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Blessing new additions at St. John Neumann Church, cardinal praises its ‘welcoming space and welcoming people’

At center, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory presides at the blessing of the new adoration chapel on Sept. 16, 2023 at St. John Neumann Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Standing next to the cardinal at left is Father Charles Cortinovis, his priest secretary, and to the right of the cardinal is Msgr. Robert Panke, the parish’s pastor. Standing to the left of Father Cortinovis is Father Stefan Yap, a former parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Parish who now  serves at St. Martin of Tours in Gaithersburg. Holding the book for the cardinal is Brandon Chernosky, a seminarian for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington who is from St. John Neumann Parish. The priests at left who both formerly served as pastors of St. John Neumann are Father Thomas LaHood, now the pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Upper Marlboro, and Father Kevin Regan, now the vice-rector and dean of students at the Saint John Paul II Seminary. The priests at right are Father Thomas Robertson, a parochial vicar at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda; Father Nicholas Morrison, a parochial vicar at St. Peter’s Parish on Capitol Hill who grew up at St. John Neumann Parish; and Father Martin Begley, a parochial vicar at the parish. (Photo for St. John Neumann Parish by Paul Fetters)

A joyful, standing-room congregation of 800 people filled St. John Neumann Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Sept. 16, as Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory blessed the church’s new building addition that includes a large welcoming space, an expansive Eucharistic adoration chapel, offices for staff, a religious education room, a new vesting sacristy for priests, space for two confessionals and a dramatic exterior façade visible from Goshen and Warfield roads.

Among the concelebrants were two young priests who grew up in the parish, and who happily greeted parishioners as they stepped outside after Mass. They both praised the new look for the church at the parish that was founded in 1978.

“It’s beautiful on the outside, and it speaks to something even more beautiful on the inside,” said Father Nicholas Morrison, praising the prayerfulness of the parishioners there whom he witnessed over the years crowded into its previous small adoration chapel. He was ordained as a priest for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington in 2021 and now serves as a parochial vicar at St. Peter’s Parish on Capitol Hill.

People arrive for a Mass at St. John Neumann Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Sept. 17, one day after Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory blessed a new church addition there that includes an entrance façade designed to look more like a Catholic church and an adoration chapel with a cupola topped by a golden cross. The photo below shows what the church's entrance looked like before the new facade was built. (At top, Catholic Standard photo by Mark Zimmermann,  bottom photo courtesy of St. John Neumann Parish)

Noting the church’s new façade that can be seen from the roadways and as people walk in from its sloping front parking lot, Father Peter Mlynarczyk said, “It’s like the holy church on the hill. You’re walking up to it, and it’s like you’re walking up to God’s house.”

Father Mlynarczyk, who was ordained as a priest for the archdiocese in 2022 and now serves as a parochial vicar at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, D.C., said, “For me, this is where it all began. My faith journey began here.”

Moments later, Msgr. Robert Panke paused as he greeted people outside to reflect on the church’s new addition, saying, “It’s a great day in the history of this wonderful parish. It will provide more places to gather, to pray, to do ministry and to proclaim the Gospel.”

Also standing outside the church were the two architects for the project, Art Lohsen and Marlan Laurenzi of the Franck & Lohsen Architects firm.

“The purpose of the new façade was to make St. John Neumann look a lot more like a Catholic church. It’s intended to be welcoming,” said Lohsen, who noted that the three archways at the church’s entrance are reflective of the Holy Trinity.

On one end of the revised church façade, the new adoration chapel is topped by a cupola and a golden cross, and the side of the chapel includes a statue of Mary carved in white Carrara marble by Rugo Stone.

Msgr. Panke has described St. John Neumann’s adoration chapel as “the heart of the parish,” where parishioners have faithfully prayed before the Eucharist for more than two decades.

The architects reflected on the simplicity and beauty of the new adoration chapel, and Lohsen noted how a few parishioners who joined their pastor for an advanced look at the chapel before it was finished had tears in their eyes. “They understood it was a beautiful home for our Lord,” he said.

Laurenzi added that she hopes the new adoration chapel there “will continue to lift the spirits of everyone who comes and prays there. It’s a beautiful space for them to do it.”

The exterior of the new expanded adoration chapel at St. John Neumann Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland includes a cupola topped by a golden cross, and on the side of the chapel is a white Carrara marble statue of Mary. (Catholic Standard photos by Mark Zimmermann)

Presiding at the blessing of the building addition before he celebrated Mass at St. John Neumann Church, Cardinal Gregory prayed that the adoration chapel will be a place where “the faithful will adore Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, receiving his love and strength to live out their mission in the world.”

Noting the expanded space for the new parish offices and meeting rooms, the cardinal prayed that, “May all who come here know the presence of Christ, experience the joy of his friendship and grow in his love.”

Washington’s archbishop sprinkled holy water as he walked through the building addition and the adoration chapel, where he offered special prayers to sanctify that space.

Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory sprinkles holy water at the new work stations for the staff at St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg on Sept. 16, 2022, when he presided at the blessing of the new church additions there. Behind him is Deacon Thong Nguyen, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington; and Msgr. Robert Panke, St. John Neumann’s pastor. (Photo for St. John Neumann Parish by Paul Fetters)

As Mass began, Msgr. Panke noted that the concelebrating priests included two former pastors at St. John Neumann – Father Thomas LaHood, now the pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Upper Marlboro; and Father   Kevin Regan, now the vice-rector and dean of students at the archdiocese’s Saint John Paul II Seminary.

Along with Father Morrison and Father Mlynarczyk, the concelebrating priests included Father Martin Begley, the parochial vicar at St. John Neumann, and several priests who earlier served there as parochial vicars.

