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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nWARWICK, Md.<\/strong> \u2014 It\u2019s a sleepy corner of the Diocese of Wilmington, but these are exciting times at the St. Francis Xavier Shrine near Warwick, Md.<\/a><\/p>\n The mother church of the diocese is set to reopen to the public on Dec. 6 after being closed for more than two years for extensive renovations.<\/p>\n Bishop Koenig will be at the shrine, located about a mile from the Delaware border off Route 301, to celebrate Mass for the beginning of Advent and the feast of St. Francis Xavier. Members of the Old Bohemia Historical Society<\/a>, which manages the property, are excited for the return of public events.<\/p>\n Jesuit Father Thomas Mansell established the 1,200-acre plantation as the earliest permanent Catholic presence in the diocese. The shrine was completed in 1797 and was rebuilt in 1912 following a devastating fire. In late 2023, public events at the shrine stopped because of safety concerns.<\/p>\n The historical society was wondering how they were going to get the work done. The floor was sinking and needed to be replaced. The cornerstones had started to degrade, and the wood from the floor that sat on those stones was rotting. The choir loft had separated from the walls, which were cracking. One estimate for the renovation came in at more than $800,000, far beyond what the society had on hand.<\/p>\n But Larry Bathon, the owner of Bathon Builders, was doing some work for the daughter of Ginny Swyka, the president of the Old Bohemia Historical Society. He was able to get the repairs and improvements done for less than $425,000.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were able to have the job done on time and within budget, even with the additional findings when the floor was brought up,\u201d said Swyka, a member of St. Basil Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chesapeake City, Md.<\/p>\n Bathon, a parishioner at Immaculate Conception Church in Elkton and a Catholic school graduate, was happy to help. \u201cIt needed to be fixed. It wasn\u2019t going to get any better. We had to pull the whole thing up and pour the concrete floor.\u201d<\/p>\n Workers also fixed all the cracks in the walls, which were damaged more than was evident.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t realize how damaged they were until (the) crew came in. They basically took a router and went through everything that was broken away,\u201d said Marla Dill-Palmer, the vice president of the historical society and a lifelong volunteer at the shrine.<\/p>\n Dill-Palmer said taking everything off the walls and reattaching them correctly \u201cwas a big puzzle. Ginny was in here when they were taking it down. She said it was amazing to watch them dismantle everything.\u201d<\/p>\n The walls were cleared by two teams of two workers each, she continued. They barely spoke to each other.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had scaffolding up,\u201d she said. \u201cThey knew what had to come down at what time. All of it was scattered throughout the rectory. It was incredible to come in here and see nothing on the walls, a dirt floor, the bricks around the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n The society wanted to keep the same items that had been in the church previously, but the floor, which had been installed following a fire in 1912, was replaced by a floor that came from another building. Swyka praised the workers for their precision and attention to detail. For example, every nail that was used in the installation of the floor was covered with a wood paste that a worker filled in by hand while crawling around the shrine on his hands and knees.<\/p>\n Up a set of stairs, the choir loft has been reattached to the walls and is property anchored. The beams that looked like they were supporting the loft were essentially hanging there, Bathon said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s amazing that some of this stuff didn\u2019t fall down before,\u201d said Jeanine Garrick a member of St. Joseph Parish in Middletown and a society board member.<\/p>\n Swyka said the historical society raised the money through a variety of sources, including private donations, grants from the Choptank Electric Trust,<\/a> the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Sons of the American Revolution. The Diocese of Wilmington also was tremendously supportive, she added, naming the diocesan building committee, Bishop Koenig and Msgr. Steven Hurley, the vicar general, in particular. Father Mark Kelleher, the pastor of St. Joseph\u2019s in Middletown, which includes the shrine, \u201chas been instrumental in keeping the project alive,\u201d Dill-Palmer said. \u201cHe has been behind us every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Swyka said she had some uncertainty about the ability to raise the necessary funds. \u201cI knew it was going to happen,\u201d Dill-Palmer replied.<\/p>\n While speaking at area churches, members of the society convinced others to join their ranks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope to continue because now we want to get to work on restoring the rectory,\u201d Swyka said.<\/p>\n The adjoining rectory is another step back in time. It is filled with artifacts covering Old Bohemia\u2019s history, from centuries-old vestments worn by Jesuit priests who surreptitiously celebrated Mass while Catholicism was illegal in Maryland to practice. With the church so bright now, they would like to get the sacristy floor refinished and the walls repaired and repainted.<\/p>\n The society also would like to add bathrooms that meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will always be something to do with this site. We tackle the projects as we have the funds to support them,\u201d Swyka said.<\/p>\n After the Mass in December, Masses will resume once a month between April and December on the first Sunday at 2 p.m. The shrine also will again be available for weddings and funerals. Anyone interested in holding an event at Old Bohemia should reach out to the society at oldbohemiahs@gmail.com.<\/p>\n The same goes for anyone who wants to join the Old Bohemia Historical Society. Dill-Palmer has been on the board for more than 30 years, and her late parents and grandparents were involved from the society\u2019s start back in the early 1950s. The group is always doing research about the site, the Jesuits who celebrated Mass there, Catholicism in the area and other topics.<\/p>\n Garrick said documents have been found in the barn on the property, and other items were found when the floor was removed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so educational,\u201d she said. \u201cWe could even have some of the Catholic schools come out here. We would like to bring them back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/a>
\u201cI was sweating bullets, and Marla said, \u2018God will provide,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>
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