Our Church Building
“Come into my house,” says the Lord. “Come to me all you who are burdened… and I will give you rest.”
As Pastor of St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, I would like to welcome you to our Parish home.
This church is a reflection of the Christian family that worships here. What we believe is shown in this building. As you walk through the space, this guide will explain the significance and origins of many of the
elements.
Rev. Father Dennis J. O’Keeffe, D.Min.
Pastor
Catholic Principles for Building Churches
“Because the church is a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, a place where the faithful assemble, and a setting where Christ is worshiped, it should be worthy of prayer and sacred celebration, built in conformity with the laws of the Church, and dignified with noble beauty and intrinsically excellent art. The general plan of the building reflects the Church that Christ gathers there, is expressive of its prayer, fosters the members’ participation in sacred realities, and supports the solemn character of the sacred liturgy.”
Just as Christ invited those who heard him to share his personal union with the Father through material signs, so Christ leads the Church through these same signs in the liturgy from the visible to the invisible. As a result, effective liturgical signs have a teaching function and encourage full, conscious, and active participation, express and strengthen faith, and lead people of God. It must likewise be kept in mind that the liturgy and its signs and symbols do not exercise merely a teaching function. They also touch and move a person to conversion of heart and not simply to enlightenment of mind.
A Virtual Tour
The Narthex is the entrance-way into the church and symbolizes our first steps in to the Church and the Body of Christ. It is where we join together as a faith community and where we prepare to celebrate our Parish liturgies. It is in the gathering space that many important liturgical moments occur: men and women participate in the Rite of becoming a Catechumen as they move towards full initiation into the Church; parents, godparents, and infants are greeted for the celebration of baptism; and Christians are greeted for the last time as their mortal remains are received in the church building for the celebration of the funeral rites.
On the west side of the Narthex is our Daily Chapel. It is here that we celebrate our weekday liturgies. Notice the Processional Crucifix behind the altar. It was carved of olive wood in the Holy Land and is used in the Sunday Mass processions as a reminder of the sacrificial aspect of each Eucharistic celebration. The stained glass window in this space is that of our patron, St. Alphonsus Liguori praying to his patroness Mary, the Mother of God. Along the north wall is a tapestry of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, bearing her Son in her arm. The tapestry is from Belgium and has been a part of our church for over 30 years.
On the east side of the Narthex is the Reception Room. This room is used on Sundays by lay ministers to prepare for the liturgy celebration. It is also used for Children’s Liturgy, funeral visitations and wake services. The stained glass window in this room depicts the Resurrection of Our Lord with Mary Magdaline.
In the Narthex you will notice the glass doors that pyramid out. That is the entry-way to the Baptistery. Initiation into the Catholic Church is entrance into a Eucharistic community united in Jesus Christ. Because the rites of initiation of the Church begin with baptism and are completed by the reception of the Eucharist, the baptismal font and it’s location reflect the Christian’s journey through the waters of baptism to the altar.
The Paschal Candle is the symbol of “the light of Christ, rising in glory”, scattering “the darkness of our hearts and minds”. It is blessed at the beginning of the Easter Vigil and is the first light that leads the faithful into the darkened church. The Paschal Candle remains lit for all Easter season liturgies, and is lit each time a new member is brought into the church through baptism and each time a member of the church is commended to God at their passing.
The lighted cabinet in the wall near the Baptistery is known as the Ambry. This cabinet houses the holy oils used in the rites of the Catholic Church. Each cruet contains a different oil; Oil of Catechumens, used for those preparing for Baptism; the Oil of the Sick; and Oil of Chrism for anointing the newly baptized and those being confirmed. The name “Christ” means the anointed one.
Near each entrance door is a small brass Holy Water Font. Catholics dip the tips of the fingers of their right hand into the water and make the Sign of the Cross (In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen). It is meant for one to remember the meaning of their Baptism and expressing their gratitude to God.
The Nave is the space within the church building where the community worships as a single body united in faith, forming the liturgical assembly.
