St. Mary's Dedication Page

Read Bishop Sullivan's Homily here.
Read Fr. Lewis' Presentation here.
 

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Homily at the Dedication Liturgy
Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, Bishop Emeritus of Richmond

     "I am very honored and privileged to be invited for this dedication ceremony. In fact, I have been present for all three dedication ceremonies the first being by my predecessor, Bishop John Russell in 1964, again by myself 20 years later when Monsignor Charles Kelly, of happy memory, was pastor, and here on September 13th, 2007 as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
     Yours has certainly been an interesting history to old Saint Mary's Church on Marshall Street in downtown Richmond to the present: 2007. When I was ordained a priest by Bishop Peter L. Ireton on May 9th, 1953, I spent the night prior to ordination at St. Mary's rectory on Marshall Street. Sleep was difficult that night prior to the ordination ceremony, not because of the excitement of being ordained a priest, but because Fr. Tony Malabad and I shared a room just across from the bus station, and all night long the loud speaker announced the coming and going of busses to and from Richmond.
     When Saint Mary's downtown was closed, your new parish was formed by Bishop Russell in 1962. He wanted the memory of Saint Mary's to continue. Since I came to Richmond assigned to the Cathedral in 1960, I have been an integral part of your history. I want to extend my sincerest congratulations to your pastor: Walter Lewis. Whenever I write to him I address the letter to Walter II from Walter 1. Would you believe that Father Lewis and I were in school together? In fact, in the same classroom! I as teacher of religion to the senior class, Fr. Lewis as a student.
     Your new Church, the third one, in fact, is a work of art. It breathers a sense of the spiritual and the holy. It leads us to a sense of God's presence; it is truly a place of prayer and devotion. This is a sacred place… where the human meets the divine, where our ordinary days meet the mystery of the Divine. It is here at Saint Mary's that you will continue the journey of life together, where you will continue to be formed as God's holy people.
     St. Mary's has always been a place where people are formed spiritually, where you have a sense of belonging, where hospitality is a hallmark to describe you… where you truly become a Eucharistic people - not only because of your oneness with the Lord but your oneness with each other. You are also known for the wide variety of ministries within the parish and also your outreach into the broader community where you share your giftedness with persons in need.
     In your parish journey of 45 years, you have made a substantial commitment to Catholic education and religious formation. In reading your history of growth and development, I noticed that the school was expanded with the addition of classrooms and technology; where knowledge and values blend together to help form the total person.
     Yes, Saint Mary's Parish and School have had a proud history where lives are centered in the person of Jesus Christ - as we just heard in Saint Paul's beautiful letter to the early Christian people of Philippi - that Jesus did not hold onto his Godhead, but he emptied himself (kenosis) and took the form of a slave. He humbled himself obediently accepting death, death on a cross. Because of this, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above all other names. At Jesus' name we are to proclaim to the glory of God the Father, that Jesus Christ is Lord.
     We celebrate the beautiful feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The cross is not a symbol of defeat but of victory, the victory of Jesus over sin and death. Christ reigns from the cross and as he said to Nicodemus in John's Gospel: "if I be lifted up, I will draw all people to myself." The cross is not a symbol of death, but of life. Your beautiful new bronze corpus demonstrates this: we are to believe that death has no hold on him. We are to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. The cross symbolizes the hope and promise of eternal life. We gather tonight to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior, to commit our lives to be numbered among his disciples. As a community of believers, we raise our voices, that Jesus is truly Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
     The naming of a parish has special significance. Yours has an extended history. You go back to over 100 years when people dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ under the banner of Mary, his mother, and ours, one who accompanies us on our earthly pilgrimage. We can never honor and love Mary more than her son, Jesus, did. Pope John Paul described Mary as an icon of mystery and hope. The icon is a picture; but more than a picture, it provides an entrance way into the beyond, the unknown. Mary, the seat of wisdom and cause of our joy, leads us into the mystery of the Godhead. She leads us to her son, Jesus. She is also an icon of hope. She strengthens our faith, and gives reason to be believers and the hope to be with her Son for eternity.
     I congratulate all here at Saint Mary's. So much has been accomplished through the generosity of the people. You have been blessed to have had a strong leader as well. I suggest we congratulate Father Walter Lewis for working tirelessly to make this day of dedication a reality.
     You can look to the future with meaning and hope. May God bless you all!"

Bishop Walter F. Sullivan,
Bishop Emeritus of Richmond

 


Dedication Liturgy "Thank You"
Fr. Walter G. Lewis, Pastor

To those who journeyed to be here tonight:
   •  Bishop Sullivan who returned for this our third dedication.
   •  Monsignor Kevin Irwin, the dean of the school of Theology and Religious Studies at the         Catholic University of America, a teacher, mentor and friend who has celebrated Mass         for us here and has taught us weekly.
   •  Monsignor Tom Shreve, Vicar General of the Diocese and a friend an example for over         40 years!
   •  Fr. Mel Blanchette, rector of Theological college (and a teacher from many years ago!)

   •  Fr. Jim Sabak and Fr. Steve Willbright, both students at Catholic University who have         celebrated Mass for us here at St. Mary's,
   •  Seminarians who have served here John David Ramsey and Eric Ayers, Kevin         McAudle from our parish and Sean Prince
   •  Classmates ____
   •  Brother priests and deacons from around the city and Diocese.
   •  Former parishioners from the parishes I have served in From Virginia Beach, Roanoke         and Bristol.
   •  To my dad, my brother and sisters.

To those who made this Church happen:
   •  The visionaries: Architects Dennis Craig, Stephanie Garnett, and Clyde Fernandez
   •  The contractors: Jeff Rice who has solved a million problems and gotten us to today, L.J. Swain, who has walked with us          every step of the way, and Sam Daniel from Daniel and Company.
   •  To the sub contractors who have been here so long that they've become our friends.
   •  To Tinh duc Phan and his family for donating windows and glass.
   •  To John Buscemi who gathered some of the finest artists from around this country to create lasting work that will enhance our          prayer.
   •  To Kathi Sheehan, Laverne Worth, Mark Yeager and Nancy Springman who worked on the Art and Environment Committee.
   •  To Jack Harmon and Vince Bailey who have helped with supervision of the project and whose knowledge, insight and          countless hours have been invaluable.
   •  To Dr. Tom Dertinger and crews of parents…to the Knights of Columbus who painted the classrooms and hallways.
   •  To John Sweet and Sharon Vrtis who took pictures in order to keep the web site accurate and took care of a million details          when we were gypsies.
   •  To Chris and Bronnie Lewis who donated printing of the invitations, worship aid, posters, and architecture notes books that          you will receive as you leave! (At least I hope they were donated!)
   •  To about 75 people who served on the Building Committee over the past ten years! Special thanks to Eddie Whitlock who          stayed with us through all of these years as chairman of the building committee!

And last but certainly not least, to the generous people of Saint Mary's who have sacrificed and made this all possible.

Benjamin Franklin said: People build Buildings and Buildings build people! It is a beautiful building, which has taken a great deal of effort. May we open our hearts to the lessons that this space will teach us… We will become better people because of what we do here.

Thank you for the privilege of leading this process!

Fr. Walter Lewis, Pastor