In December of last year, I wrote a blog about the beautiful stained glass window in the chapel at our newest Twin Cities senior living community, Saint Therese of Corcoran. I mentioned that another story was coming – one about the generous donation of liturgical objects that make the Father Mycue Chapel truly unique.
This is that story – a testament to faith, generosity, and the profound connections that bring people together in meaningful ways.
As Saint Therese began plans to develop the chapel in 2022, we sought the counsel of Rev. Tom Margevicius, Director of Worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis. He guided the team on the physical construction of the spaces within the chapel, and he also learned that we would likely need to purchase liturgical objects for the chapel, such as an altar, tabernacle, lectern, etc.
At the same time, Father Paul Haverstock, Pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in Hopkins, was overseeing the merger of two churches. As a result, numerous liturgical items from the now-closed St. John the Evangelist Church no longer had a home. Seeking a way to preserve their sacred purpose, Fr. Haverstock contacted the Archdiocese and discovered that Saint Therese was in need of exactly those items.
“The items didn’t have a home and instead of destroying them, we wanted them to be used for Catholic worship,” said Fr. Haverstock. “It was a win-win for everyone. Our parishioners will know that the altar they’ve worshiped at for so long, will now be put to good use, and the residents in Corcoran will have some wonderful items in their chapel.”
In all, Saint Therese has received a wealth of donated items, including:
- Main altar (weighs 7000 lbs. and contains a Catholic relic from St. Felicity)
- Ambo (pulpit)
- Tabernacle
- Tabernacle lamp
- Stations of the Cross
- Holy water fonts
- Sanctuary lamp
- Celebratory candles, incense boat, and thurible
Fr. Haverstock added, “I pray that these items are a blessing to your community and know that we’ll always share a special spiritual connection.”
During the construction of Corcoran, these sacred objects were carefully removed from the Hopkins church and taken to RK Wolfgang, a builder of church furniture in St. Paul. Jacob Brooks, the grandson of the original founder who built the tabernacle, and his team “freshened” the items, bringing them back to “like new” condition. They were installed in early January of this year, a process featured in the February 6 issue of The Catholic Spirit.
At last, but certainly not least, the new chapel also is the new home for the large St. Therese of Lisieux statue that for years has been at our New Hope community. This is a statue from our co-founders, the Choromanski family.
It’s hard to put a price tag on the value of these donations, but Jen Bettencourt, Vice President of Philanthropy for Saint Therese, estimates it is more than $100,000.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to all the donors and individuals who have contributed to what is a serene and singular space for our residents, and others who wish to worship, reflect and receive spiritual care,” said Bettencourt.
The Father Mycue Chapel is now complete and open for services. It was officially blessed by Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda in a special Blessing Mass last month. Among our honored guests were three Benedictine sisters from St. Paul’s Monastery, including Sister Paula Hagen, who worked at our first senior community in New Hope in the 1960s.
Father Haverstock with St. Gabriel’s, was the concelebrant at the Mass and was joined by several of his parishioners with personal connections to the donated items.
In that moment, past and present merged in a beautiful, serendipitous celebration of faith—one that will continue to inspire for generations to come.
