Published on August 12, 2009

Tucked into the back corner above the choir loft is a singular anomaly among the fabulous paintings adorning the nave of St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church in Newport. This blank frame is the unfinished work of artist N.O. Rochon, who died before completing his final scene. Photos by Richard Creaser

NEWPORT — Just as it was in the past, so too today is the restoration of St. Mary’s Star of the Sea a tribute to the labors of the earnest parishioners who call the Catholic Church their place of worship.  Local laborers helped create the magnificent granite edifice perched atop the highest vantage point in the city in 1909.  Over the past few years, and particularly in the last few weeks, volunteers have helped restore St. Mary’s in honor of its centennial on August 16.

“Without the parishioners this would never have been done,” said Father Michael Reardon, pastor of St. Mary’s.

“Day and night we’ve had people stop by and help out for a few hours at a time,” Leo Willey, chairman of the centennial committee, said on Tuesday morning.  “We’ve had a great group of volunteers that have been part of this process.”

The process began six years earlier when the church’s stewardship committee outlined a series of much-needed renovations, Mr. Willey said.

Photographs from the church archives have proven vital to restoring the church to its former glory.  While some changes were born of necessity — in particular the addition of handicapped accessible entrances to the nave — others were born of a desire to restore the arrangement of the sanctuary to a state it has not seen in many years.

Chief among those is the clear delineation of the nave from the sanctuary by the clever use of carpeting.  The altar has been moved from an alcove to the center of the sanctuary, flanked by a pair of angels recovered from storage.  Cascading like gentle streams of water from the ceiling high above are tulle draperies, accentuating the revitalized altar.

Paying homage to the original dedication back on August 1, 1909, Sunday’s celebration, weather permitting, will commence with a procession

The newest pastor to lead the congregation at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Father Michael Reardon is not content to let volunteers do all the work. Father Reardon applied his efforts to restoring the electric organ in the choir loft in preparation for Sunday’s centennial celebration.

from the Knights of Columbus Hall up to the church.  The site of the KC hall was in fact the location of the first Catholic Church in Newport, Mr. Willey said.

Following a special 2 p.m. mass, the parishioners will attend an outdoor celebration and barbecue on the nearby ball field.

In many ways Sunday’s celebration is as much the recognition of the strength of the Catholic community in the parish as a celebration of the church itself.  For the hundreds of parishioners who actively practice their faith at St. Mary’s, the church will always remain a part of their lives.

That connection is mirrored by Mr. Willey’s life.  Baptized and confirmed at St. Mary’s, Mr. Willey returned to the community and quickly resumed a role in the church after years spent outside the area.

“No matter where I’ve gone or how long I’ve been away, this has always been my church,” he said.

That sense of pride and the reverence of the multitude of volunteers who have worked hard to prepare the church is captured in the loving touches scattered throughout.  From the dried flowers gracing the bases of the stained-glass windows to the fresh paint on the staircase leading up to the choir loft, the sense of ownership and gratitude of the parishioners is evident.

Throughout its hundred-year history the church has been the location of 6,241 baptisms, saw the confirmation of 4,182 children and adults, celebrated 2,188 marriages and paid tribute to 3,044 deaths.  As the site of so many momentous occasions, it is easy to understand why it continues to this day to hold a special place in the hearts of its congregation.

“I was the overseer of this project,” Mr. Willey said.  “But there was actually very little for me to oversee.  People knew what had to be done and did it.”

Looking up to the ceiling one sees the lovingly painted biblical scenes adorning the roof of the nave and the walls of the sanctuary.  A curiously blank frame above the choir loft has a ready explanation, Mr. Willey said.  The paintings were the work of a local artist, N.O. Rochon, who obtained permission to recreate the works of the French artist Tissaud.  Mr. Rochon died before he could complete the final painting and it remains blank to this day.

This image is one of the many works painted by N.O. Rochon that adorn the walls and ceilings of St. Mary’s Church in Newport. Mr. Rochon gained the permission of the French artist Tissaud to recreate his works to decorate the Newport church.

As much as efforts to restore the church have succeeded, there are pieces of its history that have since been lost.  The altars that once flanked the nave have disappeared and several paintings have been obscured, covered over with paint.  Though the altar rail is gone, a product of sweeping changes brought about by Vatican II in 1965, parts of the old rail have been used to lovingly recreate a proper and fitting stand for the altar and its attendant angels.  Father Reardon has also proposed that, at some future date, efforts might be made to reclaim the lost paintings, Mr. Willey said.

The stained glass along the sides of the nave is of relatively recent vintage, dating from the 1950s, Mr. Willey said.  However, the great panes above the entrance as well as two smaller panes flanking the sanctuary are original to the building.  These windows were also the creative work of Mr. Rochon, executed by his son and O.C. Rivard.

A small stained-glass pane on the west side of the nave enshrines the history of the church’s early parishioners.  The little window displays the fleurs-de-lis, perhaps in recognition of the parish’s strong French-Canadian heritage.

In attending to the repairs and refurbishment, the church council remained wary of making changes that would upset or alienate parishioners.

“My hope is that people won’t look at what we’ve done as a desecration,” Mr. Willey said.  “My hope is that people will view this as restoring the church to its original condition.  People have been coming in to look and admire what we’ve done and that’s been a great thing.”