By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
From left: Lex Norris, Justin Lex Norris' father, Lucy Vanpelt, Justin's mother, Josephine Oakley, a friend and fellow parishioner, and Sister Elizabeth Worley of the Sisters of St. Joseph, chancellor and COO for the archdiocese, sit in the front row of St. Matthew church during the organ dedication concert.
HALLANDALE BEACH | The unconditional love that Justin Lex Norris had for others continues to touch the hearts of everyone he met. Now, two years after he died from stroke complications at age 37, his mother, Lucy Vanpelt, donated an organ to St. Matthew Church to recall his love for the Catholic Church. At one time, Justin, a sports lover, wanted to build a basketball court at the church.
“Zoning and liability issues prevented the court’s construction,” said Vanpelt. “I felt that giving this organ to the church was a way to honor his memory. Every time the organ is played, the music will go from here to heaven.”
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Jay Brooks, recognized organist and concert recitalist, plays Bach's Prelude and Fugue in A Minor on the newly-donated organ at St. Matthew Church.
Vanpelt met her former husband, Lex Norris, a Mormon, while attending Westminister College in Salt Lake City, Utah. The couple’s only child, Justin, was born in Murray, Utah, Feb. 10, 1979. Vanpelt, originally from New York, lived in Utah until her divorce. She moved to Tennessee for a while before settling in South Florida. Justin lived intermittently in Florida and in Utah, where he worked in his father’s building materials company. Justin died April 18, 2015.
“Justin was buried in Paradise, Utah,” said Vanpelt, a St. Matthew parishioner for more than 20 years. “He was a premature baby who wasn’t supposed to live to adulthood. It bothered me that Justin didn’t have a Catholic Mass of the Resurrection. He received the last rites at Memorial Hospital, Hollywood. At the Utah funeral home, I had a priest consecrate his body. On the anniversary of his death, I arranged for a priest to consecrate the ground where he is buried.
“Justin and I are the only Catholics in his father’s large Mormon family. He didn’t want to be a Mormon, he wanted to be a Catholic.”
Justin was baptized in the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake City. He was an active Catholic Boy Scout, one of the youngest to receive the Ad Altare Dei award from the Archdiocese of Salt Lake City. He often helped his mother decorate St. Matthew Church for the liturgical seasons.
Vanpelt said the Nov. 17 concert to dedicate the new organ, and evening prayer in memory of her son, was the service that he wanted and deserved.
“Justin’s passing was very hard for me. I didn’t have the emotional strength to attend church since he died,” she said. “Now, I’m back and I’m at peace.”
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Father Robert Ayala, St. Matthew Church administrator, stands with Lucy Vanpelt, mother of Justin Lex Norris, as she addresses the congregation at the dedication of a new organ she donated to the church in honor of her deceased son.
Vanpelt said she picked out the Rodgers Artist Series 3 Manual Organ Model 599 with the help of Central Music, a Florida musical instrument company. Jay Brooks, a recognized organist and concert recitalist from First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables, headlined the inaugural concert, performing Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, Amazing Grace, and Handel’s Hallelujah from Messiah, all selected by Vanpelt.
Brooks praised the new organ. “It’s a beautiful instrument,” he said. “Everything is where it’s supposed to be. It’s like driving a Cadillac.”
Maria Perez-Rudisill, music director at St. Matthew, said the new organ is a perfect size for the church. “Every time I play it I will think of Justin and say a prayer,” she said.
Father Robert Ayala, St. Matthew administrator, said he was thrilled with the new addition to the Hallandale Beach church.
“The old organ that we had was dilapidated,” he said. “It had seen its better days. Music adds to the beauty of what can’t be spoken to in the liturgy. This is a significant moment in the history of St. Matthew Church. It’s a privilege that such a small church has such a beautiful organ.”
Father Ayala blessed and incensed the new organ, then handed the incense burner to Vanpelt and her former husband, Lex Norris, who traveled from Utah to attend the dedication, so that they could also incense the new instrument.
Vanpelt said that because Justin had such a passion for sports, he was buried wearing a pair of original Dwyane Wade Nike NBA sneakers that she had won at a Miami Heat game. He was also buried with a Miami Heat Tip-Off Booklet with an autographed photo of Bob McAdoo, which the NBA Hall of Famer inscribed to Justin.
Vanpelt and Justin were season ticket holders. Justin studied the names of players and their teams. He was so passionate about sports that a bench beside his grave is inscribed with the Miami Heat logo.
Vanpelt said she felt that Father Ayala brought Justin’s spirit to life as he talked about him at the dedication ceremony.
“Today, there is a sadness and undertone of pain,” Father Ayala said. “You can be happy that we are here tonight celebrating Justin’s life. I promised I’d wear a Miami Heat T-shirt tonight. I’m wearing it under my vestments.”
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Father Robert Ayala, St. Matthew Church administrator, incenses the new organ which Lucy Vanpelt, mother of Justin Lex Norris, donated to the church in her son's memory. She and Justin's father, Lex Norris, are standing beside the organ.
