By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Parishioners overseeing renovations to the historic St. Joseph Catholic Church had a chance to speak to Lisa Poole Deem recently about all of the work that is being done to the 137-year-old building.
“She called me and asked what we’ve done,” said Mike McHale, a full-time parishioner of St. Joseph’s for 45 years and one of the leaders of a preservationist group that fought to save the historic sanctuary amid fears that it could be demolished.
McHale told Deem that the next major phase of work would be the installation of a new heating system, a project that would cost $35,000.
“She said, ‘Cross it off your list – done.’ I said, ‘Are you from God?’” McHale recalled of Deem’s offer to pay for the work.
Deem’s $35,000 donation for a new boiler is the latest example of a communitywide effort to preserve and renovate a building that was constructed just two years after Sea Isle City’s official founding in 1882.
“It is my life and honor to support that church. I love it,” Deem said in an interview Monday.
She noted that the old church was a source of joy for her when she attended Mass and other functions from 1988 to 2015 while living in Sea Isle as a summer resident. She now lives as a summer resident in Avalon and spends her winters on the Caribbean island of Aruba.
Deem said she made the decision to donate the $35,000 without taking a lot of time to think it over. She simply told her husband, Thomas, that she was going to do it.
“It was really just an inspiration,” she said. “It was literally a day when I woke up and said to my husband, ‘I want to give back to the church,’” she said.
This is not the first time that Deem has made a major donation to a church. She also donated $20,000 to pay for a new heating system at her home parish of the Epiphany of Our Lord Church in Blue Bell, Pa.
Deem stressed that she doesn’t want accolades from the churches for her donations, but would certainly accept their prayers.
Leaders of the preservationist group Save Our Historic St. Joseph’s Church said they can’t begin to thank Deem enough for her donation. With donations from the community, the group is overseeing the old church’s renovation.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Mike Boyle, a trustee of the group, said of Deem’s donation.
Work on the new heating system is expected to begin in October. Other major phases of work that remain to be completed on the church’s renovation include repainting the exterior of the building and the installation of a new air-conditioning system.
Boyle, McHale and other leaders of the Save Our Historic St. Joseph’s Church group have praised the community for coming together to fund more than $100,000 in renovations so far, including the removal of mold contamination that had formerly kept the building closed.
“These people are all volunteers,” said McHale, a former Sea Isle mayor. “It’s all from people who have dedicated their talents and time.”
Painting, plumbing, electrical and roof improvements are all part of the project. Local contractors have donated their work and materials to help out. Now that the mold contamination has been cleaned up, the building is being refurbished with fresh paint, new windows, doors, gutters, sheetrock panels, light sconces and other improvements.
The old church is located at the corner of 44th Street and Landis Avenue and stands side-by-side with the modern $7 million St. Joseph Catholic Church that opened in December 2011. The new church includes a 1,300-seat sanctuary that serves as the main worship hall for the congregation.
For more than two years, members of the Save Our Historic St. Joseph’s Church group fought to reopen the historic sanctuary and revive it as a place for worship, weddings, funerals and baptisms.
Fearing that the church would be demolished, the preservationists launched a fundraising and social media campaign to rally community support, including the placement of “Save Our Historic St. Joseph’s Church” lawn signs at homes and businesses throughout town. Previously, the preservationists had been at odds with the former pastor over the future of the old church.
However, McHale and Boyle’s group has been on friendly terms with St. Joseph’s new pastor, Father Perry Cherubini, who took over last year. There is no longer a threat that the historic building will be demolished, paving the way for its renovation.
McHale said a meeting was held with Father Cherubini to discuss the planning for an open house for the old church on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The event will include an organ recital. McHale, 75, who is also a local historian, will give a presentation on the church’s history. The open house will also showcase all of the renovations.
“They can come in and see the beautiful stained-glass windows and hear about the rich history of the 137-year-old church,” McHale said of visitors at the open house.
Topped by a soaring white steeple, the Gothic-style building has been a religious, historic and cultural landmark in Sea Isle for nearly as long as the community’s founding in 1882 by visionary real estate developer Charles K. Landis.
The old church essentially has been closed to the public in recent years, other than occasionally serving as a venue for overflow crowds attending Mass. McHale estimated that the open house will be the first full-fledged public event in the building in about seven years.
