Under the big top: Tent brings parishioners closer in Ellicott City

ELLICOTT CITY – Inside the pastoral center of the Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City, there is a sign that reads: “Bring a blanket, it’s going to be cold this weekend.”

Such is life when the Masses are held inside a tent. 

The parish’s existing church is undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation, expected to be completed in the spring of 2024. In the meantime, more than 300 parishioners fill the 4,000-square-foot heated tent on the property at each liturgy.

There have been challenges, but overall, the temporary setting has brought the parish community closer together since the massive tent was put up in September.

“It’s intimate and people are closer,” Monsignor John Dietzenbach, pastor, said about the tent. “The weather is a big factor. If it’s a nice day, it’s wonderful. If it’s raining, it’s not so good because of the noise and the moisture creeping in and running a little bit across the parking lot.

The pastor said there’s been a good spirit among the people who worship in the tent. 

“Some people say they really like it,” he said, “and some people say they’re willing to do it because they know they’re going to end up in a nice church.”

Funding for the new building came from a capital campaign and the Church of the Resurrection also had some funds saved. Currently, 2,400 families are members of the parish. 

The space between the church and school is also being expanded to include a new main entrance for the church and a new coffee lounge on the ground floor.

“COVID was harder on us than this construction,” Monsignor Dietzenbach said. 

In an effort to accommodate all of the church’s needs, the architect Noelker and Hull surveyed all the parish ministries to get an accurate assessment of how to design all of the rooms and spaces. Likewise, the Vision2020 team that set goals for the parish campus continues to evaluate and reevaluate all the needs for liturgies, ministries, school, staff and others to be sure the parish doesn’t miss anything. 

The parish’s school is on the same property. Resurrection-St. Paul School has 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and shares the tent space as well. The school uses it for lunches, programs and parent meetings.The tent is also used by parish organizations and ministries and once a month for an “Event Under the Tent” function to build parish communities. 

Church of the Resurrection livestreams one Mass each weekend, as it has done during the pandemic. The parish also simulcasts each Mass into a chapel for those who may have mobility issues or who simply don’t want to sit on a metal chair in the tent.

“The parishioners are physically closer to each other, sung and spoken participation in the Mass has increased and the overall sense of fellowship has gone up,” Stephen Lay, the parish’s music director, said. “I couldn’t have imagined that people would have continued to come here for Mass. But they are. I couldn’t have imagined that new people from the area would have come to see what the tent is all about. But they are.”

Lay noted that on Christmas Eve, when it was 9 degrees outside, people still filled the space.

Monsignor Dietzenbach extended his gratitude to St. Paul in Ellicott City. The Church of the Resurrection does all of its religious education programs with St. Paul, which hosts the events because of space. 

Rick Murray, a parishioner from Savage, Md., first came to the Church of the Resurrection about 25 years ago when his daughter attended grade school. He enjoys the camaraderie under the tent.

“It’s interesting and it’s fun,” Murray said about the tent. “It has a revival feeling and is a little more intimate than a church. There are the lows of the cold but you have the joys of the summer when the weather is nice you open up the sides of the tent and it’s gorgeous. It’s like having Mass back outside on the field.”

The tent is creating a lot of memories and the positives outweigh the negatives.

“We are going through a shared experience which, one day, we can tell our children and grandchildren. They will never believe that we used to worship in a parking lot under a tent,” Lay said.

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Copyright © 2023 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

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