A Church Transformed

No, this is not about the universal church being transformed under our new pontiff, Pope Francis, but rather about our local Carroll Gardens church, Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary/St. Stephen's Church, undergoing its annual transformation to celebrate that most holy of holidays, Easter.

On Saturday morning, a band of volunteers descended upon SHSS, Swiffers in hand, to clean and decorate the entire church. Under the expert guidance of John Heyer, II, the volunteers ranged in age from John's grandfather, Pat Bruno, 80 years young, to little Thomas Glockner, aged 5, who even brought his own broom! The work included sweeping, mopping, polishing, filling the baptismal font with fresh water, and the watering and arranging of 120 lily plants, not to mention 50 additional plants comprised of tulips, hydrangeas, and hyacynths. There was also lots of ironing of altar cloths and tapestries, usually done by a dear, lifelong parishioner, Diane Vergona. Others hung silk flowers and draped tulle from all the columns. Most of the high work was done by Jay Nyffler who was up and down on the ladder countless times throughout the day.

There was also the dusting of a multitude of saints. If you have ever visited SHSS, you will surely notice that both sides of the church are completely lined with a great many statues of saints, some transported here by immigrants from their original parishes in Italy during the church's formative years. My job is usually the aforementioned dusting of these statues. This can be a little tricky since all of the saints stand (much) taller than me but thanks to my trusty Swiffer Duster Extender, I was able to manage. Plus, I have had a ton of training from my mother who made us do thorough holiday cleanings each Christmas and Easter as if Jesus himself were coming for dinner.

The most important task undertaken was the careful placing of the statue of the Resurrected Jesus in the center of the altar. When everything was in its place, the whole back of the altar was then covered with a purple curtain. 

All the work was worth it, not just because it made us feel good, but because in the middle of the afternoon we got our reward: a basket of warm, homemade Easter bread made by the wonderful Francesca Reca for all the volunteers to share. The first piece went to Mohammed, our hard-working church janitor.

The transformation from a stark, bare Good Friday altar to a veritable indoor garden is truly a sight to behold. After the last reading during the Easter Vigil late on Saturday evening, the bells rang, the lights were turned on and the curtain was dropped to reveal the transformed altar in all its spendor. While this was happening, the choir sang the Gloria. It was truly glorious.

If you are in the neigborhood, I urge you to stop in and see for yourself. As newly installed SHSS pastor, Monsignor Guy Massie said at the conclusion of the Easter Vigil Mass, "The decorations you see here are a reflection of the people." A beautiful sentiment for our beautiful parish.