The former convent at St. Peter the Apostle Parish, New Brunswick, is being renovated to serve as the new home of The Catholic Center at Rutgers University. — Chris Donahue photo
Donors can support new Catholic Center
By Chris Donahue
Staff Writer
NEW BRUNSWICK — Construction of the new home of the Catholic Center at Rutgers University is on schedule, which will allow it to open its doors in November, according to diocesan officials associated with the project.
The renovation of the former convent at St. Peter the Apostle Parish is expected to be completed Oct. 19. However, it will take time to prepare it for occupancy and to move the Catholic Center from its current home on Mine Street, said Father Sylvester J. Cronin, diocesan executive director, Stewardship and Development.
The 16,300-square-foot facility will include a chapel, offices, library, meeting rooms, dining room, living room and kitchen.
On May 19, Father Cronin accompanied Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski; Msgr. Michael J. Alliegro, diocesan executive director, Department of Worship and Liturgical Formation; and Oratorian Father Peter R. Cebulka, director of the Catholic Center, on a tour of the facility.
“The focus of the tour was the chapel, which is located on the first floor of the Somerset Street side of the building,” Father Cronin said.
“The Eucharist is central to our Campus Ministry. And the chapel will be the heart of the Center, so it was exciting to discuss its liturgical appointments and begin to envision what it will look like,” Father Cronin said.
“Preliminary plans call for seating about 60 to 70 people in the chapel where daily Mass will be celebrated.”
Donations to memorialize the liturgical appointments, such as the altar, pulpit, seating and stained glass windows are welcome, he said.
Donors are also invited to memorialize other areas, such as offices, kitchen, meeting rooms, living room, dining room and library, he said.
The chapel’s stained glass windows are being cleaned and re-leaded and its floors will be restored.
The renovation also includes installing modern electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, said Monica Demkovitz, diocesan director, Office of Property and Facilities Management.
In addition, a new elevator will run from the basement to the third floor to enhance its handicap-accessibility.
State-of-the art technology is also being installed, said David G. Torres, diocesan assistant director, Office of Information Systems.
The staff will receive new desktop computers, move to a dedicated server environment and be placed on a separate network from the students, without wireless, he said. The staff wireless access will be deployed at a later time.
The staff’s network will be protected by a firewall which has the ability to filter out viruses, spyware and malicious website content, Torres said.
In addition, a video security system will be installed to monitor the parking lot and the front door from the staff computers.
The students will have their own firewalled wireless access throughout key areas of the building on a completely separate network to protect the staff computers, Torres said.
The new Catholic Center will provide much-needed additional space to serve the spiritual needs of the students as well as opportunities to socialize, Father Cebulka said.
About 38 percent or 13,000 of Rutgers’ 36,000 students were baptized as Catholics, the largest denomination on campus.
“It is exciting to see this thing coming to task and knowing that within another semester we will be in the new facility,” Father Cebulka said.
“We are feeling a great deal of excitement from the entire campus ministry community as well as alumni.”
During the semester, Sunday Mass is celebrated on campus at Busch Student Center, noon; Cook Campus Center, 5 p.m.; and St. Peter the Apostle Church, 8 p.m.
The Catholic Center also offers Eucharistic Adoration and reconciliation; spiritual retreats and fellowship groups such as Youth for Christ, a charismatic group; Korean Catholic Circle; and a Grad Group for graduate students.
Opportunities for students to participate in community service include visiting the homeless or the elderly, tutoring children, bringing the Eucharist to the sick, serving meals at a shelter and delivering groceries for the needy.
The Catholic Center encourages and trains students to serve at Sunday Mass as lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, altar servers, singers, cantors and instrumentalists.
The former convent was built for the Sisters of Charity of Convent Station to staff St. Peter the Apostle School in 1867. Additions were made in 1897 and about 1950.
In 2005, the convent and St. Peter the Apostle Church were placed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The new Catholic Center is expected to enhance the Gateway Project in New Brunswick.
Gateway will be built on the block adjacent to St. Peter the Apostle Church and include the new Rutgers book store, 200 residential units, retail space and parking for 656 vehicles.
The facility will rise 295 feet above the train station and will be directly connected to the rail line platform by a pedestrian promenade. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2011.