Post by richardkelsey on Nov 8, 2007 16:46:27 GMT -5
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2007/1107/Front_Page/019.html
Statue of Mary dedicated in St. Rose chapel grotto
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
The Rev. Richard Milewski of St. Rose of Lima Church, Freehold Borough, blesses a new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary during a ceremony on Oct. 29. The new statue replaces one that was damaged more than a year ago.
FREEHOLD - The air was crisp and clear at 9 a.m. Oct. 29 as a crowd of youngsters in their school uniforms welcomed a new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to her home at the St. Rose of Lima chapel grotto.
The original statue of Our Lady of Lourdes came to Freehold and settled in at the grotto in the 1970s, according to school spokeswoman Mary Donnelly.
That statue met with an unfortunate fate about a year ago. On his way out of the rectory one morning, the Rev. Richard Milewski, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church, found the statue toppled over. A police report was filed and attempts were made to repair the statue that meant a great deal to parishioners and to the students.
While church officials do not know the exact circumstances that led to the statue being damaged, Donnelly said it did not appear to be an act of purposeful desecration.
When attempts to repair the statue proved unsuccessful, Milewski began the process of trying to locate an exact replica. He eventually found original invoices and receipts from Demetz Art Studio in Ortisei, Italy, a worldwide leader in ecclesiastical art and statues.
The new statue at the St. Rose of Lima chapel grotto is 5 feet tall and crafted of fiberglass. It was created at the Demetz Art Studio in Villasanta, Italy, a village about 10 miles north of Milan, according to Donnelly.
The St. Rose of Lima School PTA and the Knights of Columbus Council No. 1672 combined to provide the $5,000 cost of the new statue.
"We had an extraordinarily large outpouring of donations when it became known our (regular monthly) breakfast was for funds to replace the statue," said Carlos Maldonado, former grand knight of the Knights of Columbus.
Children and adults jointed in prayer to welcome the statue to its new home.
"The younger children's voices were a beat or a word behind the adults but their intentions spoke of their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary," Donnelly said. "This new depiction of Our Lady of Lourdes is a beautiful place where parishioners and our students can take time to reflect or simply send a brief prayer to the Blessed Mother."
Donnelly said Milewski spoke to the students about the significance of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, recalling the story of when the Blessed Virgin appeared to a young girl in France named Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
The story, recalled by Milewski, tells of the vision Bernadette had.
According to the story, Bernadette saw a golden light and a beautiful lady dressed in a pure white robe with a blue sash, a veil over her head, a rosary clasped in her hands and yellow roses at her feet. The lady told Bernadette to pray the rosary (a string of beads that is used to say a sequence of Hail Mary prayers). Bernadette was instructed to return to the grotto every day for 15 days where she was given daily messages and instructions from the lady. Bernadette was told to scrape the soil beside the grotto until a spring of water trickled out. This trickle was the beginning of the thousands of gallons of water that flow every day, now called sacred Lourdes water, which is believed to have healing properties.
On March 25, the lady told Bernadette she was Mary, the mother of Jesus, and that her purpose in appearing to Bernadette was to warn her to pray and make sacrifices for sinners.
Lourdes remains one of the most frequented Christian shrines in the world today. More than 3 million visitors, pilgrims and tourists come each year to the grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Bernadette 18 times in 1858.
St. Rose of Lima School Principal Sister Patricia Doyle said, "It is fitting we are dedicating this statue to the Blessed Virgin Mary during October, the month of the rosary."
Statue of Mary dedicated in St. Rose chapel grotto
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
The Rev. Richard Milewski of St. Rose of Lima Church, Freehold Borough, blesses a new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary during a ceremony on Oct. 29. The new statue replaces one that was damaged more than a year ago.
FREEHOLD - The air was crisp and clear at 9 a.m. Oct. 29 as a crowd of youngsters in their school uniforms welcomed a new statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to her home at the St. Rose of Lima chapel grotto.
The original statue of Our Lady of Lourdes came to Freehold and settled in at the grotto in the 1970s, according to school spokeswoman Mary Donnelly.
That statue met with an unfortunate fate about a year ago. On his way out of the rectory one morning, the Rev. Richard Milewski, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church, found the statue toppled over. A police report was filed and attempts were made to repair the statue that meant a great deal to parishioners and to the students.
While church officials do not know the exact circumstances that led to the statue being damaged, Donnelly said it did not appear to be an act of purposeful desecration.
When attempts to repair the statue proved unsuccessful, Milewski began the process of trying to locate an exact replica. He eventually found original invoices and receipts from Demetz Art Studio in Ortisei, Italy, a worldwide leader in ecclesiastical art and statues.
The new statue at the St. Rose of Lima chapel grotto is 5 feet tall and crafted of fiberglass. It was created at the Demetz Art Studio in Villasanta, Italy, a village about 10 miles north of Milan, according to Donnelly.
The St. Rose of Lima School PTA and the Knights of Columbus Council No. 1672 combined to provide the $5,000 cost of the new statue.
"We had an extraordinarily large outpouring of donations when it became known our (regular monthly) breakfast was for funds to replace the statue," said Carlos Maldonado, former grand knight of the Knights of Columbus.
Children and adults jointed in prayer to welcome the statue to its new home.
"The younger children's voices were a beat or a word behind the adults but their intentions spoke of their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary," Donnelly said. "This new depiction of Our Lady of Lourdes is a beautiful place where parishioners and our students can take time to reflect or simply send a brief prayer to the Blessed Mother."
Donnelly said Milewski spoke to the students about the significance of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, recalling the story of when the Blessed Virgin appeared to a young girl in France named Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
The story, recalled by Milewski, tells of the vision Bernadette had.
According to the story, Bernadette saw a golden light and a beautiful lady dressed in a pure white robe with a blue sash, a veil over her head, a rosary clasped in her hands and yellow roses at her feet. The lady told Bernadette to pray the rosary (a string of beads that is used to say a sequence of Hail Mary prayers). Bernadette was instructed to return to the grotto every day for 15 days where she was given daily messages and instructions from the lady. Bernadette was told to scrape the soil beside the grotto until a spring of water trickled out. This trickle was the beginning of the thousands of gallons of water that flow every day, now called sacred Lourdes water, which is believed to have healing properties.
On March 25, the lady told Bernadette she was Mary, the mother of Jesus, and that her purpose in appearing to Bernadette was to warn her to pray and make sacrifices for sinners.
Lourdes remains one of the most frequented Christian shrines in the world today. More than 3 million visitors, pilgrims and tourists come each year to the grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Bernadette 18 times in 1858.
St. Rose of Lima School Principal Sister Patricia Doyle said, "It is fitting we are dedicating this statue to the Blessed Virgin Mary during October, the month of the rosary."