Eagle project brings hope to storm-ravaged city
By Dc. Tom Cuskey
Editor
The afternoon of Tuesday, July 16 will be remembered by residents of Madison and Oneida counties for some time to come. Severe storms spawned rare tornadoes that ravaged the communities of Canastota and Rome. There was one related fatality reported in Canastota; none, fortunately, in Rome. But damage to buildings was severe.
According to the National Weather Service, reporting in the storm’s aftermath, the Rome storm was a category EF2 with wind speeds as high as 135 miles per hour. In a 10-minute period, it cut a swath more than five miles long and as wide as three football field lengths.
One of the buildings in its path was the former St. Mary of the Assumption Church. A part of the community since the 1800s, the building was sold to private owners in 2022. Still, the structure was a landmark; one that inspired many fond memories among the Catholic community.
The steeple of the church was destroyed, its cross carried away by the winds, landing nearby on the property. What is left of the building is in the process of demolition.
Part of the story may end with the demolition, but a new chapter honoring the former church and preserving a bit of its history is well underway, thanks to one young man, his Eagle Scout project and his faith.
Jonathan O’Neil Bergdorf is a 17-year-old homeschooled high school senior, and he is working on a memorial project to create a prayer area outside St. Peter’s Church in Rome that will include two key artifacts from St Mary’s of the Assumption.
“Above the main door of the church, just like St Peter’s, there’s a huge, six-foot, seven-foot statue of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Assumption,” Father Sean O’Brien said. “We had the statue removed before the tornado, just luckily, and we recovered the cross from the debris.”
Father O’Brien is pastor of St. Peter Church, formerly known as St. Mary-St. Peter in honor of the former church’s namesake. He is also vicar forane for the Rome vicariate so keeping an eye on all things Catholic in the greater area is part of his responsibility. Jonathan started the planning portion of the project more than two years ago with another church site in mind, but he said, “ I got more associated with St. Peter’s in the past two years since I went here for church school. I decided to move the project here and talk to Father O’Brien.” And Father liked the idea of the project.
Out of disaster comes hope
The events of July 16 have put an additional emphasis on the prayerful scope of the project that has garnered the support of the people in St. Peter’s pews.
“I came in here and gave a talk about this [at weekend Masses], and people started giving donations,’ Jonathan said. “Within the first week, we got over $3,300 so it was quite a good start,” he shared. The total cost of the project is about $5,000, and that has been covered in full through the generosity of the congregation.
“When I heard from Jonathan his ideas about preserving Saint Mary,” Father O’Brien said, “a memory of a church that has served this area since 1845, I thought it was just a wonderful way to bring the church and the local community and a past sacred space together into one visible, usable location.”
Working with Jonathan has been somewhat easy.
“I was very happy to help,“ Father said. “I haven’t had to do much. Jonathan asked if he could speak after Mass one weekend. He came and the people responded very well.”
Preserving history
“I like history,” Fr. O’Brien confessed. As vicar forane, his interest goes beyond his own parish’s boundaries and he sees this project as a symbol of how Rome’s diverse ethnic groups have come together to remain focused on faith, regardless of which church one belongs to.
“They’re faithful here at St Peter’s,” he said. “Many of whom came from St. Mary’s, when St. Mary’s no longer was a worship site.”
Jonathan is one of those faithful members of St. Peter’s. The youngest of three boys in his family, this venture is an important part of his effort to become an Eagle Scout and serves as a lesson in leadership for him. But that’s not all.
“It’s more,” he shared. “I’ve always been very associated with church, you know, at a young age, and I like to try my best to stay involved with it and try to keep myself close to God. And it feels nice to make something for many people to try and get closer as well.”
Pastoral associate Laura Mack sees the deep faith that sets Jonathan apart and motivates others to respond positively to his efforts.
“Jonathan joined us for Confirmation preparation for two years,” she said, “and I would just add that I watched the donations come in, and they were immediate, and there was a real sense of love coming out of this project.”
Mack shared that many donations were accompanied by notes of affirmation and support. “So I think it’s a wonderful gift that Jonathan is bringing to our parish.”
Coming soon
Without going into detail, it will suffice to say that the original timetable calls for a dedication perhaps as soon as November. The Catholic Sun will be on hand for the unveiling and blessing of the shrine. And we’ll share photos, too.
