Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

TRUMBULL — More than 600 people gathered for a Mass of dedication and consecration at St. Catherine of Siena Church that Bishop Frank J. Caggiano called “one of the most extraordinary liturgical celebrations I have ever done.”

A majestic ceremony with a solemn consecration of the new altar and church was held on March 24, marking the completion of a beautification project titled “Christ at the Center,” which was several years in the making and had as its goal putting the tabernacle at the center of the sanctuary, framed by a magnificent high altar built from 17 tons of limestone.

Bishop Caggiano praised the parishioners and Father Joseph Marcello for their “tremendous testimony of faith and love for the Lord and this great parish, and for your generosity that allowed this renovation to go forward.”

“You are the heart and soul of this parish, which is a remarkable place, and you have now demonstrated in stone and mortar in a small way the remarkable family that you are, for which I am very grateful,” he said. He thanked Father Marcello for “this extraordinary contribution to the life of this parish,” adding, “It is truly a historic moment for the entire diocese, and it could not be done without your leadership and vision and your love for the Lord and your people.”

The project is the result of several years of praying, planning, fund-raising and collaborating with parishioners, architects and builders.

Father Marcello said, “We called it ‘Christ at the Center’ because, above all, each one of us needs always to grow in our understanding that Jesus Christ is the center of our lives, of our families and of the life of our parish. Locating the tabernacle, which contains Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, at the center of our sanctuary is an important and very consequential reflection of that.”

During his homily, Bishop Caggiano said, “You and I have come to bless and consecrate this beautiful temple of God. Each of us a living stone in that temple whose capstone is Christ. We are here because of the vision and dedication and sacrifice and hard work of my brother Joseph who has allowed this place to become a place of ever greater beauty. We come here to honor the God who is beauty himself. This is a noble and beautiful place because God deserves nothing less than that.”

Father Marcello, who received a standing ovation from the packed church, said, “I am very grateful that in God’s providence we are here and have been able to put together this manifestation of the beauty of the Catholic faith. I am grateful to the bishop and I am grateful to the donors who made it possible, and I pray that this will be a place that nurtures the Catholic faith deep in people’s hearts and souls for generations to come.”

When St. Catherine of Siena was completed in 1958, the church was blessed for liturgical use, but never consecrated. The dedication Mass “brought to fruition these last 60 years of work and prayer and faith in the parish,” Father Marcello said.

The “Christ at the Center” project entailed much more than merely moving the tabernacle from a side chapel into the sanctuary. The main architectural feature is a large “retablo,” which provides a frame above and behind the new 3.5-ton marble Altar of Sacrifice made in Italy. The inspiration for the design came from the altar of Our Lady, Health of the Roman People at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. On top of the retablo is the dove of the Holy Spirit, which is original to the church.

The altar has a grill through which can be seen a first-class relic of St. Catherine of Siena, contained in a sunburst held aloft by two bronze angels. The piece of bone of the church’s patron saint was given to the parish by the Dominican General in Rome. A new tabernacle sits on a pedestal behind the altar.

Deacon Patrick Toole recalled having breakfast with Father Marcello two years ago on the feast of St. Stephen, when they decided to approach noted architect Duncan Stroik, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, about the project. “The beauty is overwhelming and it elevates our souls to God,” Deacon Toole said. “Everything there is intentional and has meaning.”

Professor Stroik, who attended the ceremony, said, “This is a beautiful country church that now has a stunning gem at its center.” He said the project was a demonstration of the faith of the parish and its pastor. Every church has many parts, he said, but the Blessed Sacrament is the center, and just as a rock thrown into a pond causes ripples, the sanctuary lets beauty emanate to other areas of the church.

Deputy Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and a parishioner, Patrick Kelly, said, “At a time of grave difficulty and confusion for the Church, the Christ at the Center project brings our focus back to where it should be. I was enormously encouraged by this sign of life and vitality. Beauty attracts, and this new sanctuary is a wonderful gift to us in the present day, but also to future generations.”

Ken Martin, who was a member of the steering committee, and his wife Ailis were donors to the project. A lifelong parishioner, Ken said, “I’m super happy to see three years of work manifested in such a beautiful dedication ceremony. I am so grateful for Father Marcello’s leadership. This is something we will admire for many years to come.”

During the dedication, Bishop Caggiano deposited the first-class relic of St. Catherine of Siena in the altar. The previous week on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, he deposited a metal box containing first-class relics of martyrs Saints Eugenius and Candidus, which were original to the church, along with those of Saints John-Marie Vianney, Frances Xavier Cabrini, Pope Pius X, Elizabeth Ann Seton, André Bessette and Blessed John Henry Newman.

The sanctuary also has a new ambo and statues of St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, and St. Catherine of Siena on either side of the retablo. Shrines to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph are on either side of the sanctuary.

The crucifix has a newly designed walnut titulus crucis with the inscription in Hebrew, Latin and Greek modeled after a piece believed to be from the original wood preserved in the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem in Rome.

The side chapel, which previously was the Eucharistic chapel, has been transformed into the Memorial Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a special place of prayer for the deceased. The altar from a 1997 renovation was moved there, and above it is a triptych containing the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with images of angels on either side, one holding the implements of the Passion and the other St. Catherine’s Church being presented to the Sacred Heart.

On display in the Memorial Chapel are flags honoring veterans, first responders and law enforcement officials, along with a mosaic of Our Lady in memory of children who have died from stillbirth, miscarriage and abortion, a book containing names of those buried from the church and memorial plaques in honor of deceased parishioners. The original Stations of the Cross have been reframed and now include meditations by Blessed John Henry Newman.

Several years ago, Father Marcello began discussing the idea for the “Christ at the Center” project with Fathers Luke Suarez and Philip Bochanski and Deacon Patrick Toole. The plan was announced on the Solemnity of the Assumption in 2017 and work began a year later. The project was financed through legacy gifts from parishioners.

The project is particularly meaningful to Father Marcello, who was named pastor on January 31, 2015 and has been a member of the St. Catherine community since he was a kindergartner at the school.

The changes, he said, will help parishioners deepen their relationship with Christ: “Since Jesus is the Center of our life and of our faith, it is integral to our parish’s mission of evangelization that we put together one of the most effective ways to form people in the faith and deepen their relationship with Christ through the Church’s liturgy celebrated beautifully and reverently and prayerfully.”