Empire’s St. Philip Neri Catholic Church hosted Bishop Jeffrey Walsh, from the Diocese of Gaylord on Friday to celebrate Mass and bless the church’s new addition and bell tower. The sanctuary was filled into the overflow seating with over 270 parishioners in attendance for the momentous occasion.
The church’s own pastor the Rev. Ken Stachnik and 10 other priests from the area joined Bishop Walsh on the altar during Mass.
During his homily, Walsh spent time reflecting on the concept of piety and the joy it can bring.
“The new addition as a symbol of the piety we can activate when we come in here,” said Walsh. He connected the idea of piety being joyful by explaining that the patron saint of the church, St. Philip Neri, is the patron saint of joy. Walsh taught that while Neri was a deeply pious and devoted man, he was equally silly and cheerful. Neri taught that a heart filled with joy is more perfect than one that is sad.
The new $1 million addition to the church includes a remodel of the entryway and a new bell tower. The church used to have two main entrances which have now been combined into one. This transformed entrance provides a covered area where parishioners can be dropped off to avoid bad weather, as well as serving as a welcome center. Inside the welcome center portion are display cases containing artifacts of the church’s 125year history.
“These pieces are to remind you of our future and where we come from,” said Michael Bolton, who serves as the president of the building committee.
During his remarks after the service, Bolton thanked all those who were involved with the project including his father, Bill Bolton, who had proposed the idea to, “chop the nose off the church”, in order to renovate the entrance 25 years ago.
The new bell tower was built to house the church’s old bell that had been on display in the front lawn for the past 50 years. The simple tower sits directly in front of the new entrance and is operated using electromagnets instead of the traditional manual ringing or other mechanical system. Building the entrance and bell tower had been on the council agenda for 15 years.
The service ended with a blessing in the new welcome center entrance. Bishop Walsh and members of the clergy said a prayer, burned incense, and sprinkled holy water on the doors and walkway.
Another aspect of the celebration was the acknowledgment of 2025 being a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church. A Jubilee Year occurs every 25 years and the theme of this Jubilee Year is “Pilgrims of Hope.”
According to the Diocese of Gaylord, a Jubilee Year is a period in the Church that is meant to foster holiness through acts of reconciliation and unity with others
