By John Burton
RUMSON – Construction is proceeding and the end is in sight for the reconstruction of Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church.
While the Rev. Michael Manning isn’t breathing a sigh of relief just yet, there is an appreciation for what this will mean for the faith community when the job is finished.
“Now we will have the space and ability to serve the community,” said Manning, who has been pastor of Holy Cross, 30 Ward Ave., for the past eight years.
If all continues according to schedule, work is expected to be completed by Dec. 23. Plans are also in place for Bishop David O’Connell of the Diocese of Trenton to be on hand Sunday, Jan. 24, for the new church’s blessing and dedication.
Workers are in the process of putting up cedar shingles on much of the church’s exterior, while continuing with the additional exterior work.
Work “had been kind of slow,” because of the harsh 2013-14 winter, Manning said.
Now, however, “there is an accelerated pace to get it done,” for the Christmas deadline, he said.
The interior still has a cavernous, skeletal appearance with a fair amount of work to be done. “You have to use a merciful imagination” at this point in construction to envision what it will look like when completed, he said.
But, when completed, “it’ll give us things we didn’t have before.”
The church will have its first marble altar and an elevator too, making it handicap accessible under federal laws. New wooden pews are under construction to accommodate about 600 more worshippers than previously permitted. There also will be a new organ and a refurbished bell with an electric clapper to be placed in the steeple.
Along with the other work, the church will have some of its original stained glass windows restored and reinstalled, joining the 16 stained glass windows secured for Holy Cross from St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church, that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pa., closed in 2013. The church has also commissioned five new stained glass windows plus to two rose windows for either end of the transept.
In front of the church will stand a new life-size statue of Jesus calming the storm while the interior will feature restored marble statues of St. Mary, St. Joseph and the Sacred Heart.
Parishioners will enter the new church from the parking lot, opposite from where they had entered the old church. The barrel-vaulted nave will be graced by two interior domes, one at the center of the transept before the altar, the other above the baptismal font. The altar will be where the entrance was formerly located. A welcoming garden will be planted near the entrance.
Manning is waiting for the moment when the project is completed with the windows installed so he “can see the sun streaming in.” He’s “seen all the drawings” and the architect’s plans, but concedes that will be the moment “it will be real.”
He is also looking forward to seeing the sun shine on the weather-beaten cross, now at the top of the steeple, once it has been gilded and replaced. A spire also is being constructed to complement the steeple.
The original church was completed in 1886 and could sit maybe a little more than 200. Construction on the roughly $6 million church project began in July 2013 but it and the renovation of the elementary school, which was completed in 2006, had been under discussion and development for more than a decade to accommodate the needs of the growing congregation.
One of the toughest parts of guiding the project forward was with building consensus and overseeing the capital campaign to raise the money to get the work done, Manning said.
“Asking for money is not one of my favorite things,” he said.
There was opposition to the project on a number of levels initially but the project has been embraced by parishioners, who, through their generosity, have allowed for additional features, Manning said.
As it currently stands, the project is on budget, he said. “We tried to hold down costs,” he said, adding, “We could always use more funding” for the unexpected expenses that can pop up with these types of projects.
For the last year or more, Masses have been held in the school’s gym; and more recently, smaller services have been conducted in the school chapel.
“I won’t miss the gym,” Manning said with a smile.