As you walk down the center aisle of the Nave you approach the Sanctuary. It is a sacred place set apart from the rest of the church where the priest offers Mass. The principal ritual furnishings within the sanctuary are the altar on which the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered, the ambo from which God’s word is proclaimed, and the chair of the priest celebrant.
The Altar is a symbol of Jesus Christ. It is treated as Christ's body, thus nothing is simply laid on the Altar for reason of decor. Only the bread, wine and the book needed for prayer are placed on the Altar. Even candles are placed around the Altar area. To the right of the altar is the Ambo (pulpit). It is the central focus in which the word of God is proclaimed during the liturgy. To the left of the altar is the Celebrant’s Chair. It stands “as a symbol of the priest celebrant’s office of presiding over the assembly and of directing prayer”. The chair reflects the dignity of the one who leads the community in the person of Christ. Servers who assist at the Mass use the smaller chairs along the back of the Sanctuary.
The Crucifix is prominent in every Catholic Church. The cross with the image of Christ crucified is a reminder of Christ’s paschal mystery. It draws us into the mystery of suffering, and makes tangible our belief that our suffering when united with the passion and death of Christ, leads to redemption. The crucifix hanging above the Sanctuary has been a part of St. Alphonsus Church for over 40 years.
Beginning along the west wall of the Nave and moving around to the east wall are 14 sacred images known as The Stations of the Cross. The stations follow the way walked by Christ from Pilate’s house in Jerusalem to Calvary. Our patron, St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote “The Way of the Cross.” Whether celebrated by a community or by individuals, they offer a way for the faithful to enter more fully into the passion and death of the Lord.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is a space for devotional prayer before the tabernacle. It is intended to emphasize the unique and real presence of our Lord in the Sacrament of Eucharist. This Chapel, which is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, invites the faithful to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
The real presence of Christ is marked by the Sanctuary Lamp just outside the gated walls of the Chapel. Whenever the Eucharist is present in the tabernacle, which is every day except Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the lamp burns continuously.
All of the Stained Glass Windows within this church were designed and constructed exclusively for this church by the Lynchburg Stain Glass Company in Lynchburg, Virginia. All of the pictorial glass is from France, and the field glass is from Kokomo, Indiana. On the east side of the nave is the Nativity of Our Lord, and on the west wall is the Ascension of Our Lord. This placement symbolizes the beginning (the sun rising) and end (the sun setting) of Christ’s earthly life. The window directly behind the crucifix uses the theme of the wheat and grapes, the primary elements of communion.
The Reconciliation Room is along the east side in the rear of the Nave. This room is a place for reconciliation and assists penitents on the path to contrition and sorrow for sin and to proclaim their reconciliation with God and the community of faith. Penitents have the choice of confessing behind the free-standing panel to ensure anonymity, or face-to-face with the priest.
The Bride’s Room/Cry Room is along the west side in the rear of the nave. This is where brides and their attendants can prepare and await their nuptials. This room doubles as a place for parents to take babies during the Sunday liturgy.
On the rear wall of the church above the doors of the Narthex are statues of St. Alphonsus Liguori and of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph). These statutes are original to the first St. Alphonsus Church built in 1963.
As you walk out of the front doors of our church you will notice what might appear as a “fire pit”. It is known as a Brazier and is used for the lighting of the Easter fire on Holy Saturday to “dispel the darkness and light up the night”. It is from this fire that we light the Pascal candle, which is then carried into the church as the first form of light.
The Bell Tower with its carillon stands prominently in view as you enter the parking lot, with it's Mass Call beckoning you to the Church. The Basilica Bell instrument is by Schulmerich Carillons and rings the Angelus at noon and 6:00 pm, peals, and has funeral tolls, wedding tolls, and hourly strikes. It also provides ageless carillon music, rung by innovative digital sequencing techniques in conjunction with a patented digital tone generation system.
Documentation for this brochure was taken from “Built of Living Stones—Art, Architecture and Worship” and “The Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar (RDCA)”.
