needed to be refurbished.
“We almost bought new statues, but the consultant said the old ones could be magnificent,” Father DeAscanis said. “We’re very glad we decided to keep them.”
The lifelike, main crucifix also was given some tender loving care. An artist added the spear wound to Jesus’ side and even joined real natural thorns to the Lord’s crown.
A new handcrafted icon of St. Michael the Archangel hangs above the front entrance to inspire parishioners as they leave Mass and back to their daily lives.
Father DeAscanis said it was a great gift to have led the renovation, and that such projects might not come around often during one’s priesthood.
St. Philip Neri’s decision to accentuate art in its renovations, which has often been the tradition of the church, has already had a profound effect on some parishioners.
“It’s not art for the sake of art,” Father DeAscanis said. “This is kind of our gift to God. Someone said it feels like a little bit of heaven. It’s lifting parishioner’s spirits in a difficult time, in an unsettled world.”
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