Statue restored at Our Lady of Mount Carmel

BEACON PHOTO | CECILE SAN AGUSTIN

STATUE RESTORATION  Patrick Martin (left), a volunteer at Straight and Narrow in Paterson and Burt, a client at S&N’s men’s residential unit, stand outside 396 Straight St. where they restored a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

PATERSON  A statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at 396 Straight Street here had been in need of repair for some time. The paint was peeling on the 62-year-old statue and it was looking more and more like a piece of urban decay prevalent in the city.

The statue stood just 12 feet from the ground at the entrance of one of the buildings of Straight and Narrow (S&N), an agency of Catholic Charities in the Diocese, so it was important that it be returned to prominence, since the facility originally had its roots as Mount Carmel Guild. So a few weeks ago, Joe Duffy, executive director of S&N, charged Patrick Martin, a volunteer at S&N, to restore the statue with the help of Burt, one of the clients at the men’s residential unit.

In a short time, the two men brought back to life the statue. “It has been an honor to work on it,” said Martin, a parishioner of St. Joseph’s in Lincoln Park, who is a superintendent in the East Newark Public School system. “We noticed that many people stop by making the Sign of the Cross or saying a little prayer as we were working on it, so it means something to the neighborhood.”

The restoration of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue has meant more than repairing an old sculpture. For Martin and Burt, it has become a moment of catechesis learning about Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who has a popular devotion among the faithful. The statue was placed there in 1954 when Msgr. William Wall established Mount Carmel Guild, the precursor to S&N, to provide detoxification and residential treatment for indigent male alcoholics. It later evolved into Mount Carmel Hospital and Guild House for men.

“I remember receiving a Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for my First Communion, so I always heard about OLMC but never really learned about her,” said Martin. “I researched the story of Mount Carmel and started wearing my Scapular again.”

For Burt, this experience of being at Straight and Narrow and getting involved with many different projects, such as the statue restoration has changed his life. “I joined the choir, joined the pastoral care ministry and I’ve really felt this change happening in my life. My life has become more joyous and it feels really fantastic,” he said.

When Martin came one year ago to volunteer he never expected his life to change so much. “I felt called to volunteer somewhere. I saw S&N was looking for a painter so I looked into it. People always say when you volunteer you give back, but you receive so much more in return,” said Martin.

One thing he has received is a friendship with Burt. Martin and Burt became friends immediately realizing they have a lot in common. “We are the same age and we like the same type of music so we always have something to talk about.”

Burt said, “I’m always asking him questions. He’s helped a lot.”

When Burt graduates from the program at Straight and Narrow, Martin has already invited Burt for dinner at his home with his family. “I told Burt while he’s a chef by trade, he has to stay out of the kitchen because he’s a guest at my home,” said Martin.

In addition to the statue restoration, some of the other projects Martin has painted a major wall mural at S&N’s rooftop garden at its 508 Straight Street building, the door to the garden, done small carpentry projects and various spackling and paint jobs throughout the agency.

Bob Bozzomo, administrative assistant/donation coordinator at S&N’s pastoral care department, said, “Patrick has never said ‘no’ to anything we asked him to do. He has been excellent. He’s very open and willing to be here for us.”

The next project Martin and Burt will work on is to restore another statue of Mary and Jesus, which is outside S&N’s Family Success Center on Cedar Street. This time, it will be a more difficult task as the statue is broken in places. The statue has been vandalized and the head of Baby Jesus is missing. “It will be a challenge, but we have some clay and I’m up for it, figuring out how to fix it,” said Martin.

Father Charles Waller, director of pastoral care at S&N said, “It’s great to have the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel restored here. I think it’s a reminder of Msgr. Wall’s mission. Anyone who walks through here knows that they are under the protection of Mary, the mother of God. Certainly for the past 60 plus years at S&N, Mary has been our mother and she’s someone everyone can reach out to.”