St. Monica Chapel, located behind St. Augustine Church in Augusta, has been transformed into a beautiful home for eucharistic adoration thanks to the commitment of parishioners who gave of their time, talent, and treasure.

 Brian Beland, coordinator of the project, says the chapel was being underused, so in October 2024, members of St. Michael Parish decided to convert it into an adoration chapel. A year and a half later, the fruits of their labor were evident as Bishop James Ruggieri joined them to bless the restored chapel.

“Send your blessing, we pray, O Lord, on this chapel and grant that all the faithful who are to assemble here, holding fast to your word and your holy mysteries, may know the presence of Jesus Christ, who promised to be in the midst of all who are gathered in His name,” the bishop prayed during the blessing ceremony.

Many people had a hand in renovating the chapel, including Philip Bosse of Winthrop who built the wooden cabinet holding the monstrance.

“I just loved working on the project. It just really makes me feel good to see the people use the chapel,” says Bosse. “We hope that many, many more people will be able to come and pray in silence and enjoy it.”

Bosse, who says he does woodworking as a hobby, designed the cabinet to have interior lighting and mirrors so that the monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament is visible throughout the chapel.

“You’ll see the monstrance in infinity. It curves around so that people on the far, far right or the far, far left can still see the monstrance and the host,” he says. 

The cabinet also has glass doors so that the host is hidden when it is not being exposed.

The cabinet sits on a 10-foot table, also built by Bosse. 

“It’s made out of oak, and there are 12 flames on it, which represent the Twelve Apostles, and then there’s one cross. Those are made out of a wood called padauk, and they stay red,” he explains. “They are each individually cut out and made and then affixed to the surface.”

Bosse also used brass crosses that were part of the original chapel as a tribute to its history.

Behind the cabinet and table is a mural painted by Kate Jackson and her daughter, Hannah, who is an art student.

“I think, given the time frame, it came together well, and really, that’s mostly due to Hannah because all of the difficulty is in the technicalities, and that is her real forte,” says Kate.

“When my mom asked me if I wanted to help out, I said yes because my Catholic faith is very important to me, so just giving back to the Church was a huge reason why I wanted to jump in,” says Hannah. “I am very happy I was able to do this.”

“We both feel it’s an honor to be able to do something like that,” adds Kate.

The mural depicts clouds with Divine Mercy rays coming out of them.

“I think the hardest part was definitely the clouds, getting the right lighting from the rays and color matching with the sky,” says Kate.

Parishioners who attended the blessing ceremony say they are pleased with the newly renovated chapel.

“We’re very happy,” says Beland. “Now, it’s a multifunctional adoration chapel. We can still have Masses here, and other, various groups can use it for prayer services.”

“It’s a blessing,” says Laurie LaBonte, a lifelong parishioner. “We are already seeing fruit come from it with people brightening up about their faith.”

Other key contributors included Tim Tyce, who repaired the ceiling and repainted the chapel, and St. Michael Parish’s three Knights of Columbus Councils: Abenaki Council 334 from Augusta, Canabas Council 1299 from Gardiner, and Governor Kavanagh Council 1423 from Whitefield.

The St. Monica Adoration Chapel is currently open for adoration on Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m.