News
Maryheart Crusaders Inc. News
Web Site:
http://www.maryheartcrusaders.com
531 West Main St.,
Meriden, CT 06451
Tel: (203) 238-9735
Fax: (203) 235-0059
Along with the many Catholic Religious items and Church goods, the store has a Chapel which celebrates Mass at 12:05 on Monday through Friday. Confessions can be heard and spiritual direction after mass.
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Archbishop Henry J. Mansell celebrated Mass in a c ...
June 28, 2006
Archbishop Henry J. Mansell celebrated Mass in a chapel at the store's new West Main Street location. The audience was made up of adults and children alike, as well as local members of the clergy. The crowd swarmed Mansell after Mass. He performed personal blessings and posed for photographs before leaving quickly to attend a meeting. "The people at Maryheart Crusaders have a weekly Mass and when they invited me here to celebrate, I decided to come celebrate with them. I go all over the tri-county archdiocese performing Masses as well," said Mansell. Louise D' Angelo, 82, of Meriden, the founder and owner of Maryheart Crusaders, made her way through the crowd, thanking those who had attended. D' Angelo lectured throughout the country on the beliefs of the Catholic Church for 25 years before she opened the store in 1984, at its first location in the Wilcox building on Colony Street only to move to a larger location three years later in 1987, at 9 Colony St. "The purpose was not just to sell things but to explain to lay people all of the truths of the Catholic faith," D' Angelo said. The store made another move this past March to 531 West Main St., an even bigger location. "The new location has been very successful. We were very thankful to find this place," she said. D' Angelo also mentioned that when it came time to switch stores, 58 volunteers, including children, assisted in moving to West Main Street. An estimated 3,000 people each year attend Mass and confession at the Maryheart Crusaders' chapel. Michael D' Angelo, Louise's husband, also works at the store. Eighteen years ago, he left his position at Pratt & Whitney, telling his employer he was "going to work for God." "It was the best thing I ever did," said Michael D' Angelo, also 82. "It was an honor to have the archbishop here." Regina Martindale, 52, of Wallingford, started as a volunteer at Maryheart Crusaders in 1987 and continued to work for the D' ngelos before being promoted to store manager in 1993. "Our goals and plans are to bring guest speakers into the store," she said. Maryheart Crusaders plans to continue offering all of its services, including the lectures that are in the works, free of charge. "There's no charge for spiritual direction at Maryheart," Martindale said. The store also sponsors a prison ministry program sending free books to prisons and prison chapels. Richard Gagne, 23, of Meriden said it was an honor to attend a Mass celebrated by Mansell. "I come to Mass here almost everyday," he said. "I only remembered about an hour before that this was going to a special Mass but every Mass is beautiful, whoever celebrates it, whether it's someone in the backwoods or the pope, it's still just as beautiful."
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