Bishop Ruggieri blesses St. Monica Adoration Chapel in Augusta
Through the commitment and gifts of parishioners, the St. Monica Chapel in Augusta has been renovated and reborn as an adoration chapel.
Bishop James Ruggieri joined with parishioners on Thursday, June 4, to celebrate the accomplishment and to bless the renovated chapel.
“God the Father of Mercies dwell in this house of prayer and, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, cleanse us who are the temple where he dwells,” the bishop prayed. “Send your blessing, we pray, O Lord, on this chapel and grant that all the faithful who are to assemble here, holding fast to your word and your holy mysteries, may know the presence of Jesus Christ who promised to be in the midst of all who are gathered in his name.”
The project to renovate the chapel, which is located in a former convent behind St. Augustine Church, dates to October 2024.
Work included the building of a beautiful handmade cabinet to hold both the monstrance and the Blessed Sacrament when it is reposed. The cabinet features glass doors, lighting, and side mirrors so that the Blessed Sacrament is visible no matter where you sit in the chapel.
It was built by parishioner Philip Bosse, who also built the 10-foot table on which the cabinet sits.
“It’s made from oak, and then there are 12 flames on it, which represent the Twelve Apostles, and then there is one cross. Those are made out of a wood called Padauk, and they stay red all the time,” explains Bosse.
Bosse also used brasses crosses that were part of the original chapel as a tribute to the chapel’s history.
Bosse says he worked on the project for six to eight months, on and off, guided by the vision of the parish’s St. Monica Adoration Chapel Committee.
“I would do sketches, show those to the committee, and they would make recommendations,” says Bosse. “They said, ‘Well, what about this?’ And then they left me to solve it, so it was nice to have that freedom.”
The cabinet and table built by Bosse sit in front of a mural painted by Kate Jackson and her daughter Hannah, who is an art student. Again, the committee provided guidance but gave the two artistic license to bring the painting to life. They worked on the project from December to March.
“I think, given the timeframe, it came together well, and really, that’s mostly due to Hannah because all of the difficulty is in the technicalities, and that is her real forte,” says Kate.
“When my mom asked me if I wanted to help out, I said yes because my Catholic faith is very important to me, so just giving back to the Church was a huge reason why I wanted to jump in,” says Hannah.
Also contributing to the project was Tim Tyce, who repaired the ceiling and painted the chapel, and St. Michael Parish’s Knights of Columbus Councils, including Abenaki Council 334 from Augusta, Canabas Council 1299 from Gardiner, and Governor Kavanagh Council 1423 from Whitefield.
Following the blessing, the bishop presided over a Holy Hour for vocations in the chapel.
The St. Monica Adoration Chapel is currently open for adoration on Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m. All are welcome to stop by to worship our eucharistic Lord.
