Benefactors, community gather for blessing of St. Joseph’s new gym and parish center

By Margaret M. Russell
The Catholic Free Press
WEBSTER – The day revolved around the children of St. Joseph Elementary School, their education, their future, their opportunities and their faith. And tributes were paid to long-time pastor Msgr. Anthony S. Czarnecki, whose dream to build a gymnasium, parish center and performing arts center came to fruition weeks before his July 1 retirement.
Hundreds of people filled St. Joseph Basilica for the 4 p.m. dedication Mass Saturday where Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, a member of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, was celebrant and Bishop McManus was homilist.
Cardinal Rylko presented Msgr. Czarnecki with greetings from Pope Francis congratulating him on the 125th anniversary of St. Joseph Parish and his accomplishments as pastor. Msgr. Czarnecki has been at St. Joseph’s since 1993.
Bishop McManus noted that St. Joseph Parish has been in existence for 125 years and that a plaque at the school proclaims: “Christ is the reason for this school.”
“Thank you to all the parishioners who helped Msgr. Czarnecki complete this monumental project” of building the new gymnasium and parish center, Bishop McManus said.
In his homily the bishop recalled that Pope Benedict XVI, during a visit to the United States, summed up the purpose of Catholic schools. “Every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God,” the bishop said.
“In a Catholic school, students are drawn to (God) to lead a life that is good and beautiful and true,” Bishop McManus said. Besides the superior academics students get at schools such as St. Joseph’s, they also get “consciences that are formed by the truth of the Gospel.”
Bishop McManus said that “this type of holistic Catholic education is desperately needed in this day and age.”
He praised St. Joseph’s and said there is evidence that the love of “Jesus Christ is alive and flourishing in this parish community.”
The children of St. Joseph’s gathered in front of the altar at the end of Mass to perform a contemporary song singing out that: “Our God is greater, our God is stronger. God, you are higher than any other. Our God is healer, awesome in power, our God, our God ...”  
Dr. John Kalinowski, a major donor to the building project, was moved by the children’s singing. “It’s a great day!” he said.
Following Mass there was a reception, dinner and dedication ceremony in the new Richard A. Nowak Gymnasium and the Daniel & Catherine Ivascyn Parish Center.
“It has been a long journey, but a labor of love,” said Richard A. Nowak, a benefactor of St. Joseph Elementary School, when he came into the gymnasium Saturday. Mr. Novak is a 1955 graduate of St. Joseph’s. He went to Bartlett High School where he starred in both baseball and football. He said Msgr. Czarnecki presented the vision of a new gym to him 10 years ago.
Ground for the new facility was broken on the north side of St. Joseph Elementary School in June 2013. The floor was put down, the steel framework for the building  was erected and material for the completion of the building was delivered, much of it encased in white plastic wrapping.
Then the money ran out and construction stopped. For about two years the job site stood idle. But the parish was not idle. Fundraising continued until enough money was raised to get construction started again and completed.
Last Friday, Mr. Nowak and his wife Marie arrived in Webster from their home in Texas, where he is president of ELCOR Corp. It was the first time they had seen the completed building bearing his name.
“Very, very impressed,” was his reaction.
The parish center was named to honor another benefactor, who wants to remain in the background and asked that it be named after his parents, Daniel and Catherine Ivascyn.
St. Joseph’s was the boyhood parish of Daniel Ivascyn, retired superintendent of schools for the neighboring town of Oxford. While attending the reception in the center, Mr. Ivascyn said he was overwhelmed. “It is an awesome pleasure to look at these beautiful facilities for the young children,” he said.
Despite being a long time in the making, Mr. Ivascyn said he was not surprised by Msgr. Czarnecki’s accomplishment. “Monsignor loves the children. He is so devoted to them.”  
 Michael Hackenson, principal of St. Joseph School, said students and others have been using the gymnasium since September. He said the gym and parish center, besides being used by the parish, may be rented. He said the gym was rented for a basketball clinic and the parish center has been used by a choral group.
 Beth Boudreau, director of advancement for St. Joseph School and the person in charge of booking events in the new center, said last weekend that it went from being a basketball court to a play venue to a banquet hall - then back to a venue for the Sunday production of the musical put on by the students.
Following the reception in the parish center Children of Mary members escorted the major donors – John and Jane Gogolinski, Dr. Kalinowski, Mr. and Mrs. Ivascyn, and Mr. and Mrs. Nowak – into the gym for dinner.
“Everyone here tonight has made a difference,” Mr. Hackenson said. He said all could go home saying “I feel good that I have made a difference for these children.”
Bishop McManus offered prayers and blessed the building with holy water.
Cardinal Rylko told those gathered for the banquet that St. Joseph’s community knows the importance of a Catholic education and Catholic upbringing.
“Pass to your young people basic values of human life. This is a great and very important task for schools,” he said.
Cardinal Rylko called the gym and parish center “beautiful fruits of your shepherd’s work.”    

– CFP reporter William T. Clew contributed to this report.
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