New altar, renovations mark IHM’s 100th VIEW GALLERY By Fabvienen Taylor
GREENWOOD — As Father Greg Plata, Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) pastor, and Father Tom Delaney, former pastor, anointed the altar at the 100th anniversary Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Feb. 14, parishioners Alice and Barry Barth felt a special connection to the ritual.
“It was really powerful for us,” said Alice, who with her husband, restored the former Blessed Virgin side altar to its former glory after it sat for decades in a warehouse. “Both of us were almost in tears,” she said.
Father Plata, pastor of both IHM and St. Francis of Assisi parishes, said the Mass represented the culmination of the anniversary. A 100th anniversary prayer, written for the celebration, will continue to be used at various events this year.
“Many people had never experienced the consecration of an altar and I think they were just amazed at the beauty of the ceremony,” said Father Plata.
Bishop Joseph Latino, principal celebrant, said the refurbished altar connected a sense of the old with the new at the parish.
“It was great fortune for them to discover the altar,” he said. “The additions and renovations, the grotto, and future columbarium (a vault for urns containing cremated remains) were all a part of the blessing and consecration.
“The thing that impressed me about the celebration was the enthusiasm of the people. The church was full, there were literally no empty seats. The congregation and choir really sang and responded beautifully.
“Another good sign to see was how the Franciscans are running both parishes and it seems to be a good transition. The people have surely accepted the situation and the Franciscans have been a good combination for them,” said Bishop Latino.
Prior to Father Plata’s 2009 appointment as pastor, Immaculate Heart was staffed by Diocese of Jackson priests. Father Plata is a member of the Franciscan Friars (OFM) of Pulaski, Wis.
Former pastor Father Patrick Noonan also concelebrated the anniversary Mass.
Father Plata said a lot of people worked behind the scenes preparing for the liturgy, celebration and the reception.
“Everyone was very proud of the way everything turned out,” he said.
The celebration, originally set for October 2009 was rescheduled, due to construction delays.
“We were just tickled Bishop Latino could come and celebrate with us,” said Bill Hughes, pastoral associate at Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“The Mass was very definitely the highlight of our 100th celebration and everyone was absolutely blown away to see the altar consecrated, to see the priests rubbing in the oil. It was just beautiful,” he said.
Some of the internal work completed in the church are a new sound system, new lighting inside the existing sanctuary. the new altar, a restructured elevated stage area, additional pews, new ambo, new lectern and new paint.
The new addition to the 100-year-church features new restrooms, a small vesting area and a bride’s room.
Adjacent to that is a prayer grotto with a large fountain, benches, a covered altar area with a large outdoor cross.
“The grotto is a pretty amazing addition to the church,” said Hughes. “Eventually we will have the columbarium. We are in the final stages of getting it approved by the diocese.
“The grotto is a quiet garden area in the city where we can pray and have some small liturgical celebrations and other gatherings. It is a very nice reflective area for the parish.”
The overall cost of the renovations and additions is $800,000.
Hughes said planning for the celebration was divided into three areas: liturgy and worship with events planned throughout the anniversary year using the parish’s specially-written 100th anniversary prayer; the social celebration, including a welcome home party for persons with former ties to the parish and the anniversary reception; and the parish history.
Over 25 long-time parishioners were interviewed for the history, which is being compiled for publication, Hughes said.
“We call them our ‘wisdom people’ because they talked about being baptized here years ago, or were children here, or were baptized and then married in the church. We went back and gathered as much history as we could and then organized it into a document,” he said.
Among parishioners interviewed for the history were Josephine Leflore, Gloria Truitt, Genevieve Antoon, Nazira Antoon, Phillip Carnaggio and Gerry Matthews.
Mary Jane Faulkner, parish life coordinator, said parishioners had planned seven years for the renovations. “There was a lot of hard work that went into everything. And the celebration was very moving and special and just came out wonderfully,” said Faulkner, who with her husband, Keith, have been parishioners 35 years.
While there are not a lot of children in the parish, Hughes nonetheless sees hope on the horizon.
“Right now we have a lot of little people running around so maybe we will have a larger number of children in a few more years,” he said.
Father Tom Delaney, former pastor, anointed the altar at the 100th anniversary Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Feb. 14, parishioners Alice and Barry Barth felt a special connection to the ritual.
planning for the celebration was divided into three areas: liturgy and worship with events planned throughout the anniversary year using the parish’s specially-written 100th anniversary prayer; the social celebration, including a welcome home party for persons with former ties to the parish and the anniversary reception; and the parish history.
“There was a lot of hard work that went into everything. And the celebration was very moving and special and just came out wonderfully,” said Faulkner, who with her husband, Keith, have been parishioners 35 years.
