Relic of Sister of Charity

BEACON PHOTO | JOE GIGLI

MIRACLES  The Shrine of Blessed Miriam Teresa at the Holy Family Chapel of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station. 

CONVENT STATION  Two years after Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich was beatified, Bishop Serratelli dedicated and blessed a new shrine in her honor for public veneration at the Holy Family Chapel of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth here Oct. 16. The Blessed Miriam Teresa Shrine is located in an alcove, 10 feet wide and five feet deep that once accommodated a confessional in transept of the Holy Family Chapel.

Sister of Charity Rosemary Moynihan, general superior, welcomed the congregation, which included many Sisters of Charity and religious serving in other orders in the Diocese, saying, “Today we bless the shrine for Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, our sister.”

Also present were several priests including Bishop Emeritus Frank Rodimer, Bene­dictine Abbot Richard Cronin of St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown and Arch­bishop John Myers of Newark.

As he dedicated the new shrine, Bishop Serratelli said, “When the Church blesses a shrine and presents it for public veneration by the faithful, it does so for the following reasons — that we look at the representation of those who have followed Christ faithfully, that we will be motivated to seek the city that is to come; that we will learn the way that will enable us most surely to attain complete union with Christ; that as we struggle with our earthly cares, we will be mindful of the saints, those friends and coheirs of Christ who are also our own brothers and sisters and our special benefactors; that we will remember how they love us, are near us, intercede ceaselessly for us and are joined to us in marvelous communion.”

Blessed Miriam Teresa’s beatification took place on Oct. 4, 2014 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. She was born in Bayonne on March 26, 1901. She studied at the College of St. Elizabeth from 1919 to 1923. She later entered the Sisters of Charity in 1925. After profession of vows as a Sister of Charity, Sister Miriam Teresa died in St. Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth in 1927 when she was 26.

Her beatification was the first time a beatification had been held in the United States. The miracle that took place and opened the way for her beatification was the miraculous healing of Michael Mencer, who had been declared legally blind due to macular degeneration in 1964. Mencer was present at the dedication of the shrine carrying a relic of Blessed Miriam Teresa during the Presenta­tion of the Gifts.

In his homily, the Bishop talked about the first Christians and the reverence given to the remains of loved ones. “(With this shrine) The Sisters of Charity, like those very first Christians, are saying that the mortal remains of Blessed Miriam Teresa are a treasure for them and a treasure for us,” Bishop Serratelli said. “God worked through Blessed Miriam in her life on earth. God infused her with the good example of humility and charity and continues to work in response to her intercessory prayer for us. Although she’s in heaven, her body here on earth, puts us in touch with her. In this sacred place, may our prayers on earth join her prayers in heaven. May our lives on earth become a holy offering to the glory of God.”

Plans for the shrine to venerate Blessed Miriam Teresa began in 2015 as more and more people visited the Holy Family Chapel following her beatification. The Sisters of Charity decided to create a more hospitable and informational environment for visitors. With the assistance of Willy Malarcher, an artist and liturgical design consultant, the sisters began to explore designs.

On July 1, the remains of Blessed Miriam Teresa were transferred from the crypt where they had been placed and sealed on May 9, 1979 to the new shrine. Three Ziegler boxes, metal containers made to fit within coffins for the purpose of moving remains, create the shrine. One of the boxes contains her remains, which had been resealed and placed under the base table of the reliquary. The two other boxes contain soil taken from the gravesite of Blessed Miriam Teresa, which also form part of the base of the new shrine.

In the final design, the reliquary cask is an octagonal form, one foot high by three and a half feet wide. A Waterford glass vessel contains a lock of Blessed Miriam Teresa’s hair for those who visit the shrine to see. The front of the base has three glass panels and an image of Sister Miriam Teresa from a 1923 College of St. Elizabeth yearbook photograph that was electroplated on to the silver metal disk mounted on the center panel. The wood elements of the shrine were fabricated and installed by Studio L. Contracting. The glass panels were executed by Hackensack Glass. Harvey and Dot produced the photo-embedded metal. J.R. Prisco Inc. General Construction and Engineering provided the reinforcement of the floor to support the weight of the alcove.

At the end of Mass, the Bishop said, “I’m grateful for this community, the Sisters of Charity, for one of many gifts they have given us. We are grateful for the work that you do. They are a part of so many ministries and serve here and throughout the world.”