Archdiocesan seminarians assisting at the Mass who are from St. John Neumann Parish included Danny Morrison, Father Morrison’s brother (another brother, Father James Morrison, serves as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bethesda); and seminarians Reid Robilotto, Gian Gonzalez and Brandon Chernosky. 

A daughter in the Morrison family, Sister Mary Sophia Morrison, is a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. Another woman religious from St. John Neumann, Sister Teresa Rose, is a member of the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus congregation.

Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory celebrates a Mass at St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg on Sept. 16, 2022, when he presided at the blessing of the new church additions there. From left to right are Msgr. Robert Panke, St. John Neumann’s pastor; Father Martin Begley, the parish’s parochial vicar; Father Peter Mlynarczyk, now a parochial vicar at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, D.C., who grew up at St. John Neumann Parish; Cardinal Gregory; Father Thomas Robertson, a parochial vicar at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda; Father Kevin Regan,  a former pastor at St. John Neumann Parish who now serves as the vice-rector and dean of students at Saint John Paul II Seminary; and Father Thomas LaHood, a former St. John Neumann pastor who now leads St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Upper Marlboro. (Photo for St. John Neumann Parish by Paul Fetters)

In his homily at the Mass, Cardinal Gregory stressed the importance of hospitality and welcome at churches. “Christian hospitality is best practiced when everyone is made to feel at home within the church,” he said.

The cardinal noted that the experience of the pandemic offered “a heightened awareness of our need to be with one another physically as a vital part of our prayer,” and he said the new addition at St. John Neumann Church “provides spacious room for hospitality and welcome” for people of all backgrounds.

Concluding his homily, Cardinal Gregory said, “The utmost future compliment to be made about this new expansion here at St. John Neumann will come when some stranger who knows nothing of your history or your generous efforts to renew and expand this building observes, ‘What a remarkable church edifice and what great and gracious people must worship God therein.’”

He then added, “If you have built a welcoming space, then that must mean you are welcoming people!”

At center, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory sprinkles holy water as he presides at the blessing of the new adoration chapel on Sept. 16, 2023 at St. John Neumann Church in Gaithersburg. (Photo for St. John Neumann Parish by Paul Fetters)

In an earlier interview, Msgr. Panke spoke about the new addition and the importance of the building being recognizable as a Catholic church.

“People are drawn into church by beauty. By making the church a welcoming place and also a place of beauty, that will draw people moving into the neighborhood,” he said.

St. John Neumann’s pastor noted that before the parish offices were about one-half mile away, and now the new church addition has work areas for the priests, the business manager, the director of religious education and the head of youth ministry, so they can work together as a team at the same location as the church.

“It’s so much better to be all in one place. It’s one-stop shopping,” the priest joked.

As the Sept. 16 Mass and dedication concluded, Msgr. Panke thanked parishioners, the parish’s staff and its building committee for their support of their project. He also thanked the architects and the Forrester Construction company for their work on the church addition.

“It’s a work in progress. We’re not completely done,” he said, expressing hope that the adoration chapel will be ready in about a month.

Prayers and Scripture readings, and parts of the cardinal’s homily, were recited in English and Spanish at the Mass, and songs in both languages were sung, reflecting the parish’s diversity. 

As he concluded his remarks, Msgr. Panke invited people to gather afterward for a reception in the upper parking lot that featured two taco stations. “Thank you, gracias and God bless you,” he said.

Msgr. Robert Panke, at right, the pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg, visits with people at a reception following a special Mass on Sept. 16, 2023, where Cardinal Wilton Gregory blessed the new additions  at the church. (Photo for St. John Neumann Parish by Paul Fetters)

Also greeting people afterward was Deacon Steve Castellano, a member of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception who grew up at St. John Neumann Parish.

“This parish was like my first spiritual home,” said the religious who is studying to be a priest. He said participating in the youth group there helped him grow closer to God with other youth who were his age.

Among those greeting people as they toured the new parish office spaces was Judy Paredes, who leads the parish’s youth ministry. “This is such a blessing… We’re all together (now),” she said.

Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory sprinkles holy water at the new adoration chapel at St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg on Sept. 16, 2022, when he presided at the blessing of the new church additions there. Behind him is Father Stefan Yap, a parochial vicar at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Gaithersburg; and Msgr. Robert Panke, St. John Neumann’s pastor. At left is Judy Paredes, who directs the youth ministry at the parish. (Photo for St. John Neumann Parish by Paul Fetters)

Standing outside the church’s new façade and entranceway, longtime parishioner Tom Doherty said, “It’s really created more of a Catholic architectural element that people can relate to. This looks like a Catholic church. This creates an icon that people can be proud of.”

The two young priests who grew up in St. John Neumann Parish, Father Morrison and Father Mlynarczyk, said it was especially meaningful for them to return there and concelebrate the Mass when the new church additions were blessed.

“For me, what it means to come back here is just to really come and pray for all the parishioners that I know have prayed for me,” Father Morrison said, adding that he offered that Mass for the parishioners, praying that “great saints will come from this parish.”

Father Nicholas Morrison, now a parochial vicar at St. Peter’s Parish on Capitol Hill, grew up at St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg. (Catholic Standard file photo by Andrew Biraj)

For Father Mlynarczyk, seeing the space for the new adoration chapel brought back memories of his time at the parish. “It was through coming to the adoration chapel when I had no idea what do with my life, that I rediscovered Jesus.” He said he offered the Mass “for any wayward souls who are looking for their way, to come here and find Jesus.”

Noting the expanded space for the new Eucharistic adoration chapel at St. John Neumann Church, Father Mlynarczyk smiled and said, “Bring ‘em in! Now come one, come all, we’ve got the space, so you can hang out with Jesus however long you want.”

Father Peter Mlynarczyk, now a parochial vicar at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, D.C., grew up at St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg. (Catholic Standard file photo by Andrew Biraj)
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