The Maronite
Servants of Christ the Light attended the dedication of St. George Maronite
Church in Cranston, Rhode Island on Sunday, October 5th 2014 at a
Divine Liturgy of Thanksgiving celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop Gregory
Mansour, concelebrated with the Pastor of St. George, Fr. Ed Nedder and
Chorbishop Joseph Lahoud, and a number of other clergy.
A beautiful
ritual took place after Bishop Gregory’s homily, whereby the Church of St.
George was formally dedicated as a Maronite Church for the honor of God and the
continued service of Christ’s Holy Mysteries. The Bishop, the various clergy
present, and the altar servers then processed solemnly throughout the whole church,
while the Bishop sprinkled holy water.
The dedication
of the church was then followed by a festive banquet for the parish and
distinguished guests at the Venus de Milo restaurant in Somerset. Many of the parishioners expressed day that
this has been “a dream come true”. The dedication of their new Church has been
a time-consuming and lengthy process. Nine years ago, on October 25th,
2005, the former St. George, which was located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was
destroyed by fire. After the devastating fire, the Parish of St. George rented
and shared a space at St. Raymond’s Church in Providence, Rhode
Island.
In April of
2013, the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of St. Maron entered into an agreement with
the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence to purchase the church and rectory of
the now newly dedicated, St. George Maronite Church (which previously had been
St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church).
We really learn
from this dedication what it means to be “Church”. In the words of St.
Augustine, “the work we see complete in
this building is physical; it should find its spiritual counterpart in your
hearts. We see here the finished product of stone and wood; so too your lives
should reveal the handiwork of God’s grace”. As said by Fr. Ed Nedder on
Sunday’s Dedication, we are “Church”, not the building. Echoing this theme,
Bishop Gregory reminded us that we should re-dedicate ourselves to the service
of the Lord, as faithful members of His Church.