As mentioned on Christmas Day, by God's grace we have been given the opportunity to restore the crucifix original to St. Lawrence, back to our beautiful church. We had this wooden cross lifted up and installed above the sanctuary on Thursday, Dec. 29, the fifth day in the Octave of Christmas.
We are very grateful to all of the people at the chancery of the Diocese of
Harrisburg, the education officials, as well as the priests and our bishop who made this possible. This also would not have been possible without the help of several people in our parish, including Mr. Fred Shibler and many of his family members who did the delicate work of moving, elevating, and securing this crucifix, which at 11-feet tall and 6-feet wide, also weighs several hundred pounds.
Please offer a Hail Mary for all of those who made this possible.
Note the photos below showing the cross how it looks now after its installation, and as it looked in our church a century ago. In honor of this glorious occasion, the choir will sing Vexilla Regis, the hymn from the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14), at the High Mass on Sunday during the Offertory.
Here is a time-lapse video of the work done to raise the cross.
There are many times each week when the Faithful can assist at both the Divine Office and at High Mass at the parish. Vespers is sung on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 5:00 pm (and while we try never to the schedule for Vespers, usually when one priest is gone from the parish, Vespers is prayed in private, but this is noted on schedule for the Divine Office).
The St. Lawrence Choir sings at the 11 am Sunday Mass where one can hear Gregorian chant propers and polyphonic works from composers such as Victoria, Palestrina, Lassus and more.
Sunday Vespers is at 5:00 pm followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) recently purchased the building at 112 State Street, which adjacent to St. Lawrence Church, which is at 110 State Street. The 8,700 square feet of additional space provide much space for class rooms, parish events, meeting space, entertaining, and offices.
We hope to move the parish library to the new space, which would be a beautiful room, accessible seven days per week, and have natural sunlight.
The building is also accessible for the disabled, including a fully functional service elevator.
The parish will have free use of the building (though responsible for utilities, insurance, etc.) until June 30, 2027, at which time it will need to decide whether to purchase or vacate the space.
The new year began yesterday for the parish's 2022-2023 Friday education program. This year marked a near doubling of student enrollment and the addition of a pre-K set of classes. The building acquired at 112 State Street has allowed for this expansion to take place, giving rooms for the many classes offered over the course of the four and half hour day. Classes include: Sacred Art, Bible Study on Romans using the commentary by St. Thomas Aquinas, the Ancient World, Mater Dei Choristers, and Sacrament Classes with our Pastor and Associate Pastor.