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Silhouetted or sun-glistened, the twin spires of St. Thomas of Villanova remind on lookers that "A beautiful church is a sermon in stone, and its spire a finger pointing to heaven." Indeed, few residents can recall a time when those majestic spires were not a prominent part of the Main Line landscape. Renovation of the Villanova Church In preparation for the 1943 centennial, a major renovation of the Villanova Church was authorized by Augustinian Provincial, Reverend Father Sheehan, O.S.A. The entire church décor changed-it was repainted in subdued tones of ecru and taupe, and its decorative elements were greatly simplified. Although the church could accommodate over 550 persons, the parish and college continued to grow. Consequently, a new location, apart from the college, was sought for the younger boys who attended high school at Villanova.Rosemont Expansion An expansion begun in 1900, ultimately lead to the establishment of the Rosemont Chapel, built for the convenience of the parishioners and the clergy who ministered to them. The T.A.B. Hall (Total Abstinence Benevolent Society) building and lot were purchased for $10,000, and in 1908 the Augustinians opened a school for children of the parish in Rosemont.St. Thomas of Villanova School In 1919 records show the Rosemont School was "considered distinct from the Villanova Community." By the 1921 a separate pastor-prior was appointed to Rosemont, severing the long ties the Villanova Monastery had to its affiliated parish. Since that time, the St. Thomas Parish has had its own Augustinian Pastor and staff of clergy in residence at Rosemont.The Present Rosemont Chapel The present Rosemont Chapel, completed in 1956, was constructed because the old T.A.B. Hall, considered a fire hazard, was condemned as unsafe. Since the opening of this second liturgical center in Rosemont, the parish has enjoyed the distinction of having two sites to choose between for services, a feature many parishioners appreciate. The parishioners have grown accustomed to change since the pronouncements of the Second Vatican Council.Liturgical Changes In 1965 Vatican II, carrying out the recommendations of the deceased Pope John XXIII, called for major revisions when they announced a plan of aggiornamento, a doctrine aimed primarily at an openness to the modern world, coupled with a greater participation of the laity in the celebration of the mass. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops on Liturgy interpret that participation to mean: The environment (seating arrangement, light, centers of action etc.)is appropriate when it clearly invites and needs the assembly of people to complete it. Furthermore it is appropriate when it brings people closer together so that they can see and hear the entire liturgical action, when it helps people feel involved and become involved. While this prescription did not create a problem for newly constructed churches, it did pose a significant challenge to the older Gothic style structures, such as Villanova, whose cruciform design was unalterable. Father Henry Greenlee, O.S.A. oversaw the first significant modification of Vatican II in 1965, when he commissioned the construction and installation of a temporary wooden altar which faced the congregation. Later, under the pastorate of Father John Klekotka, 1971-1975, a permanent, smaller marble altar was installed on a single tier. The marble altar railings were also removed, opening the entire area to the fuller participation of the faithful. Second Renovation to the Villanova Church Through the years many emergency repairs have been made to the Villanova Church, but none addressed the larger projects of structural reinforcement, electrical updating, heating and air-conditioning and adequate sound systems which were needed. The parish and University communities agreed that the Church continued to deteriorate and that major repairs and improvements could not be postponed. In 1992 under the direction of Father Anthony Genovese, O.S.A.. the thirty-first pastor of St.Thomas, the church underwent a major renovation project. The parish has grown over the years in the tradition of St. Thomas and St. Augustine. The recent history has been filled with ministerial enhancements in education at the St. Thomas of Villanova Pre-School . Our ministries have expanded and include Christian Service, a new Parish Nurse Ministry, Religious Education and Adult Spiritual Formation as well as our liturgical ministries. God has blessed us over these 150 years at different times in different ways. We have been shaped by God into a community of Living Faith and Undying Love.
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