The Catholic Centerfor Evangelization

at Bayley-Ellard12

By CECILE PAGLIARULOR E P O R T E R

CONVENT STATION Two years after BlessedMiriam Teresa Demjanovich was beatified, BishopSerratelli dedicated and blessed a new shrine inher honor for public veneration at the Holy FamilyChapel of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabethhere Oct. 16. The Blessed Miriam Teresa Shrineis located in an alcove, 10 feet wide and five feetdeep that once accommodated a confessional intransept of the Holy Family Chapel.

Sister of Charity Rosemary Moynihan, generalsuperior, welcomed the congregation, which in-cluded many Sisters of Charity and religious serv-ing in other orders in the Diocese, saying, “Todaywe bless the shrine for Blessed Miriam TeresaDemjanovich, our sis-ter.”

Also present wereseveral priests includ-ing Bishop EmeritusFrank Rodimer, Bene -dictine Abbot RichardCronin of St. Mary’sAbbey in Morristownand Arch bishop JohnMyers of Newark.

As he dedicated thenew shrine, BishopSerratelli said, “Whenthe Church blesses ashrine and presents itfor public venerationby the faithful, it doesso for the followingreasons — that welook at the represen-tation of those whohave followed Christ faithfully, that we will bemotivated to seek the city that is to come; thatwe will learn the way that will enable us mostsurely to attain complete union with Christ; thatas we struggle with our earthly cares, we will bemindful of the saints, those friends and coheirsof Christ who are also our own brothers and sis-ters and our special benefactors; that we will re-member how they love us, are near us, intercedeceaselessly for us and are joined to us in mar-velous communion.”

Blessed Miriam Teresa’s beatification tookplace on Oct. 4, 2014 at the Cathedral BasilicaD

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R.C. DIOCESE OF PATERSON, N.J.

By MICHAEL WOJCIKN E W S E D I T O R

MADISON It’s game time! Catholic men needto get in shape spiritually, undergoing a trans-formation of their souls to get ready for the com-petition of all eternity — evangelizing to othersabout the faith with the mission of crossing thegoal line of a heavenly sort by helping to bringsouls to the saving power of Christ. This is a dif-ficult task today in a society that seeks to pushGod out of the public square.

That’s the urgent directive that inspired morethan 200 men from the Diocese and beyond —from teens to seniors — during the first Men’sConference in Church of Paterson, guided by thetheme “Crossing the Goal: Leading Men to theCross,” on Oct. 15 in the auditorium of St. PaulInside the Walls here. Issuing this faith-filled im-perative were several dynamic speakers that

morning, including Danny Abramowicz, a formerNFL receiver and author of the book, “Crossingthe Goal: a Saint Goes Marching On”; PeterHerbeck, missions director of the Michigan-basedRenewal Ministry; and Peter Burak, Renewal’soutreach director. Also during the event, JosephSpada of St. Joseph Parish, Mendham, gave apowerful witness talk, while Bishop Serratelliserved as main celebrant and homilist of the clos-ing Mass.

“We are excited to have you here as brothersin Christ,” said Father Paul Manning, St. Paul’sexecutive director and diocesan vicar for evan-gelization. “Jesus is beckoning us. Make Christyour goal,” he said.

Originally, Jesus was not Abramowitz’s goal,while playing for the New Orleans Saints and theSan Francisco 49ers in the 1960s and 1970s, andin the business world after his retirement fromsports. His constant partying took a toll on hisfamily life with his wife and three children. Oneday, he looked in the mirror at his “dark soul”and “cried out, ‘God help me.’ ” Soon after, Abram -o wicz sobered up with the help of Alcoholics

RELIC OF SISTER OF CHARITY

Diocese holds first Men’s Conference

CHURCH PLAYSVITAL ROLE INHELPING THOSEAFFECTED BY

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BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLIBishop Serratelli blesses the congregation with a relic of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, aSister of Charity of St. Elizabeth, in Holy Family Chapel, Convent Station, on Oct. 16. The Bishopblessed and dedicated a new shrine for Blessed Miriam Teresa, who was beatified on Oct. 4, 2014.As the Bishop gives the blessing, Deacon Thomas Beirne makes the Sign of the Cross.

