Hardly a parking space was free at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Vienna Oct. 13.
After five years of planning and months of construction, the church capped off its “Cornerstone Project” renovations with a Mass of Thanksgiving. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and concelebrated by 19 priests, including 12 Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and the oblates’ Provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province Father Jack Kolodziej.
The church doors open to a refinished narthex complete with a statue of Mary and the child Jesus, his hand touching Mary’s face as she gazes down with a loving expression. The statue is backed by a vibrant stained-glass window. A new marble baptismal font graces the back of the church, as well as an ambry holding the holy oils of the sick and catechumens and sacred chrism. The smell of fresh wood from the new pews fills the renovated church, complete with new flooring and lighting. Statues of Mary and St. Joseph flank the sanctuary, and the church’s Stations of the Cross received a restaining and gold leaf additions. The old pews were transformed by parishioners into two, eight-foot crosses that flank each side of the narthex.
But the most striking change is the parish’s original tabernacle, relocated from a side alcove to rest behind the altar. A statue of St. Francis de Sales replaces the tabernacle in the side alcove, honoring the oblates who serve the parish.
At the start of Mass, Bishop Burbidge blessed and sprinkled holy water on the sanctuary, new statues, baptismal font and narthex. Parochial Administrator Father I. Mathias Kumar, OSFS, followed, giving his flock a healthy sprinkling as well.
In his homily, Bishop Burbidge quoted St. Catherine of Siena, “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” He praised the priests and parishioners who carried the Cornerstone Project to completion, including former pastor Father Matthew J. Hillyard, OSFS, present among the clergy. “After much enduring, discerning, hard work and with the grace of God, you have given this church a beautiful and sacred sanctuary and a renovated narthex, for which I commend and thank you,” he said. The congregation broke into enthusiastic applause.
Bishop Burbidge noted, “A major change in the sanctuary is that the tabernacle is in the center,” emphasizing the centrality of the Eucharist “as the source and summit of everything we do as a parish community and as individuals.”
But in some ways, the work is ongoing, Bishop Burbidge said. While the parish has glorified God through the renovations, “we know that he asks much more,” he said. “He desires our faithfulness, our love and service for which this vibrant parish is known.”
He urged parishioners “to be missionary disciples who go forth to family members and those in our parish community who, for various reasons, may have wandered away from the Lord and his church.” He encouraged them to reconnect with fallen-away members. “Don’t impose, but invite and inspire them to return,” he said. “Here, they will be graciously welcomed by this entire community and held in the embrace of our loving and merciful God.”
At the conclusion of Mass, Father Kumar thanked the parish and diocesan officials and parishioners who assisted with the project. “As your priest and administrator, I know that a project like this takes more than plans, budgets and construction. It takes trust, patience, sacrifice, teamwork and faith,” he said. “This renovation is not the end of the project. It is the beginning of a new chapter in the life of our parish.”
Parishioners were thrilled with the changes. “It looks great now,” said Emanuel Jayachandran. “We needed it,” added Maria Madocks. “This is just breathtaking. It’s beautiful, it’s lovely, it’s welcoming.”
The Cornerstone Project has been five years in the making, said Alison McKee, director of development. She said the parish partnered closely with the diocese “to make sure that we were capturing both the spirit of the community, but also working with what the bishop envisioned for our space.”
The project began after Our Lady of Good Counsel clergy and parishioners noticed that the church’s walls and bell tower were cracking. The group identified other areas of improvement and formally created the Cornerstone Project. Renovations began Easter Monday April 6, and Sunday Mass was offered in the parish De Sales Hall.
“We literally took it down to the floor,” McKee said of the renovations. “There was nothing left but the crucifix.” A vivid memory for her was the day the tabernacle was moved into the sanctuary. “They were putting the stained glass in, the organ was playing,” she described. “I thought to myself, ‘This is what it was supposed to be all along.’ ”
Now, only several small projects remain, including painting several panels in the church with a blue background and golden stars in honor of Mary.
For parishioners, the renovations reflect the beauty of the parish community itself. “What I love about this church is the community,” Madocks said. “Our priests are amazing, all of them. We love them, we adore this place.”
Donofrio can be reached at anna.donofrio@catholicherald.com.
