Sanctuary: Before & After

Before (2007):

Long Before (original circa 1966):

During (November 2009):

During (January 2010):

After (Far):

After:

For more views of our project, see our Picture of the Day list.

http://2008remodel.wordpress.com/category/picture-of-the-day/

The Story of Our New Altar

In today’s bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

During my sermon last weekend I said that our new altar is called a “Tomb Altar.” Why? Because it is shaped as a tomb, and this is one of the earliest types of altar in the Catholic Church, because they were built over the relics of the saints who were martyred for love of Christ. Many of you know that every altar in old Catholic churches contained a relic of a martyr saint, and then, when persecutions ceased, of other saints, such as St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Charles Borromeo. Sometimes cities would fight over the right to bury a saint under their altars; for instance, if a saint was born in one town but died in another, both places would claim “ownership” of the relics. Why was this so important? Possibly because of a passage in the Bible. In fact, St. John, in Revelation 6:9 tells us that “I saw under the altar the souls of the them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.”

In fact, it is probable that this Revelation verse was the reason why Pope Felix I, in 279 A.D. decreed that “Mass should be celebrated above the tombs of martyrs.” This practice was so taken to heart by the people that, beginning in the middle ages it was a rule that no altar could be consecrated unless it contained a relic or relics.

With the development of the relic-custom the square box shape of an “altar-tomb” became the norm, and gradually the original table-shaped form disappeared. The altar then, became not only the most sacred place in the church because it was the place where bread and wine would be transubstantiated into the precious Body and Blood of Christ; it was also the resting place of those who had either been martyred for the sake of Christ, or who had shown heroic Christian virtues during their lives (the saints). That’s why these altars were crafted with great care, using the best of materials. Anyone going to pilgrimage in Europe or in the Holy Land will be able to see altars made even of gold and silver. Such an altar still remains in in the Cathedral of Saint Ambrose at Milan, dating from the 9th century.

Our new altar, at Holy Trinity, is not quite as elaborate as that, but it is beautifully made of marble, and a relic of St. Charles Borromeo (whose body lies in state in a crystal urn, which forms the base of an altar in the crypt of the Cathedral of Milan) rests within it. Thus we also, at Holy Trinity, can say that the words of Revelations apply to us: “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” While St. Charles did not spill his blood to give witness to God, his life was certainly a powerful witness to the love which he bore for the Lord.

DCR: Holy Trinity Church unveils new worship space

This week’s edition of the Denver Catholic Register has a color photo of our altar on the front, and a nice article with a black and white photo on page 5. Here’s our version of roughly the same image in color:

Click for a larger version

Here is an excerpt from the DCR article:

Holy Trinity Church unveils new worship space

By John Gleason

Last month, parishioners at Holy Trinity Parish in Westminster marked the completion of a $2.6 million remodel of their worship space.  The newly renovated church, located at 7597 Federal Blvd. in Westminster, was celebrated in a series of thanksgiving Masses and receptions on May 15-16.

Founded in 1948, this was the first time the church proper had undergone any remodeling, according to Holy Trinity pastor Father John Hilton.

“Oh we’ve rearranged the furniture a few times,” he said with a chuckle, “but this is the first major renovation that’s been done to the church.”

Prior to the remodeling of the worship area, Holy Trinity Parish built a multi-purpose parish hall in 2007 which can be used as a meeting hall, socialization area and gymnasium. The following year, the parish renovated their adoration chapel.

In the last decade, Holy Trinity has seen its population more than double.  Today 2,600 families attend Mass there, so an increase in the size of the worship space was of primary importance.

To do this, part of the existing west wall was knocked down and other walls were extended to increase the size from 7,000 to 9,000 square feet, allowing for more pews on the main floor and another 40 added to the choir loft.

Confessionals near the altar were removed allowing for the addition of new windows to provide more natural light to the area.  The confessionals were relocated at the rear of the church. A bell tower was also added.

Integration Design Group was the architect of the project; construction was handled by R.N. Fenton and Company of Denver.

See the whole article here:
http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/4018

Opening Day Mass @ 9:00AM

Thanks to Allan Eckert, here’s an image from the back of the church. This was taken on opening weekend, 16-May-2007:

Click for a larger image.

