catholic church opens 10/11/01

Work is progressing nicely on the new Our Lady of the Mountains in North Conway. When the new house of worship opens on Saturday, churches in Bartlett, Conway Village will close. (BRUCE BEDFORD PHOTO)Consolidated Catholic Church opens SaturdayBishop to dedicate new Our Lady of the Mountains north of North Conway VillageLloyd JonesCONWAY The waiting is just about over for parishioners of the Our Lady of the White Mountains Church. The Catholic Church will open Saturday afternoon at its new location, just north of North Conway Village. A special dedication ceremony is slated for 4:30 p.m. with Bishop John B. McCormack, of Manchester, doing the honors."We're excited," Father Gerry Belanger, who has spent this week organizing the new church and moving items from the former North Conway Village church, said. "A lot of people have been eagerly anticipating this day and it's almost here... Once everything is finished we anticipate this building serving us well for the next 100 years or more."Construction of the new, larger church, which had been in the planning stages since 1988, allows for the consolidation of the Bartlett and Conway Catholic churches into one location. "Our Lady of the Mountains has been serving three different churches since 1902," Father Gerry said. "It's probably for the best for everyone to consolidate to one building. We closed all three churches last weekend it was difficult. I was just drained. I got emotional several times. It's hard to lose them, they have quite a history."Bartlett Catholic Church was the first Catholic church in Mount Washington Valley, opening in 1890. A priest from Whitefield used to ride the train to town to conduct masses. In 1902, Our Lady of the Mountains Parish was officially established in North Conway and has remained on the corner of Grove Street ever since. The original St. Charles Catholic Church was built in 1908 and modified in the 1950s. With three churches, Father Gerry has had as many as nine masses on weekends. By bringing the flock under one roof he predicts the number to fall to four a weekend. He attributed one of the primary reasons for consolidation as a "decline in the number of people entering the clergy in recent years."The new Our Lady of the Mountains Church is located on 8.5 acres on the former site of the American Legion (across Route 16 from Video World). It provides two-and-a-half times the seating as the North Conway Our Lady of the Mountains Church. "There are 650 seats in what we call the nave (sanctuary)," Father Gerry said, "and the narthex can seat an additional 150 if we have an overflow."Father Gerry said the new church has a parish hall that can seat 200 along with a kitchen for suppers and other gatherings. Five classrooms were built for adult education and to house community meetings. There is also a drive up entrance for handicap access and hearses. "The carport is important for a couple of reasons." Father Gerry said. "It allows us to get people into the church on a level terrain, which will be a welcome addition for our handicap access parishioners. Secondly, caskets can also come in at that level and remain free of the elements."The rectory building remains off the campus.The acoustics of the new church ought to be fabulous with the addition of a new organ. Father Gerry is looking forward to bringing the membership from three churches under one roof. "People are excited and yet at the same time a little apprehensive," he said. "We will look to the Holy Spirit for guidance."The old North Conway Our Lady of the Mountains Church will remain a church. The Lutheran Church of the Nativity takes over the building this week. The first mass in the new church will take place Saturday, following the 4:30 p.m. dedication ceremony. Masses are also slated for Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.Father Gerry is expecting more than 600 people for Saturday's event. "We're expecting a lot of people," he said. "I know people are curious and want to see what we have here. It's like anything that's new, people can't wait to get a look at it... It looks like we'll have perfect weather for Saturday."Weather is somewhat important for Saturday because the dedication ceremony will begin outside. Under the Catholic church, all church buildings belong to the bishop. Bishop McCormack will conduct a brief ceremony, concluding it by handing over the keys to the new church to Father Gerry and then everyone will proceed inside. An open house for the general public is slated for Sunday, Oct. 21 from 2 to 5 p.m.