St John the Evangelist in Severna Park celebrates its newly renovated church

SEVERNA PARK – After almost a year of renovations, St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park celebrated its new worship space with more than 800 people attending a solemn Mass of dedication presided by Archbishop William E. Lori.

Father Erik Arnold, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Severna Park, sitting second from the right, and Father James Proffitt, former pastor who now heads the clergy personnel division for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, acknowledge one another as the parish applauds during the parish rededication Mass on Aug. 20. (Photo by Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

“Many of us have followed the renovations of St. John Evangelist Church online. We’ve rejoiced to view electronic images of this church’s transformation. But nothing quite prepared us to walk in today and to witness a church renewed,” Archbishop Lori said in his homily. “The words of the Psalms expressed what we felt as we saw for ourselves the completion of a project so eagerly anticipated. ‘How lovely is your dwelling place.’ How lovely indeed.”

Gone is the church’s infamous black ceiling. A shallow dome featuring images of St. John the Evangelist, the Lamb of God and angels in a depiction of a passage from the Book of Revelation, now resides over the altar. The new altar also now has a painted crucifix, with paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist on each of its sides.

“Since the altar, and indeed this very church, are where the work of God occurs, it is right that we dedicate them to the glory of God,” Archbishop Lori said in his homily. “In this liturgical rite, we do more than just bless the church and altar. We will consecrate them. That is to say, turn them over to God entirely as his possession.”

During the Mass, the archbishop blessed parishioners with holy water and placed the relics of the martyrs St. Victorian and companions into the altar where they were then sealed in place. The archbishop then put on a linen apron to first pour and then rub sacred chrism into the altar.

Archbishop William E. Lori anoints the new parish altar with chrism during the rededication Mass on Aug. 20. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

“The heart and the center of this beautifully renewed church, is of course, the altar,” Archbishop Lori said in his homily. “What unfolds at this altar is not something we produce, but rather something we receive. Grace following upon grace. It is here where we actually encounter the God who died to save us. It is here, where we are actually saved from our sins. Here, where heaven’s gates are actually opened to us and from this altar we are truly fed with the bread come down from heaven, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ given for our salvation.”

As the smell of incense filled the sanctuary, people stood on their toes and children went into the aisles to watch as smoke rose from a brazier of burning incense that was set in the middle of the altar. Deacons then walked around the sanctuary blessing its walls with the incense.

“I am so grateful for our parishioners’ generosity that made it possible,” Father Erik Arnold said afterward, adding that the project was finished not only on time, but on budget – “signs of just how good the Lord was to us.”

Parishioners pray during the St. John the Evangelist Church rededication Mass, Aug. 20, in Severna Park. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

While many parishioners remarked on how much brighter the church was without the black ceiling, others enjoyed another benefit from the renovations.

“I think they did a beautiful job,” Diana Dinsick, a parishioner at St. John the Evangelist since 2001, said afterward, adding with a chuckle, “The new pews especially. They are more comfortable than the former ones.”

Luke Hepler, 12, who presented the gifts during the Mass along with his parents and brother, echoed Dinsick.

“I like the new pews. They are way more comfy. The new kneelers, too,” he said, with a smile.

Also read:

St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park undergoing dramatic renovation

To view more photos from the St. John the Evangelist rededication, click through the slideshow below or visit: https://catholicreview.smugmug.com/St-John-the-Evangelist-Dedication

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:10 p.m. to correct the spelling of Father Erik Arnold’s first name.