Our parish was established by Bishop Lenihan in 1907. Almost 50 years later, ground was broken for the building of our present church on May 27, 1956. The first Mass was said in the new church on November 14th, 1965. The New Church was dedicated by Bishop Condon on July 11, 1966—this is the official birthday of our church building!

The dedication of a church, which can be traced back to Apostolic times, is an elaborate ritual performed by a bishop to set apart a building for the purpose of offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass. As Moses and Solomon performed long, elaborate rituals to dedicate (consecrate) the tabernacle and temple for the offering of sacrifice, so do bishops for our churches. This is just another striking example of the continuity between ancient Israel and the Roman Catholic Church! Once a church is dedicated, it should not be used for any secular events, like concerts or Bingo, but is reserved totally for prayer, sacraments, and the sacrifice of the Mass.

Like all our other liturgical rites since Vatican II, the rite of dedication of a church has been regrettably simplified. However, the new rite retains the essential elements that parallel the Rites of Initiation. Remember, Saint Paul tells us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are made temples of God by the waters of baptism and the anointing with sacred Chrism, which gives us the ability to offer sacrifice as members of the priesthood of believers.

So, in the dedication of a church, the walls are sprinkled with holy water and anointed with sacred Chrism; and an altar is always consecrated—to offer the sacrifice of the Mass.

What a glorious day that must have been for the Catholics of Laurel  on July 11, 1966! No more did they go to Mass in the Parish Hall, which was also used for other purposes. Now they had a place entirely dedicated to prayer and the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Let us be grateful to all those who made great sacrifices to provide this beautiful place for us to worship Almighty God. And may we always be mindful of the sacredness of this space.

Pax,
Fr. Bart