Fixed up and polished, Havre de Grace church ready for Easter

Father Francis Ouma sees the imprint of parishioners everywhere inside the newly renovated St. Patrick Church in Havre de Grace – in every restored surface and carefully renewed detail.

“A lot of people gave of their time and talent,” the pastor said. “There was a lot of emotion when we reopened, people joyfully tearing up.”

Closed since January, the church celebrated a “soft opening” the weekend of March 21 and 22, Father Ouma said, with a ribbon-cutting before each Mass. Archbishop William E. Lori will consecrate and rededicate the church May 10 at the 10:30 a.m. Mass.

“We couldn’t book the archbishop early enough. He already had other plans,” Father Ouma said. “We’re bringing people back into the church for Easter.”

The church, which dates to 1907, was in desperate need of repairs, Father Ouma said, with cracks in walls and water damage from past roof issues. Everything, from the stained-glass windows to the murals, Father Ouma said, had  “lost a little bit of their visual.”

“We cleaned and polished all the altars and statues,” said Joanna Friedenberg, St. Patrick’s director of development. “There is new flooring in the vestibule; the carpet was replaced and there is new sanctuary furniture.”

The church’s stained-glass windows were also cleaned, as were the church’s many murals, with gold highlights added or touched up. A parishioner also painted a small fresco featuring the Holy Spirit that is “stunning,” Father Ouma said.

To provide more privacy, the church’s confessionals were soundproofed after many years of nonuse, he said.

“It brings back dignity to the sacrament,” Father Ouma said. “We’ve been using the cry room.”

The church’s bathroom was also updated and made ADA compliant.

“Everything looks new and refreshed,” Friedenberg said, though both she and Father Ouma said there were still a few little things that needed tweaking.

“The church is 99.9 percent done,” Father Ouma said.

More than $1.4 million was raised for the first phase of St. Patrick’s two-phased capital improvement plan, Father Ouma said. All of it came from parishioners, who also contributed to the planning and labor.

“They did tremendous work and were able to do it on time,” Father Ouma said.

The second phase of the capital improvement plan involves “larger-ticket items” Friedenberg said, including the addition of an elevator to the parish center to make a meeting room on the second floor more accessible. Plans for another building on the property – the former rectory – are still undecided as it is not in good shape, Friedenberg said. An idea to use it as a semi-outdoor/indoor space with an outdoor kitchen area and for storage is currently being discussed.

“So many parishioners love this parish,” Friedenberg said. “They really believe this is their spiritual home and it needs to be taken care of.”

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

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