By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Saskatoon welcomed Bishop Mark Hagemoen for a joyful celebration Feb. 12 to mark the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the dedication of a new altar in the recently-renovated sanctuary of the church adjacent to Bishop Murray High School on 12th Street East in Saskatoon.

“This is a beautiful, sacred kind of oasis,” Bishop Mark Hagemoen said of the new sanctuary. “This extraordinary effort at beautifying it — I am very grateful for the gifts that have been brought to bear, many gifts in the community, and also the support. It is a beautiful, sacred, holy place.”

Homily by Bishop Hagemeon:

The celebration coincided with the 165th anniversary of the first appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous at at Massabielle in Lourdes, France on Feb. 11, 1858. This year is also the 60th anniversary of the original blessing of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1963 by Saskatoon Bishop Francis Klein, first designated as a chapel, before officially becoming a parish in 1965.

The new altar was anointed with Sacred Chrism oil and blessed by Bishop Mark Hagemoen during the celebration of Mass Feb. 12 — part of an extensive four-year redesign and renovation of the parish sanctuary, that included the work of local artists working in stone and wood.

At the conclusion of the celebration, Our Lady of Lourdes pastor Fr. Geoffrey Young thanked parishioners for their “support and love” over the past four years since planning and discussions for the beautification project first started.

“In a special way we thank our chief mason, Derek Boldt,” he said. Young noted that some of the stone in the new altar came from St. Peter Cathedral in Muenster, which was then re-worked and integrated into an entirely new creation through the grace of Boldt’s gifts, with the help of stoneworker Brian Cey. The team created all the extensive stonework in the new sanctuary.

Young also thanked Darren Molnar who carved the wooden ambo, tabernacle and crucifix for the sanctuary, and all others who brought gifts and talents to the project: “You’ve done something beautiful for God.”

He noted that during the last apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to St. Bernadette, Our Lady told her to “go to the priest and tell him to build a chapel worthy of my honour.” “And that is what we have done,” said Young.

A community breakfast followed the celebration of Eucharist.

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Kiply Lukan Yaworski is the communications coordinator for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon – rcdos.ca