Basilian Spirituality Center consecrated in Philadelphia suburb (04/30/00)

Basilian Spirituality Center consecrated in Philadelphia suburb

FOX CHASE, Pa. - Here on the spacious grounds of the Sisters of St. Basil the Great on Fox Chase Road in a suburb of Philadelphia sits a three-domed wooden church topped with gold crosses.

This Chapel of the Holy Trinity and its adjacent Basilian Spirituality Center were consecrated on Sunday, March 12. After 89 years, the vision of the sisters has become a reality with the completion of the chapel and the establishment of the first Spirituality Center in the United States focusing on Basilian and Eastern Christian Spirituality.

The contractor for the project was Marsico Corp. of Pittsburgh. The architect was Van Potteiger, and the consultant was Titus Hewryk. The iconographer was Swiatoslav Makarenko.

The Jesus, Lover of Humanity, Province of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great was founded in 1911 when three pioneering sisters immigrated to America from Ukraine at the invitation of Bishop Soter Ortynsky, the first Ukrainian bishop in the United States, to open an orphanage and school for children of Ukrainian descent. Their spirit of courage and love for serving others still fills the lives of the sisters today.

The rites of consecration of the chapel began on Saturday evening, March 11, with Archbishop Stephen Sulyk of Philadelphia, metropolitan for Ukrainians in the United States, officiating. Assisted by the Rev. John Ciurpita, the master of ceremonies, the Rev. Orest Mykhaylyuk, chaplain to the sisters, and Msgr. George Appleyard, vicar for religious in the Eparchy of St. Josaphat who had served as consultant for the project, the archbishop consecrated the bare altar and vested it with cloth coverings.

The gathering of clergy and nuns then left the new church and went to the old chapel to retrieve the Blessed Eucharist and the tabernacle. Like the Ark of the Covenant being received into Jerusalem by King David, the tabernacle was carried in procession and set upon the new altar, and the Blessed Eucharist replaced within it.

At 3 p.m. the next day the dedication of the new church was completed. The celebration began with a procession. Metropolitan Sulyk was accompanied by Bishop Robert Moskal of St. Josaphat Eparchy in Parma, Ohio, and Bishop Basil Losten of Stamford, Conn.

Preceded by Deacons Michael Waak and Paul Makar, the metropolitan began the incensation of the entire interior of the structure. He was followed by Bishop Moskal, who sprinkled the area with holy water, and Msgr. John Bura, who signed the four walls of the chapel with sacred chrism.

The divine liturgy was then celebrated upon the newly consecrated altar in the newly consecrated church. Seventeen priests were in attendance.

Msgr. Appleyard delivered the homily. Referring to the three peaks on the roof of the structure, he said they were not only symbols for the three divine persons of the Holy Trinity, but also symbols of the three peaks upon which significant moments in salvation history occurred and which serve as a reminder of the spiritual journey all must make: Mount Sinai, where we embrace not only the Law of God, but also the directives for right worship; Mount Tabor, where we see the culmination of the process of our sanctification; and Mount Zion, the site of Calvary, where we see how we pass from the first to the second.

Archbishop Sulyk's words, spoken directly to the Basilian Sisters, were of encouragement, hope and congratulations.

A festive banquet followed at St. Basil Academy. Dr. Richard Hanusey served as master of ceremonies, and the Rev. Ciurpita gave the invocation. Alice Kulikowski of AMK Consulting Inc. proposed the toast.

The main speaker was Sister Miriam Claire Kowal OSBM, principal of St. Josaphat School in Parma, Ohio, and the former provincial superior of the Philadelphia Province. Sister Miriam Claire commented that the events of the two days will be "etched in the minds and hearts of all of us forever."

The closing speaker was Sister Dorothy Ann Busowski OSBM, provincial superior, who spoke about the efforts and activities leading up to the completion of the Spirituality Center and chapel. She also thanked all the donors, family and friends of the Basilian Sisters.

The meal was brought to an end with a benediction by Sister Marina Bochnewich OSBM, director of the Spirituality Center.

With determination, perseverance and prayer, the Sisters of St. Basil have accomplished yet another major task. The Basilian Spirituality Center includes instructional and liturgical areas, a prayer room, library and meeting rooms. Its goal is to provide a creative and nurturing atmosphere where all will feel welcome. The programs will encourage the love and appreciation of the richness of Eastern Christian spirituality, iconography, architecture and liturgical music.

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