LINTHICUM – Staring intently at the work in front of her, Hanna Pearson carefully applied tiny pieces of glimmering gold foil to an arch inside a new sacred space March 13 at St. Philip Neri in Linthicum.
With methodical precision and a steady hand, the artist with Twin Diamonds Studios in Dunkirk held the delicate foil with tweezers before brushing it into place and repeating the process inch-by-inch across the length of the archway.
Pearson’s artistic flourishes completed the construction of the new perpetual adoration chapel that’s set to open April 14. The arch will frame a monstrance that will hold the Blessed Sacrament for year-round worship.
“We want to give people a beautiful place to pray,” said Father Andy Aaron, pastor of the pastorate of St. Clement I in Lansdowne and St. Philip Neri in Linthicum.
The interior of St. Philip Neri church was renovated in December 2020, and the adoration chapel, a project that began in spring 2023, was designed with the recent renovation in mind. Costing approximately $170,000 and entirely supported by parishioner donations, the project used the same white marble flooring as the main church as well as the same artist, Stacey Granter of Twin Diamond Studios.
This cohesive vision also involves a vibrantly painted statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus welcoming adorers upon entering the chapel, which will seat six with chairs and kneelers crafted by New Holland Furniture of Pennsylvania.
Housing a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament is a wooden alcove with gold-painted trim, highlighted by a skylight and including doors that can close should the Eucharist be left unattended. The wall behind will feature the same deep blue, hand-painted starry sky motif from the ceiling of the main church – a visualization of heaven brought to earth.
“When I go to adoration, I can’t explain how it feels … it’s the best, it’s really special,” said Angela Terry, a St. Philip Neri parishioner who converted to Catholicism in 2022. She was introduced to eucharistic adoration while in RCIA and is excited to share her love for it with others.
“My relationship with Jesus is the best it’s ever been,” said Terry, noting that adoration has aided her faith journey.
Faithful all around the Archdiocese of Baltimore have been encountering this same experience as the number of perpetual adoration chapels increases. Perpetual adoration chapels most recently opened at Ss. Philip and James in Charles Village in 2022 and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore in 2021.
The basilica was also the spot of a providential meeting that sparked collaboration. Harley Kozushko, a 20-year parishioner of St. Philip Neri and the children’s ministry leader, is collecting children’s resources to include alongside spiritual reading for adults in the Linthicum chapel. He was attending the basilica’s performance of Handel’s Messiah with his daughter this past Advent when he happened to sit beside and speak with Ana Farias, who coordinates the basilica’s perpetual adoration chapel and organizes children’s holy hours.
“I had been praying in adoration and asking God how we were going to make this happen,” Kozushko said of his own efforts to introduce families with children to adoration as part of the opening of the chapel. He expressed how much the meeting with Farias brought “overwhelming peace” to his mission as the two were able to discuss strategies for best engaging children in a space where most parents are afraid of judgmental looks when their children are, as Kozushko put it, “not loud, but not quiet.”
The chapel, built in an area formerly used for storage, will be open not only to people of the St. Clement and St. Philip Neri pastorate, but also to the wider region. Bilingual flyers at both campuses of the diverse community encourage commitment to a weekly holy hour so that the Blessed Sacrament can be adored daily around the clock,
“We welcome that,” Father Aaron said. “We want as many people praying as possible.”
The chapel will be open at the same hours of the church and office, with a keypad installed so after-hours adorers can enter securely. Anyone can sign up for a weekly commitment by viewing available hours at adorationpro.org/scspn.
“I wholeheartedly believe the adoration chapel will bring that peace to the parish,” Kozushko said.
Kevin J. Parks and George Matysek Jr. contributed to this story.
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