A blessing of the new church and shrine sign structure on the grounds of St. Peter Church, Dauby, took place following Mass on Sunday, July 18.
The ceremony was conducted by Fr. Jerome D’Souza and Dcn. John Grek, with parishioners participating with prayer, song and reflection.
The sign structure was recently completed, incorporating and displaying the original bell that made the call to worship more than 100 years ago when Mass was first celebrated at the home of the Henry Zehren family, located in the hollow of the creek across the road from where the church now stands. This bell thereby predates the church, which was completed in 1916.
At the 75th anniversary celebration of St. Peter Church in 1991, Henry Zehren’s son, Alton, donated the bell to the church. It wasn’t until now that a permanent home was found to commemorate the long history of the St. Peter faith community.
At the blessing, the honor of ringing the bell was given to Agnes Moniza, one of the elder members of the congregation.
The sign structure was built by Dave Bichanich, who donated his time and masonry skills to make this long-awaited project come to fruition. Preparation of the bell – which included sandblasting, powder coating and painting – was overseen and arranged by John Budiash and completed and donated by Chris Bretting, of Fast Lane Motor Sports. The complete conceptual design and computer imaging was done by Paul Hnath. All project materials, including the sign panel, were donated by David Hnath, who oversaw the project.
Following the ceremony, group photos were taken and bell-shaped cookies made by Dorothy Budiash were shared.
