Church Open House set for Nov. 28 & 29

Tonight, Father Hilton confirmed that the Open House is set for after the Masses on Saturday, 28-NOV and Sunday 29-NOV.

Stand by for more details

Altars, Font and Ambo

Architect Adam Hermanson shares these design images of the sacramental furnishings.

Main Altar:

Altar of Repose:

Ambo:

Baptismal Font:

See also:

• GIRM: The Altar and Its Appointments

Open House 14-15 November

At tonight’s building committee meeting, we found out that the open house has been delayed for one week due to the recent snow.

Stand by for more details.

Church Open House Nov. 7-8

In today’s bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

The Open House Tours of our Church will be after all of the Masses next weekend, Nov. 7-8, Come and see all that your generosity has achieved!

Quiz for All Saints

From the Secular Franciscan Order, a patron saints quiz:

1. Who is the Patron of items that were lost?
2. Which Saint is the Patron of heart patients?
3. The popular Saint of desperate cases is _____________
4. Who was the apostle of Emilia and is the Patron of cancer patients?
5. St. Raphael is the Patron of _______________

Check out the full quiz (and the answers to the above questions) here:

http://www.franciscan-sfo.org/p1/patrons.html

Halloween Church: Sedlec Ossuary

HAMLET

How long will a man lie i’ the earth ere he rot?

FIRST CLOWN

I’ faith, if he be not rotten before he die–as we have many pocky corses now-a-days, that will scarce hold the laying in–he will last you some eight year or nine year.

Hamlet | Act 5, Scene 1

Outside of Kutna Hora in the Czech Republic is a church that seems appropriate to contemplate for Hallows Eve, and the Feast of All Souls (Not to mention Noche de Muertos): The Sedlec Ossuary. An ossuary is a place or a receptacle for the bones of the dead. Part of the Cemetery Church of All Souls, this small Roman Catholic chapel is estimated to contain the bones of between 40,000 and 70,000 people buried here since the middle ages.

This curious spot exists for very Catholic reasons. Wikipedia provides the details:

Henry, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, was sent to the Palestine (Holy Land) by King Otakar II of Bohemia in 1278. When he returned, he brought with him a small amount of earth he had removed from Golgotha and sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. The word of this pious act soon spread and the cemetery in Sedlec became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe. During the Black Death in the mid 14th century, and after the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, many thousands of people were buried there and the cemetery had to be greatly enlarged.

Wikipedia: Sedlec Ossuary, Kutna Hora

What makes this even more remarkable is that the custodians of this ossuary have arranged bones to form the decorations and furnishings for the chapel. In 1870, František Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to arrange the bones. His work has resulted in an eerie form of art that reminds us that life on earth is not forever.

The church is not made of bones – it is constructed of stone. The bones form the decorations and details.

Features include a chandelier hanging in the nave composed of all the bones in the human body several times over, and garlands of skulls draping the vaults. The coat of arms of the local nobility, the Schwartzenbergs, has been created out of bones, and includes a skeletal bird pecking the eye of a skull.

Schwartzenberg coat of arms made of bones

Some see the Sedlec Ossuary as a spooky place, but those who have visited describe not as spooky but peaceful. These, the dead, came here because they wanted to be buried in a holy place. Now their bones are part of the chapel.

For more on the Sedlec Ossuary, including some great photos, see these links:

1. Sacred Destinations on the Sedlec Ossuary:
   http://www.sacred-destinations.com/czech-republic/sedlec-ossuary-kutna-hora.htm
2. Sedlec Ossuary, Kutná Hora (In Czech):
   http://chrisalida.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/kutna-hora-osuarul-sedlec/
3. Silver P’s Sedlec Ossuary Galleries (In English):
   http://www.ludd.luth.se/~silver_p/kutna.html
4. Sedlec Ossuary, the Church of Bones
   http://www.sedlecossuary.com/
5. 360 degree views of Sedlec Ossuary – Kutna Hora – The Bone Church

Rest in Pieces!

HAMLET

How long will a man lie i’ the earth ere he rot?

