Rising from the ashes

NORTH HALEDON  The shock and sorrow that the Salesian Sisters of St. Joseph Province experienced 15 months ago gave way to joy on the afternoon of Sept. 14. On that perfect late summer day, the Salesians broke ground for the new St. Joseph Chapel here to replace the former chapel — lovingly called “the heart” of the province and of Mary Help of Christians Academy (MHCA) here — which was destroyed by a four-alarm fire on May 18, 2018.

A jubilant community, which included Salesian sisters; school staff, alumni, students and parents; benefactors; local clergy; and diocesan and local officials, turned out for the groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the building project — the result of the Salesian Sisters’ resolve to rebuild following the devastating fire. The new 15,000-square-foot chapel will occupy the same footprint as the old building but will benefit from a few improvements. The new 500-seat building will sport a more contemporary architectural design and be more energy efficient. It also will hold a new expanded area for music ministry and a new Peragallo Pipe organ to replace the one melted in the fire, said Jimmy Black, an associate principal of Acheson Doyle Partners Architects, the firm that designed the new chapel.

“This groundbreaking gives us the hope that our new chapel will become a reality. Our dream is that it will be in the not-too-distant future,” Sister Joanne Holloman, provincial, said, thanking everyone who supported the Salesians through this difficult time period. “Our prayer is that Jesus, Joseph and Mary protect this endeavor. May all those who have begun this labor of love, and those who will construct this new chapel, be safe from harm. I look forward to our next gathering when we will come together to worship in our new sacred place and give thanks to God for the many blessings that he bestows on us,” she said.

The new chapel will replace the former building that was destroyed in 2018 by an electrical fire in the middle of the night that brought responses from the fire departments of North Haledon, Hawthorne, Franklin Lakes and Paterson. The fire charred the chapel’s brick-and-wood interior, including the altar and pews, and melted the organ. Yet, no one was harmed and the firefighters were able to rescue the most precious item in the chapel: the tabernacle.

On that day, Sister Marisa DeRose called the destruction of the chapel “a loss to the family of both Mary Help and the Salesian Sisters.”

“It was the heart of both the campus and the school. It was a place where we went in happy moments and in moments of sadness. It has seen us grow. Many of our girls walked by the chapel on the morning that the fire happened and began to cry. The great loss of this chapel of memories is heartbreaking,” Sister Marisa said.

The groundbreaking featured six dignitaries, who each scooped up some soil and threw it with a ceremonial shovel from a small patch of dirt that was brought from the chapel further up the hill to the front of Sacred Heart Hall, where the ceremony took place. The soil will be brought back to the site of the former chapel, which has yet to be demolished. Once it is razed, construction will begin. It is expected to take a year and a half to complete the new chapel, said Sister Mary Rinaldi, director of the Salesians’ Development Office.

On that afternoon, several dignitaries spoke, including Sister Mary, who called the event “the moment of faith and hope for the new chapel.” North Haledon Mayor Randy George pledged the borough’s continued support for the construction project and the Salesian Sisters. Dennis Clair, chair of the school’s Partners’ Circle, said the fire and subsequent rebuilding show that “God has bigger and better plans that are moving along.”

Salesian Father James Heuser, president of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, praised the sisters’ faith as they “bowed their heads [to God] and said ‘We will rebuild,’ ” before he blessed a medallion of St. Joseph, patron of the province, which will be incorporated into the chapel’s foundation, and blessed the construction site. Afterward, dignitaries lined up for the groundbreaking. They were: Sister Joanne; Sister Marisa; George; Dave Acheson of Acheson and Doyle; James Jennings of Jennings Construction Managers, which will oversee construction; and Sister Domenica DiPeri of Mary Help’s Class of 1944, who used a shovel from the construction of the original chapel in 1976.

The ceremony included the singing of “Ave Maria” by a choir of Salesian Sisters and MHCA students and “You Are All Beautiful” by the Salesian Sisters. The event was followed by a reception in Sacred Heart Hall, where people had an opportunity to donate to the chapel construction. Also available was a booklet that printed messages of hope from the Salesians and from people near and far.

“This new construction is a sure sign of hope and of God’s providence, but it is also a call for each of us to remain strongly united as a community as we await that beautiful edifice that will once again find us gathering in worship of our Lord,” wrote Sister Marisa, who thanked everyone, who has been, and will continue to be instrumental in rebuilding the chapel.

Undaunted, the Salesians launched a fundraising campaign immediately after the fire on the province’s website, www.salesiansisters.org, and on social media websites. The former chapel opened in 1976. Bishop Serratelli rededicated it on April 17, 2016, after extensive renovations. On the day of the fire, he spoke with Sister Joanne and sent a letter to priests and deacons of the Diocese, asking for their prayers. In the months that followed, MHCA and the province found alternate places for many of their events, such as graduation.

One student, Brianna Robinson, a MHCA senior, told The Beacon that she was “upset” with news of the fire, because she enjoyed attending Adoration and Mass in the former chapel, which gave her a “comforting feeling.”

“I’m happy that the chapel will be rebuilt. I missed it so much. Now, we will get back our home,” Robinson said.