Saint Philip Neri Chapel Dedication

Monday was a momentous occasion for our Oratory Prep Community. After waiting long months for the new DeGaeta Hall to finish, Oratory had to spend another summer and a few more months waiting for its new chapel. Although the physical nature of the Saint Philip Neri Chapel is not completed, on Monday the spiritual side of it was sealed. With the Order of Malta and the United States Special Forces present, Father Sal, alongside Connor Meanpaa and Peter Ainsworth, blessed the chapel, and it began its reign as Oratory Prep’s holy place.

After an introduction for the Order of Malta and members of the United States Special Forces, whose patron saint is also Saint Philip Neri, Father Sal began the ceremony in prayer. Diverging from the path of a usual mass, students then came to speak of their time at Oratory and how this chapel and the previous one has affected their experience. After all the speakers, Father Sal asked the Lord to bless this chapel so that it may carry out the word of God as we need it to for our Catholic school. Finally, he threw holy water in the four corners in order to finally make our chapel a sacred place.

Before we could hurry on back to class, Mr. Costello gave a few words of thanks for members of the OP community that made this beautiful chapel possible. For anyone who has not seen it, I can say the pictures do not do it justice and you have to personally see it yourself to bring it all in. Finally, the ceremony concluded with the words that we have heard so many times before: “Go in peace, the mass has ended.” And with that, our chapel is now an official part of the OP spiritual community.