Celebrating the Dedication of Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel

Greetings,

"There is one thing I ask of the Lord, to live in the house of the Lord."
~ Benedictus Antiphon

Every year we celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel.  This year marks the 64th year of our prayer and worship in this chapel dedicated to the praise of God. The dedication candles are lit, the sisters have gathered for statio, and our prayer of thanksgiving begins...

"From the beginning of the community, the sisters spent long hours in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The liturgical prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours and the Eucharistic celebration, became ever more important in their prayer life. The need for more worship space became imperative. Mother Xavier Fischlin included an adequate chapel in the 1908 addition to the convent. With the help of our chaplain, Father Ignatius Forester, OSB, and the contribution of many benefactors, she led the way in the construction of the first Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel dedicated in 1919.  

Thirty-one years later, Mother Jerome Schmitt realized our dream of building a house of prayer that reflects the lives and hopes of all our sisters, while at the same time memorializing Bishop Martin Marty. The modified gothic structure, with the cross atop its spire soaring 188 feet above Yankton, stands etched in stone as a magnificent expression of our dedication to prayer "(One Heart One Soul booklet 2002).

The chapel's very completion was an act of faith. It was built in the years after World War II; when building materials were both scarce and precious, M. Jerome and the contractors found a way through their trust in God. Bishop Martin Marty Memorial Chapel was completed and consecrated in the year 1950. The chapel has been filled with the voices of our sisters giving God praise since that day.

"The feast of the Dedication of a church is celebrated annually only in those church buildings which have been consecrated by a bishop. The dedication sets the building aside as a sacred, holy place which cannot be used for other purposes. Among other things, the building must be debt-free when dedicated, so most church buildings are not consecrated. The ceremony is one of the most beautiful of all the ceremonies of the Church...

...Also part of the ceremony is the blessing of the walls. They too are anointed with the Chrism Oil at twelve locations throughout the church building. The twelve locations represent the twelve apostles on whose foundations the Christian faith rests and are marked with a cross and candle (called the consecration candles). Traditionally, those candles are only lit on the anniversary of the dedication of the church building.

The ceremony of dedication has similarities to the Sacrament of Baptism, especially regarding the anointing and candles. Those entering the church through Baptism are also anointed as a symbol of their being set aside (dedicated) to and for God. Those baptized receive a candle representing the Light of Christ. They are to receive and be the Light of Christ to the world" (Father Thomas on the anniversary of the Dedication of Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel).