Story by Reagan Scott
LINCOLN (SNR) - On Saturday April 4 at 1 p.m., the School Sisters of Christ the King were able to celebrate the dedication of their newly renovated chapel.
“It was a blessing to have the dedication,” said Sister Marie Caritas, who coordinated the project on the sisters’ end. “Especially at this time when the sacraments are not easily available to the faithful.”
Some of the most noticeable changes include the addition of a communion rail, and the altar, which is no longer freestanding, but against the wall under the mural of Our Lady of the Coronation, which had been there previously. Sister Marie Caritas said that this change was necessary in order to have space for the communion rail, which was very important to the sisters. 
The floor, originally covered in carpet, is now laid in tile and statues of Mary and Joseph, once higher up on the walls, were moved closer to the altar.
Renovations on Our Lady of the Coronation Chapel began Oct. 1 last year and after months without Mass in their chapel, Sister Marie Caritas said, “We’re really excited to just have all of the renovations done.”
The sisters hadn’t planned on beginning renovations on their chapel last year, but when they had to move out of their motherhouse to have the HVAC system replaced, they decided to move ahead with the renovations as well.
After moving back into the motherhouse, the sisters were able to use their gym as a temporary chapel space but had been looking forward to celebrating Mass in their chapel again.
The Mass, which would have allowed for a few guests who made the renovation possible, was celebrated privately due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“A dedication Mass is quite beautiful. …It’s like the sacramental life of the Church is happening in this one Mass.”
Some of the most notable parts of a Mass of Dedication include the Bishop inviting the congregation into the church for the first time, blessing the space with holy water, anointing the walls of the church and altar with Chrism, and placing the Eucharist in the tabernacle for the first time.
Sister Marie Caritas, who had been to one other Mass of Dedication previously, described the feeling as being similar to that of an Easter Vigil Mass.
“It’s a really, really beautiful liturgy she said.”
Bishop Glennon P. Flavin founded the School Sisters of Christ the King 1976. The order’s charism includes total belonging to Christ the King, love for the priesthood, love of the Eucharist, zeal for souls and Alphonsian spirituality.
Many of the sisters are teachers and administrators in Lincoln’s Catholic schools.
With the spread of COVID-19, the sisters are doing all they can to keep each other healthy and pray for the needs of the world.
Sister Marie Caritas said that some sisters have been able to stay at their local convents, while those sisters at the motherhouse are only sitting a couple to a table and cleaning every dish and disinfecting the table after every meal.
“You’re trying to live your normal family life but from a 6-foot distance,” Sister Marie Caritas said.
The dedication Mass offered some semblance of normalcy for the community, even in quarantine.
The sisters issued an additional note of thanks: “We would like to give credit to our Contractor (Cheever Construction Company), our Architect (Clark Architects Collaborative), our Painter (David Reiser Murals and Art) and our Caretakers, John Svoboda and Con O’Shea-Creal. We are grateful to all the subcontractors and many others who made our renovations possible.”