Bishop dedicatesshrine for BlessedMiriam Teresa inConvent Station

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‘I’m grate -ful for thiscommunity… for one ofmany giftsthey havegiven us.We aregrate ful forthe workthat youdo.’

— BISHOP SERRATELLI

More than 200 men urged to takeaction to get in shape spiritually

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of the Sacred Heart in Newark. She wasborn in Bayonne on March 26, 1901. Shestudied at the College of St. Elizabeth from1919 to 1923. She later entered the Sistersof Charity in 1925. After profession of vowsas a Sister of Charity, Sister Miriam Teresadied in St. Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth in1927 when she was 26.

Her beatification was the first time a be-atification had been held in the United States.The miracle that took place and opened theway for her beatification was the miraculoushealing of Michael Mencer, who had beendeclared legally blind due to macular degen-eration in 1964. Mencer was present at thededication of the shrine carrying a relic ofBlessed Miriam Teresa during the Presenta -tion of the Gifts.

In his homily, the Bishop talked about thefirst Christians and the reverence given tothe remains of loved ones. “(With this shrine)The Sisters of Charity, like those very firstChristians, are saying that the mortal remainsof Blessed Miriam Teresa are a treasure forthem and a treasure for us,” Bishop Serratellisaid. “God worked through Blessed Miriamin her life on earth. God infused her withthe good example of humility and charityand continues to work in response to her in-tercessory prayer for us. Although she’s inheaven, her body here on earth, puts us intouch with her. In this sacred place, may ourprayers on earth join her prayers in heaven.May our lives on earth become a holy offer-ing to the glory of God.”

Plans for the shrine to venerate BlessedMiriam Teresa began in 2015 as more andmore people visited the Holy Family Chapelfollowing her beatification. The Sisters ofCharity decided to create a more hospitableand informational environment for visitors.With the assistance of Willy Malarcher, anartist and liturgical design consultant, thesisters began to explore designs.

On July 1, the remains of Blessed MiriamTeresa were transferred from the crypt wherethey had been placed and sealed on May 9,1979 to the new shrine. Three Ziegler boxes,metal containers made to fit within coffinsfor the purpose of moving remains, createthe shrine. One of the boxes contains her re-mains, which had been resealed and placedunder the base table of the reliquary. Thetwo other boxes contain soil taken from thegravesite of Blessed Miriam Teresa, which al-so form part of the base of the new shrine.

In the final design, the reliquary cask isan octagonal form, one foot high by threeand a half feet wide. A Waterford glass vesselcontains a lock of Blessed Miriam Teresa’shair for those who visit the shrine to see.The front of the base has three glass panelsand an image of Sister Miriam Teresa froma 1923 College of St. Elizabeth yearbookphotograph that was electroplated on to thesilver metal disk mounted on the center pan-el. The wood elements of the shrine werefabricated and installed by Studio L.

Contracting. The glass panels were executedby Hackensack Glass. Harvey and Dot pro-duced the photo-embedded metal. J.R. PriscoInc. General Construction and Engineeringprovided the reinforcement of the floor tosupport the weight of the alcove.

At the end of Mass, the Bishop said, “I’mgrateful for this community, the Sisters ofCharity, for one of many gifts they have givenus. We are grateful for the work that youdo. They are a part of so many ministriesand serve here and throughout the world.”

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11Shrine: Dedicatedfor Blessed MiriamTeresa by BishopFROM 1

CHARITY ANDLOVE Above:Concelebratingpriests and thecongregation atMass. Left:Religious sistersfrom differentorders in theDiocese lead thecongregation inhymns of praise.

BLESSED MIRIAM TERESA Top: SisterRosemary Moynihan, general superior of theSisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, welcomesthe congregation. Above: Sister of Charity

Elena Colicelli leads the procession followedby Sisters of Charity Kathleen Flanagan and

Jane Culligan, candle bearers, and otherSisters of Charity and priests.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

MIRACLES Above: The Shrine of Blessed MiriamTeresa at the Holy Family Chapel. Above right: A young

lady venerates the relic of Blessed Miriam Teresa.Right: Michael Mencer (left) holds a relic of Blessed

Miriam Teresa and James Prisco Sr. carries a basket ofviolets to the altar during the Offertory procession.