Thank you to all our Veterans

If you are only going to read one thing today, please read “Taking Chance” by LTC Michael Strobl USMC.

Chance Phelps was wearing his Saint Christopher medal when he was killed on Good Friday. Eight days later, I handed the medallion to his mother. I didn’t know Chance before he died. Today, I miss him.

Over a year ago, I volunteered to escort the remains of Marines killed in Iraq should the need arise. The military provides a uniformed escort for all casualties to ensure they are delivered safely to the next of kin and are treated with dignity and respect along the way.

This was posted on Blackfive on 27 Apr 2004.  HBO later made a touching movie with Kevin Bacon.

Thanks to all veterans.

23 Apr 04

On our feast day: The Holy Trinity by Ribera

The Holy Trinity by José de Ribera (1591 – 1652).
Oil on canvas, 1635
226 × 118 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Detail. Click for complete image

Click the links below to visit other images of the Holy Trinity on this site:

• Botticelli – The Holy Trinity
• Dolci – The Holy Trinity & Holy Family
• Dürer – The Holy Trinity
• El Greco – The Holy Trinity
• El Greco – Coronation of the Virgin
• Masaccio – The Holy Trinity
• Master of the Gerona Martyrology – The Holy Trinity
• Master of Sankt Lambrecht – Holy Trinity
• Murillo – The Holy Trinity
• Rossetti da Orta – The Holy Trinity
• Smith – The Holy Trinity
• Tiepolo – The Holy Trinity
• van Aelst – Holy Trinity
• van Balen – The Holy Trinity
• Vatopedi Monastery – The Holy Trinity

A Glimpse of the New Sanctuary

Click for a larger image

Compare to the before version:

A “Thank You” from Father Hilton

In today’s bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

MY SINCERE THANKS TO ALL WHO MADE LAST WEEKEND’S CELEBRATION SO SPECIAL!

The celebration for the opening of our new church last weekend was an event that I will never forget. The smiles on your faces, the sound of our voices ringing out in song and the wonder in the eyes of the children made all the hard work worthwhile. And it was hard work! Three days before opening, the marble workers were still installing the altar, the church was completely covered in marble dust and none of the statues had been set into place. On Wednesday, John and Marcia Sand brought in a crew and all of them worked like crazy to clean the church. I am so grateful to them! I am grateful to Diana Thurber and all who assisted her in preparing and serving the wonderful receptions in the Fr. Puhl Center; the food was delicious and the decorations beautiful. Thank you. I extend my thanks to Jackie Bell, Sarah Haywood and their choirs for the splendid music during the Holy Masses.

It is absolutely necessary that I close by giving thanks to the wonderful staff that serves us at Holy Trinity. They have worked far beyond the call of duty and their countless hours spent in preparing for our church opening have been a remarkable labor of love. I am particularly grateful to Denise Walton, our Business Manager, and Mark Von Tilius and Jay Martinez, our heads of the maintenance staff – without their dedication to this parish, the new church would never have been ready on time or have turned out as well as it did. Thank You!

For Pentecost

For Pentecost, is it worth remembering that the burden of the Holy Spirit is an honor and a danger. Every one of the Apostles except St. John the Evangelist died a martyr’s death.

1. Peter was crucified upside down
2. James the Great (Son of Zebedee) was beheaded
3. James the Younger was cast off the Southeast pinnacle of the Temple. When the 100 foot drop did not fully kill him, he was beaten to death with clubs.
4. Andrew was crucified on an X shaped cross after being scourged. He preached to his tormentors to his last breath.
5. Bartholomew had his skin flayed off
6. Jude Thaddeus was shot through with arrows
7. Simon the Zealot was crucified
8. Phillip was beheaded
9. Thomas was stabbed to death with a spear
10. Matthias was stoned then beheaded.
11. Matthew was killed with a sword
12. John the Evangelist was thrown into a vat of boiling oil. When he miraculously survived he was sent to prison on the Isle of Patmos where he died years later.
13. Mark was dragged to death by horses.
14. Luke was hanged to death
15. Paul was beheaded

