Mesa shrine planned as a sanctuary for those touched by cancer

A shrine where people with cancer, along with their loved ones, can visit for prayer and support will be constructed on the campus of a Mesa church.

St. Peregrine Chapel and Shrine is planned for Christ the King Catholic Church, 1551 E. Dana Ave.

The shrine will become home for the Healing Through the Body of Christ Cancer Ministry for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, the diocese announced this week.

The chapel is named for St. Peregrine, a 13th-century Servite order priest, who, it's said, was cured of cancer after he had a vision of Christ on the cross reaching out his hand to touch the priest's impaired limb. St. Peregrine was canonized in 1726 as the patron of cancer patients.

The 2,200-square-foot, domed chapel, with seating for about 65, will also serve as a 24-hour perpetual adoration chapel for the parish.

Called "one of a kind in Arizona," the chapel will be built north of the sanctuary of the church founded in 1959, the city's second-oldest Catholic parish. Construction is set for summer.

"First and foremost, it is a sanctuary," said Melissa Veselovsky, who founded Body of Christ Cancer Ministry in 2003 and introduced it to the diocese in 2004. "It will be a quiet and prayerful place so that they can reach out to God and receive his grace." It will also offer a wealth of materials about cancer and be a place where visitors can go for additional help and information. Prayer services will be held, as well.

The work is carried out in partnership with the American Cancer Society.

"It is very important for them to feel accepted, so we will have volunteers who have been touched by cancer to help them and, then, to help alleviate some of the fear of the unknown," Veselovsky said.

Getting started

Some funds for the chapel were raised in the parish for an adoration chapel, Veselovsky said. The chapel will feature what she calls "old-school Catholic church-looking" dark wood, candles and an altar rail.

"Hopefully, there will be a recessed cross in the ceiling that will glow different colors, depending on the time of day," Veselovsky said. "For example, at the time of day when Jesus died, it will glow red. And for Mary, it will glow blue."

A shrine to St. Peregrine is also planned. A statue of the saint kneeling will be inside the chapel, with a 6-foot bronze statue possibly outside. Also planned is a statue to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Veselovsky credits Bishop Thomas Olmsted for his role in the project. "He was the catalyst behind all of it," she said. "A few years ago, when I was talking to him about the cancer ministry, he mentioned that it would be very healing for people to have a shrine to St. Peregrine, so that got me thinking, and that is what set the ball rolling."

Olmsted said St. Peregrine has become "a central figure in the spiritual support being offered to cancer patients."

"There is ample evidence that a spiritual component is important to treating those who suffer from cancer, and this chapel will serve as a focal point for providing information about the partnership between medical science and the diocesan Healing Through the Body of Christ Ministry," he said.

The chapel and shrine will be the vehicle for people to hear St. Peregrine's message "and bring the words of the Gospel to life through acts of charity, compassion and faith," said Veselovsky, who will direct the shrine, which will be regularly staffed with volunteers.

Spiritual connection

The Mesa woman hopes the chapel will be visited by people from outside Arizona who come here for cancer treatment. She pointed to a National Cancer Institute study on cancer and spirituality that found "spiritual and religious well-being may be associated with improved quality of life" through reduced anxiety, depression and discomfort. Such a sense of well-being helps people adjust to the effects of cancer and its treatment and to increase their ability to enjoy life while undergoing cancer treatment, it found. Besides faith enhancing a feeling of personal growth from living with cancer, there are "improved health outcomes," the national study found.

Dr. Chris Kellogg, an oncologist with Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers in Mesa, praised the diocese for developing the center. "Cancer patients and their families should benefit immensely from having such a wonderful holy place to visit where they can pray to God for help in dealing with their illness," he said. "This can play an important part in sustaining hope for many cancer patients and achieving inner peace."

Leaning on others

The cancer ministry pairs cancer patients with supportive survivors. One survivor is Debbie Bond of Gilbert, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. It spread to her bones and recently to her liver. She regularly undergoes chemotherapy for Stage 4 cancer.

Bond coordinates eight volunteers at St. Anne's Catholic parish in Gilbert. The position calls for setting up dinners for cancer survivors, taking part in anointing of the sick rites monthly and helping with an annual retreat sponsored by the diocese. She hopes to get a support group started in the parish.

"At St. Anne's, we sit around and brainstorm on how we can help other people with cancer," said Bond, 40, the mother of three children ages 6 to 18 years old.

"I had a lot of faith before I was sick and that has really pulled me through," she said.

The chapel for cancer patients, survivors and loved ones will be a symbol of hope and a reminder of the journey St. Peregrine made in his cancer battle, she said. "It's going to be a place where you can go and feel like you can pray and learn about cancer and be around people who have had similar experiences as you."

Bond said Veselovsky developed a ministry that "does wonderful things for a lot of people. Melissa is such a wonderful person," Bond said. "She doesn't even have cancer, and she is putting all her time into this. She just works constantly on this. She is such an inspiration."

Veselovsky believes up to $400,000 must be raised to complete the building. There appears to be enough to erect the basic building, but not for flooring, windows, pews and other interior work. Commemorative engraved bricks with names of loved ones or the anniversary of survivorship or other information are on sale. They cost between $99 and $500.

The Knights of Columbus will launch its inaugural St. Peregrine Charity Golf Tournament on May 2 at the Arizona Golf Resort in Mesa. Tickets are $125 and include golf and a prime rib dinner.

For more information, call the church, (480) 964-1719 or www.cancer shrine.org.