THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 45, NO. 34 | APRIL 19, 2024
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and Father Mohan Bathineni, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Olpe, stand outside the new St. Joseph Parish Life Center before the ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 7. The building sits on the site of the old parish school building, which was demolished to make way for the parish center.
NEW BEGINNINGS
St. Joseph in Olpe has new parish life center blessed By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org
O
LPE — There were smiles all around as St. Joseph parishioners entered their new Parish Life Center here on April 7 after Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann cut the yellow ribbon spanning the front doors. The blessing and dedication of the new building took place after a 9 a.m. Mass celebrated by the archbishop and concelebrated by pastor Father Mohan Bathineni. Deacon Philip Nguyen was master of ceremonies. At the end of Mass, Father Bathineni thanked God for his provident help and praised the efforts of his parishioners. “Today, I would like to thank each and every one of you in person for your generosity, support and sacrifice,” he said. He also thanked Archbishop Naumann for his support and that of the archdiocese, the builders of the new building and previous pastors for the
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Father Mohan Bathineni, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Olpe, thanks everyone for their efforts to make the new parish center a reality. leadership that made the day possible. As the crowd made its way across the street to the new center after Mass, the
bittersweet memories of the old parish school, which formerly stood on the site, made way for the new achievement.
“It seems not too long ago we were gathered here for the final time with the old school building,” said Archbishop Naumann, after a Scripture reading and before the blessing. “You auctioned off a lot of items that helped contribute to pay for this building,” he added. “But it’s beautiful to see this resurrection at this Easter time of this new building you’ve constructed.” Following customs from Father Bathineni’s native India, Archbishop Naumann was presented with a bouquet of flowers, a garland of flowers around his neck and a tallit on his shoulders. The tallit, a fringed Jewish prayer shawl, featured a design of black, gold and gray lines on white cloth. There were Hebrew letters on the four corners. The first event held in the new center was a brunch with pastries and drinks. The first layperson to enter after the ribbon-cutting was Angie Bolz, the >> See “YEARS” on page 5