‘Our Lady of Bristol on the Delaware’ takes her place along the riverside
Advance Correspondent
BRIpTOL BOROrde - ptK Mark pchool in Bristol Borough has a new bulkhead behind its classrooms to replace the crumbling seawall that threatened the stability of the playground areaK But the congregation of the church wove the practical and the spiritual together in that newly spruced up spaceI which sits on the Delaware RiverK
The parish decided to symbolize the school’s Catholic identity with a new statue of the Blessed MotherI which the faithful are calling Our Lady of Bristol on the DelawareK mhiladelphia Auxiliary Bishop gohn McIntyre blessed the statue before WRVVLnJ D EOuH DnG wKLWH flRral wreath into the river on WednesdayK
“Bless the waters of this river and all who travel upon itI whether for work or for recreationI” McIntyre intoned as the wreath landed with a gentle splashK The bishop was a familiar face in the parishI having served as an associate pastor from N99R-N999K
The statue was purchased IURP D fiUP Ln CKLFDJR DnG VWDnGV fiYH IHHW, fiYH LnFKHV tallK Made of cement and acrylic materialsI the white fiJuUH GHSLFWV WKH BOHVVHG Mother wearing a crown and holding the infant gesus in her armsK Along her right side is a black anchorI signifying her special dedication to the riverside schoolK
The blessing was held in connection with a Catholic holy dayI the feast of the AssumptionI marked annually on AugK NRK Catholics believe thatI after her deathI MaryI the mother of gesusI was assumed body and soul into heavenK
kext to the statue is a stone cross that once sat atop the old ptK Mark pchool buildingI which had been located several blocks away from the current buildingK That schoolI opened in the late NUMMsI was closed in the N9SMs and the building was later destroyed Ey fiUH.
The lush greenery of Burlington IslandI on the opposite banks of the riverI draped the background of the shrineK dray clouds hovered over the ceremony but the rain held offK Father Dennis MooneyI pastor of ptK MarkI said that he’s long wanted a religious representation behind the schoolK
“The natural setting is perfectK AndI the boaters who sail by will know that this is a Catholic institutionK The anchor is a symbol of the river and represents hope for the futureI” Mooney saidK
ptK Mark pchool was slated for closure in a list released by the Archdiocese of mhila- delphia last yearI but an outpouring of student and alumni spiritI and an appeal to mhiladelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput by Mooney and other church leadersI prevailedK The schoolI already Ln KHDOWKy finDnFLDO VKDSH, LV flRuULVKLnJ DV nHw VWuGHnWV enrollI the pastor saidK
Even the youngest of
ptK Mark students seemed to have a grasp of what the evening representedK pydney LawlessI SI and her sisterI MorganI 9I said they were happy to see Mary and gesus outsideI behind the schoolK
“vou can take some time to pray when you’re out in the school yardK I like seeing it thereI” Morgan saidK