By Staff
NILES - What started out as an attempt to save some money during the upcoming winter months on fuel expenses has become an opportunity for much more meaningful weekday liturgies. The idea of having a daily Mass chapel originated from a desire to save money.
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a large building; the cost of heating and air conditioning it is extremely high. A smaller space for weekday Masses will save the parish thousands of dollars a year.
St. Mary's has recently completed stage one of renovating their convent into a parish center with offices, meeting rooms and a small banquet facility and a daily Mass chapel. With the vast majority of the labor being done by parishioners, thousands of dollars has been saved already.
Stage two will revolve around providing a large youth room for the middle and high school parishioners. Money for this stage of the project is presently being raised through a Parish Capital Funds Campaign, “Together for Tomorrow.”
The new weekday Mass chapel was recently blessed and dedicated to “Christ the Good Shepherd” by Father Peltz, with some of the children who attend St. Mary's School. The chapel's furniture is arranged in such a way that the whole interior space is a sanctuary.
Adjoining the chapel is a garden like room where the Eucharist is reserved, which includes a waterfall like fountain which adds to the peacefulness of the setting.
This room is intended for prayerful reflection on the mystery of Jesus Christ.