The blog for the Archdiocese of Washington is the source for this list, and the following meditation:

What will you suffer for handing on the faith? The martyrs went to death to proclaim Christ but some us cannot bear if some one merely raises an eyebrow at us or scoffs. Merely being less popular or excluded from  the world’s admiration is too high a price for many. The next time you recite the Creed at Mass remember those words are written with blood. The next time you kids protest going to Church or your teenager scorns the faith you insist they practice, remember that others have faced far more formidable does than an unhappy child. The next time you are challenged for your faith and merely have to  risk ridicule, remember others suffered (and still suffer) prison. Many were (and still are) killed for it.

Good words!

Campanilismo (a/k/a Parochialism)

In last Sunday’s bulletin, Nicoletta shared some thoughts about bells and bell towers:

By: Nicoletta MacKenzie

Actually, the translation of campanilismo into parochialism is not a good one. The literal translation would be closer to “bell-tower-ism,” since a campanile is in fact a bell tower.

How did the usage of the word start? It started when, in the mid 500s, Italians began to build towers with bells, both for church and for public use. In the beginning, it was supposed to be the highest building in the village, town or city, and the bells had a very practical use. For instance: church bells were rung at very specific times or events and according to specific sounds. They would notify all within hearing distance that Mass was about to start, or the beginning of a novena, a triduum or the 40-hour Eucharistic Adoration. Every noon the bells told us that it was time to pray the Angelus (noon), and at 3:00 pm every Friday they’d toll Jesus’ death. Festive bell peals announced weddings, the local parish feast day, solemnities and processions and the election of a new Pope. Slow tolls notified of deaths and funerals.

Church bells also warned of danger and disasters, such as a fire, war and of pirate incursions, in the dark days when they prowled, pillaged and burned all around the coasts of Italy.

Bells on civic towers tolled national holidays, school times, marked the hours (down to the quarter hour) and also served as a warning mechanism.

You can see how important bells were in everyday life, and they were set on the tallest building so that their sound would reach as far as possible.

That’s why Italians became attached to their bell towers, their campanili. Soon there arose a spirit of competition in the breasts of citizens of neighboring villages, towns and even cities. After all, if it was to be the most visible representative of a community, the bell tower had to be beautiful; it had to be recognized from a distance; and it had to be unusual. A town with a “run of the mill” campanile reflected poorly on its inhabitants. And so the larger towns, who could count on the financial support of more people, started to hire architects to design the building that would represent them to anyone who came within sight.

Some of these towers are so famous that just about everyone in the world has heard of them.

For instance, who has not heard of The Leaning Tower of Pisa? Yes maam, it’s the bell tower of the Duomo (or principal church) of Pisa. Its striking structure has no rival anywhere in the world. It took “only” 177 years to complete and although the good Pisani certainly did not intend for their masterpiece to start sinking into the ground, they undoubtedly got their money’s worth! Here you can clearly see the Duomo, which is almost dwarfed by its magnificent and yes, leaning, tower.

Closer to the town from where my family hails, there is a less well known but equally distinctive bell tower: the Campanile di Ossuccio. Its delicate, slender and tall form is also unmistakable. This one stands guard over the church of St. Mary Magdalene. The characteristic top was added in the late 1400s, while the original “stem” goes back to the 1100s.

And who has not heard of the bell tower of Notre Dame? Or at least, of its bell-ringer? Now I’m going to dare to say that my campanile has that squat structure in Paris beat all hollow. And you can call me campanilista if you wish.

And now our Holy Trinity church also has a bell tower, with a full contingent of bells. I venture to say that it’s the most handsome in all Westminster, and while it may not rival in beauty with the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the slender marvel in Ossuccio, when it’s lit up at night it brings a lump to the throat. Its tall grace proclaims to our part of the city that we love God and put our trust in Him.

I can hardly wait to hear the sound of “our” bells calling us, and anyone else who wishes to join us. In fact, a bell tower with its ringing bells is eminently Catholic and exemplifies what the writer James Joyce said: “Catholic means: here comes everybody.” Wouldn’t that be wonderful?