SANDWICH— “God has made us to be happy even when we struggle,” said Bishop David Malloy at a Solemn Mass of Dedication at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, here, the evening of Jan. 17.
Parishioners at this Sandwich parish understand struggle. They first moved, then renovated, and now have restored their historic church, with its altar dating back to 1858, after a fire in May 2013 collapsed most of the roof into the sanctuary and otherwise damaged the structure.
Bishop Malloy recalled that day, saying the church “went from lovely to charred,” and that he and Father Andrew Hougan, pastor, walked through several inches of water as they surveyed the damage inside.
The bishop added that he also remembered “a sense of determination … a sense that ‘We will be back.’�...”
The damage was fresh, he said, but some parishioners already were working to clean the statues of Jesus and Mary that had been rescued by some of the firefighters among the 11 departments that responded to the alarm.
At the much-happier rededication, “My first word as bishop is to congratulate you … for having lived this act of faith,” Bishop Malloy said. He thanked all who contributed through work, prayer and donations to the reconstruction.
The bishop added a “special word of thanks” to Father Hougan who now has pastored the parish through a 2009 fire at parish offices, though an October 2010 move of the church several blocks north and west to its current location, through extensive renovations/additions to the church after the move, and now through the 2013 fire and restoration.
“We bless and we consecrate a church,” Bishop Malloy noted. “To bless something is to set it aside permanently (for) God.”
“This church,” he added, “is to be forever sacred … it is holy because God resides here (and because) you are called to meet the Lord here.”
In small towns, a church is both a landmark and a reminder to the community “to be closer to God …” he said. “This (parish) is a contribution to Sandwich itself … May God protect this place; May God bless and protect all of you; and may He truly reside in this parish church.”