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SEA ISLE CITY - Almost 1,000 of the faithful flocked to share in a Mass consecrating and dedicating the new St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church.

The Most Rev. Joseph Galante, bishop of the Diocese of Camden, led the consecration.

In the centuries-old ceremony, the service began with the church in darkness. As part of the consecration, holy water and chrism were used to anoint the altar by Galante.

"You come in in darkness and song," said Rev. Joseph Perreault, pastor of St. Joseph. The process includes the blessing of the building with holywater and the consecration of the altar.

The symbolism of water and oil go back to baptism, added the pastor.

"After that, we light a fire in an urn and burn incense," he said.The burning of incense symbolizes the rising of prayers to heaven. After the building was dedicated and altar consecrated, Mass was held and the faithful were able to receive the first Eucharist offered in the church.

"The people were almost riveted by the ceremony itself," said Perreault. "Many had never been to a church dedication and consecration."

The building of the church was quite an undertaking for the small seaside Catholic community that has managed to maintain its status as a stand-alone parish.

According to Kathy Walters, chairperson of St. Joseph's capital campaign, the drive to build the church began in September 2009.

With approximately 85 percent of the city¹s total population Catholic,members of the campaign committee found themselves going door to door to see if people would support it and contribute to it, said Walters.

"It was broad-based support from everyone, both seasonal and year-round," said Walters.

Walters, a retired vice president of information technology at PECO, broughther business savvy with her when she moved to the city on a permanent basis seven years ago.

The building was built with widow's mites, said Walters, explaining how a large portion of the capital needed to construct the church came from small donations.Sports raffles, art auctions, and second collections during services also helped provide funds to make the building a reality.

The parish was able to reach its goal of $2.25 million. "We achieved that on the day of dedication," said Walters. Total cost of the church is over $7 million. The remaining funding came from a loan agreement with the Diocese of Camden, to be repaid over 25 years.

The sanctuary of the church seats 950. An additional 300 can be seated in the church's foyer, if needed. With soaring windows and glass doors, the sanctuary is filled with natural light.

"What we were trying to do," said Perreault, "was to get clean lines, but still have a sense of reverence and spirituality to the space."

In addition to glass vistas and clean lines, another challenge faced by the Pennsylvania architectural firm K.C.B.A. was blending the new with the old.

"The architectural challenge was to meet the practical needs of the parish and blend in with the (older) church," said the pastor.

With seating for only 200 and well over 100 years old, the senior St. Joseph church could no longer accommodate its 1,100 registered parish families.

"It's quaint," said Perreault, "but it was not practical to meet the needs of the parish."

The older church will continue to be used for smaller services, small weddings and small funerals. The parish continues to settle in to its new church, lauded as the newest and biggest church in the city.

"I'm still learning the building," said Perreault.

Many parishioners waited many years to see the building come to fruition.

"The best part for me," said the pastor, "is that so many people in the parish have waited so long for a facility like this.To see people in tears coming in was very moving."