FIRST CLOWN

I’ faith, if he be not rotten before he die–as we have many pocky corses now-a-days, that will scarce hold the laying in–he will last you some eight year or nine year.

Hamlet | Act 5, Scene 1

Church Open House

In today’s bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

We are now at the half-way point in the renovation of our beloved church and in five months we will be able to dedicate our beautiful House of God! The time is flying by and before we know it, we will again be offering the Holy Mass in our noble new church.

It is important that you have the opportunity to see how our church is going to look when complete. To help you to do this, our architect, Adam Hermanson, has prepared a series of display boards that have exterior and interior views of the church, the altar area and choir loft. Drawings of the Altar, Tabernacle area, Baptismal Font and Ambo will also be included along with samples of the marbles, tile, wood and paint colors that will be used throughout the church.

This impressive display is in the entrance to the Fr. Puhl Center and I invite you to spend some time studying the presentation. Please pay special attention to the marble Altar, Tabernacle area and Baptismal Font that will be carved in Italy and will be especially beautiful. I am looking for families to help sponsor the cost of these special sacred objects. They are quite expensive, but if ten families take it into their hearts to sponsor each piece as a gift to the parish, then many hands will make them affordable. Talk to Fr. Hilton if you would like more information.

Next weekend, October 31-November 1, we will have our long-awaited church open house. You will have an opportunity to walk into the church and see the progress that has been made so far and get a better idea of how the church will look when complete. We will have the open house after all of the Masses next weekend

Thank you to our many parishioners whose generosity has made all of this possible, God Bless You!

18-OCT-09: The Blessing of the Bells

After Sunday’s 9:00AM Mass, Father Hilton and the Knights of Columbus led the congregation to the atrium for a short ceremony to bless the new bells. Father used the old rite, which resulted in a beautiful and moving ceremony.

KoC, Fr. Hilton and nine altar boys after the blessing of the bells on 18 October 2009

Holy Trinity was lucky to get these bells from the original foundry: The McShane Bell Foundry near Baltimore Maryland.

The McShane Bell Foundry is the last survivor of seven historic American bell foundries. They are located in Glen Burnie, a suburb of the city of Baltimore, where Henry McShane (1833-89) started the McShane bell foundry in  1856. In 1912, McShane cast and installed the 15-bell chimestand for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. On 12 December 2006, the McShane Bell Foundry was featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs.

Other Links:

• McShane Bell Foundry Site

Thanks to reader MK for the photographs!

Exterior Construction Slide Show

Slides of the exterior construction, from start up to 14 October.

If this looks fuzzy, don’ t adjust your monitor. That softness is an artifact from the slide show software.

Blessing of the Bells & Church Open House II

In today’s bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

Our two bells have arrived and this weekend, after the 9:00 am Sunday Mass, we will bless them. During the coming week, they will be installed in our new bell tower, ready to ring out in joy on the day that our church is dedicated! Next weekend, October 23-24, we will hold an “open house” where you will have the opportunity to go into the church and see for yourself all the progress that the construct crews have made. Come and be amazed!

The names for our new bells are: Maria Gaudens and Little Saint John. The Latin name for the big bell, Maria Gaudens, is inspired by the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) and means “Mary Rejoicing.” At the message of the Archangel Gabriel, at the moment that she conceived the Divine Lord Jesus in her womb, the Blessed Mother spoke these words of praise: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” While Mary is rejoicing at the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in her womb, all of creation rejoices with her that Salvation now dwells on earth among men. Before every Sunday Mass we will hear the big bell ring out in joy, welcoming all people to the Sacrament of our Lord’s Precious Body and Blood. Mary is always rejoicing in Jesus her Son and when we hear the big bell ring, it will remind us that our holiness is deepened every time that we rejoice in the Lord.

The little bell, Little Saint John, is not named for the pastor, but is named after Saint John the Baptist. When Saint John was in the womb of his mother, Saint Elizabeth, he danced for joy in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Every time we hear the little bell ring out in its high tone, it will remind us of Saint John who leapt for joy in the presence of the Lord!