ZANESVILLE — There are two sayings about small things in our lives. Author Richard Carlson famously stated, “Don’t sweat the small stuff and it’s all small stuff.” Emily Dickinson, on the other hand, thought, “If you take care of the small things, the big things will take care of themselves.”
It’s the second of these thoughts that I kept considering when the Catholic Schools of Zanesville decided to upgrade the chapel located in Bishop Rosecrans High School.
The small and intimate Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel did not have pews with kneelers or the sacramentals needed for Mass. More important, the Body of Christ was absent. That was the big thing. But it became obvious that several “little” things were going to have to be taken care of to renovate the chapel.
Some of last year’s seniors approached me about getting the Eucharist in the school chapel. They were frustrated that they were not able to pray in the presence of Christ and that there was not an opportunity for Adoration on school grounds.
As a result of the students’ ideas, the curtains that covered glass block windows were removed and the windows were covered with drywall and the drywall was painted. Staff member Mark Baker hired a locksmith to open the unused tabernacle and provide us with keys. Lynn Shaffer, the schools’ finance director, made white tapestries and a white altar cloth. She also sewed purple and green overlays that can be used during the Church year.
With these few “little” things completed, Kelly Sagan, executive director of Zanesville schools, gave the green light for more renovations.
Working with Father TJ Lehigh, who was then serving the Perry County Consortium, pews were acquired from Church of the Atonement in Crooksville after its recent closing. The pews were moved with the help of Coach Chris Zemba and some members of his football team. Steve Zemba and Jerry Simeral saw to the placement and final installation of the pews and ensured all of the kneelers functioned.
After the several “little” things were being taken of, the “big” thing missing was the Body of Christ. Obtaining a monstrance, which is used to display the host for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and a luna, a glass case that holds the sacred host, was a little more problematic. Eventually, those last two pieces were added.
Everything was now in place and ready. The arrival of Father Brian Beal as campus chaplain provided the expertise needed to put a procession together to bring the Body of Christ to the chapel.
On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the entire student population processed from St. Nicholas Church after a school Mass to the Bishop Rosecrans gym, where a hymn was sung, before the Body of Christ was placed in the chapel tabernacle.
Adoration is now taking place on Mondays and Fridays. Theresa Jenkins, the religion teacher at Bishop Rosecrans, and Benny Myers, the religion teacher at Bishop Fenwick, are organizing future adoration activities. Amy Morris, Janna Pitcock and Katie Campbell are working with the K-5 staff in preparation for elementary students to come to adoration.
Recently, the Knights of Columbus, through the efforts of Brian Novotny and Todd Stewart, purchased a humeral veil and cope to be used by a member of the clergy during Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Jonathan Medaugh is the campus ministries director for the Catholic Schools of Zanesville.