Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde joined students and teachers
at Seton School in Manassas April 4 to celebrate the
dedication of the “heart and soul” of the school, an ornate
new chapel dedicated to Our Lady Queen of the Angels.
Students, teachers and friends of the school filled the
chapel to capacity during the two-hour long Mass. The bishop
deposited a first-class relic of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton into
the altar, then poured oil over the marble, rubbing it in for
the anointing.
“We rejoice in the dedication of this altar and chapel and
give thanks to God for those whose generosity made it come
about. Even as we do so, we are strengthened to be spiritual
altars,” Bishop Loverde said, noting the call for Catholics
to offer “spiritual sacrifices” of daily witness,
evangelization and help for the poor.
The bishop was joined at the Mass by Father Lee R. Roos,
pastor of All Saints Church in Manassas; Father Thomas P.
Vander Woude, pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville
and an alumnus of the school; Father Paul F. de Ladurantaye,
diocesan secretary for religious education; Father Robert J.
Wagner, secretary to the bishop; Father Noah C. Morey,
parochial vicar at All Saints; and Deacons Brian R. Majewski
and James R. Van de Voorde, both “Seton dads.”
The chapel is decorated with an enormous fresco depicting Our
Lady, Queen of the Angels, and a symbolic blue and burgundy
ceiling accented by stars and columns representing humanity’s
role in the church. The school has ambitious plans for
additional improvements: more stained glass windows, a statue
of St. Joseph and a fresco of St. Michael at the back of the
chapel.
It is an “incarnational chapel” meant to remind students of
God’s mercy, said Anne Carroll, founder of the school, during
remarks at the end of Mass.
“In the midst of a culture of ugliness, we need to be
reminded of His beauty,” she said.
Students at Seton School sing at the dedication of the
school’s new chapel.Posted by Arlington
Catholic Herald on
Monday, April 4, 2016