BELLA VISTA — On his first official visit to St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor blessed the renovated church building Saturday, Dec. 20 during an evening Mass. The ceremony follows the completion of a major renovation project for the parish, which began in July 2008 at a cost of $1.5 million.
In the days preceding the visit, workmen and volunteers alike were putting the finishing touches on the newly renovated church. Deacon Ray Brust, parish manager, described the renovation as “a very big project.” Rallying parish volunteers to help had been part of his responsibilities. Parish ioners Jack McDevitt, Matt Casey, Roger Kersten and George Zeiler were on hand to work on various projects throughout the church in addition to the workmen from the Heckathorn Construction Company.
On Saturday evening with a church filled to capacity, John White, parish council president, introduced special guests that included Bella Vista city officials — Mayor Frank Anderson, council member Shirley Borhauer, Fire Chief Steve Simms and Police Chief Jim Wozniak. He also acknowledged the work of the architects, Tom Johnson and Larry Troillett; contractor, Don Heckathorn; project superintendent, Eddie Bohannon along with the 19 original founders of the church.
St. Bernard Church was built 17 years ago and was in need of updating, pastor Father Andy Smith told Arkansas Catholic in July. The renovations included a new metal roof, new carpeting and tile, the relocation of the baptismal font to the entrance and the redesign of the tabernacle wall behind the altar.
The parish was built to primarily serve the retirement community but today has 811 households, including many with children.
In the entrance rite, the Knights of Columbus honor guard escorted Bishop Taylor and Father Smith, Brust, and master of ceremony Father Shaun Wesley in the procession to the altar of the church.
For the bishop’s opening remarks, he expressed his admiration for the beautiful scenery of the area and in particular the church and its grounds. He recognized the hard work and persistence on the part of the parishioners that had gone into the newly renovated church.
This was followed by the sprinkling rite of the church and its parishioners, as he prayed, “Bless this water, sanctify it, and make it a sign of our saving baptism.”
Several people nearby commented on the bishop’s enthusiasm as he conducted the sprinkling rite throughout the church. One person said, “He is loving this.” Another one responded, “He is having fun.” It was in this instance that the joyful response of the parishioners to the bishop’s blessing seemed to reflect the jubilant mood of the evening.
In his homily, Bishop Taylor told the assembly that when speaking of the Old and New Covenants, we often refer to them as the only two covenants when in actuality there are really several Old Covenants. These are God’s covenant with Abraham and the promise of a great nation; God’s covenant with Moses and his chosen people; and God’s covenant with David and the promise of a Messiah. In each of these covenants God’s relationship with these holy men foreshadows the New Covenant with Christ. The Promise Land of the Jews becomes for all of us a heavenly land. Christ redeems all nations to make us the new chosen people.
“Today when we come here to bless this renovated church, God fulfills his covenant,” he said. “How do we fulfill our part of this covenant? He expects us to reciprocate — to ask ’How far will I go to reciprocate?’ We need to do internal renovation, not just physical renovation.”
At the conclusion of the Mass, Father Smith expressed his appreciation to the bishop for making time to bless the church. He then addressed the congregation to thank all of those individuals who made it possible to come to its successful conclusion — the parish staff, the project volunteers, the diocesan building committee, the parish council, the parish building committee, the pledge committee, the architects, the contractor and superintendent and the city officials.
Before the final blessing, Bishop Taylor complimented Father Smith in describing him as “a faithful servant, here and in Fayetteville,” referring to Father Smith’s additional pastoral duties at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
At the recessional the Knights of Columbus again escorted the bishop and others out to the foyer where they greeted parishioners.
