Renovo native talks about bringing St. Joseph’s back to life
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RENOVO -- Hundreds of people took advantage of what St. Joseph's Parish in Renovo offered the community as well as Blue Jays alumni over the weekend.
The church combined its yearly festival along with its Quasquicentennial Celebration, marking 125 years of the holy building at its current location.
The festival began Thursday and ran through Saturday evening. Formal celebrations began Saturday afternoon with a tour of the church.
The tour acted as an unveiling of many improvements that the interior of the church received, some needed, with others ensuring it remains a beautiful site for many decades to come.
Following water damage, which caused major problems to the ceiling, parishioners were forced to attend mass for nearly all of 2022 in the basement.
With the church under construction, former designer and weekend coordinator Louis Rotegliano jumped at the chance to restore the building to the church's original design as much as possible.
Rotegliano said that he's had a connection to the church since he was 6 years old, a passion that has never left him.
"I can't explain it, maybe it was the Holy Spirit, I really don't know. But it was almost as if I felt a connection that one of my ancestors personally built this. I just feel this calling that I cannot explain," he said. "I was very young when I already had started crying, I knew I had to leave Renovo to live much of my life. Even at a young age, it very much upset me knowing I was going to leave the church behind."
Rotegliano undertook this commitment with a passion, dedicating his time and finances to give the church its original look.
Saturday's tour gave the Renovo native a cherished chance to talk about his life's passion.
"The statues, for example, are as close as possible if not to the level of museum pieces. You can't get higher than that, in my opinion," he offered the tour participants. "I've seen churches throughout the world, Europe, you name it. There's something about these -- that are made in France -- they are just so life-like."
The tour guide offered the 75 attendees historical facts such as:
• The first version of St. Joseph's was built in1865 and yet another would be built before the one that stands in Renovo. The change was made to accommodate the booming town.
• Men would show up for work at the railroad shops at 6 a.m. As their tour ended, they would head straight to help build the church, their wives bringing them dinner on site.
• Information on the architects and painters that made the church a reality.
• Biblical connections to the meaning of just about every artifact in the church.
The improvements Rotegliano spearheaded were literally top-to-bottom -- from new carpet to needed painting to the ceiling, and just about everything in between.
Mass was officiated by Father Joseph Orr with Deacon Dan Heiser participating, along with Deacons Young and Williams.
"The whole week was fantastic. The Catholic Daughters and Knights of Columbus participated in Mass, and honestly, the dedicated volunteers that put on the festival are simply the best," he praised the other church members.
The weekend's conclusion featured a luncheon with over 200 Catholic faithful attending.