St. Joachim’s Church finishes renovations

Outfitted with refinished pews, a new altar and a new pipe organ, St. Joachim’s Church in Cedarhurst is now ready for a rededication on Sunday at the 11:30 a.m. Mass, which will include Bishop William F. Murphy, leader of the Rockville Centre Diocese.

The renovations began in June and were completed in the second week of December, according to the Rev. Tom Moriarty, the church’s pastor. The work was done relatively quickly, and didn’t prevent church leaders and parishioners from celebrating Mass in the lower church during the reconstruction. 

“The church needed a lot of updating,” said Ella Cascardi, a parishioner since 1963. Cascardi, who lives in Lawrence, is a member of the planning committee for the rededication, along with Mireya Jacobs, Robert Pastor and Rosalie Benenati. 

Before the new altar can be used, Cascardi explained, it must be rededicated, based on canon law, so it is considered sacred for use in the church. 

The new altar of sacrifice, the shrine altars on the left and right sides and the high altar at the back of the sanctuary came from St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Philadelphia, which closed in 2012. The sanctuary, the front section of the church, holds the altar, the tabernacle, the pulpit and a chair for the priest or pastor. 

“I think the rededication is a wonderful event for a church that is over 100 years old,” said Cedarhurst resident Phil Lynch, a parishioner for 77 years. 

Tim Remsen, the church’s music director, acquired the new pipe organ from an Orthodox church in New England, Moriarty said. The original pews were sent to Kivett’s Inc., a church pew manufacturer and refinisher in North Carolina, to be refinished, and the wood flooring throughout the church is original. 

“It’s a wonderful thing to see,” said Joan Ayers, a lifetime parishioner from Cedarhurst. She and her husband, Dan, have seen the evolution of the church — where they were married — over the years, and they appreciate the updates, she said.

The church was built between 1890 and 1896, Moriarty said. Originally from East Rockaway, he became the pastor of the three Roman Catholic churches in the Five Towns in October 2015, after Monsignor Paul Rahilly, who led the congregations for more than 20 years, retired from St. Joachim’s. The other churches Moriarty serves are St. Joseph, in Hewlett, and Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Inwood.

Moriarty works closely with the Rev. Eric Fasano, who helped him throughout the renovation process. Fasano is also a resident priest for the three Catholic churches, and serves as a judge for the diocese’s marriage tribunal.

A bishop must rededicate the church, Moriarty said, and this will most likely be Murphy’s last church dedication, because he is set to retire at the end of the month. Bishop John Barres, formerly the bishop of Allentown, Pa., will assume leadership during a Mass of Installation at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre on Jan. 31.

“We appreciate it,” Cedarhurst resident Teresa DeMichael, who has been a parishioner since 1963 and once sang in the St. Joachim’s choir, said of the newly renovated church. “We stick together,” she added, referring to the roughly 450 families who are members.