How I 'Read' My Church

Although it was built in 1973, my church still retained a somewhat traditional cruciform shape. This is notable because most churches built around that time departed from traditional architecture and in the ‘spirit of Vatican II’ experimented with the interior arrangement. The interior is a mix of a 1970’s rustic dark wooden beamed cabin featuring a large window view of the mountains to the north in the distance and a large carpeted auditorium decorated with wooden pews, icons, statues and modern stained glass. For a while, above the sanctuary, hung a statue of the resurrected Christ with his arms outstretched. The stained glass window had a stylized swirl of color to magnify the theme of resurrection. This statue was later moved to the back of the Church and the sanctuary was given a large proper crucifix. Now the stained glass above it seems like it has no purpose, no narrative.

This all matters because every church tells a story if you know how to read it. In our case, part of that story was the shift from traditional to modern, and then back to more traditional. The people really care deeply about the interior of their church. It’s their ecclesial home and they often quarrel about what should go where and how should this or that be decorated. Sometimes these quarrels are an extension of the intense theological polarization within the universal Church.

From a bird’s eye view our church looks like a large cross. This cruciform shape dates back to the time that basilicas were adapted into churches. Since the church is the Body of Christ, to enter a church is to enter the Body of Christ undergoing the eternal Paschal Mystery. At the heart of the church stands the altar where the love of God gushes forth and the people meet to be fed. It is located where Jesus’ heart would be if the church were an actual crucifix.

As we approach the church, we ascend steps to an outdoor patio. These steps, like all church steps, mean that we are getting closer to the precincts of heaven and to God.

As Father Romano Guardini wrote in his book, Sacred Signs, “When the feet mount the steps, the whole man, including his spiritual substance, goes up with them. All ascension, all going up, if we will but give it thought, is motion in the direction of that high place where everything is great, everything made perfect. The steps that lead from the street to the church remind us that in going up into the house of prayer we are coming nearer to God…”

We open the doors and step inside. We commit ourselves to be present to God and to disavow the attachments and distractions of the world outside. We are reminded that, “When you step through the doorway of a church you are leaving the outer-world behind and entering an inner world. The outside world is a fair place abounding in life and activity, but also a place with a mingling of the base and ugly. It is a sort of market place, crossed and recrossed by all and sundry. Perhaps "unholy" is not quite the word for it, yet there is something profane about the world. Behind the church doors is an inner place, separated from the market place, a silent, consecrated and holy spot.”

Immediately, as we step into the dark brown shiny tiled narthex, we come face to face with a large octagonal, two tiered baptismal font. We hear the water falling from the smaller, baby font to the larger full immersion front below. We dip our fingers into the cold water and make a sign of the cross as we look down the aisle to the tabernacle. The baptismal font containing holy water is a reminder that as we first entered the Catholic Church through baptism, we now enter this particular church by blessing ourselves from the baptismal font. We stir up our own baptismal grace of faith, hope and love and as we trace the cross over our heads and hearts we call to mind that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and we are his own children as priest, prophet and king. We have come to worship the Lamb of God on the Eighth Day and be counted among his elect.

On the left is the ambry, a cabinet containing the three oils for the sacraments. These oils are blessed by the Bishop every year on Holy Thursday. The bishop takes special care to breathe into the balsam perfumed chrism oil which is the oil that goes on the crown of our heads in Baptism and Confirmation. It is also used to anoint the deracon, priest and bishop in Holy Orders as well. The other two jars of olive oil next to it are the oil of catechumens used for baptism and the oil of the sick used for Anointing of the Sick..

Guarding the entrance into the carpeted nave of the church (main body with the pews) are two white marble statues of our patron Saints, one of Saint Paul on the left and Saint Peter on the right. The balding Saint Paul has his sword in hand to symbolize two main things: his martyrdom by beheading and the "sword of the Spirit," which he wrote in the letter to the Ephesians (Eph 6:17) is the Word of God. He stares across the narthex at the bearded Saint Peter who holds the Keys of the Kingdom in his hand signifying spiritual authority to bind and loose, to govern the Church on earth as the first pope. Peter receives these metaphorical keys from Jesus in Matthew's gospel., “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of God. whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19)

As we proceed into the nave we see two large sections of pews separated by a center aisle. These lead to the transept where the two arms of the cross go out to the left and to the right. The pews in these sections are slightly turned on an angle to face the altar. We reach the crescent shaped sanctuary which is set apart by three steps. This pattern of separating two main areas, one large and one small is biblical. Just as we have a nave and a sanctuary, the tabernacle contracted by Moses had a holy room and a holy of holies separated by a veil (see Exodus 25). When Solomon built the first temple he kept the two rooms and all of the furnishings the same. This was the earthly replica of heaven respecting the design and the blueprints that God gave to Moses (see Hebrews 9).

What I like about our sanctuary is that the tabernacle is centrally located. If the altar is the heart the tabernacle is at the head of the Body just as Christ is the head of his body the Church. Furthermore. it emerges through two curtains on either side. These opened veils reveal a back room where confessions are heard. This calls to mind the tearing of the veil in the Temple as Jesus died on the cross in Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, and Luke 23:45. The barrier created by sin between a holy God and fallen humanity is now torn open and we not only have access to the presence of God, and his forgiveness but we can receive his Body into our own in holy Communion.

It gets better. Even more biblical is the fact that two five foot high statues of kneeling angels face the tabernacle reminiscent of the ark of the covenant, a sacred, portable chest described in the Bible as being made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold with two angels facing the throne of God on top of the lid (Ex 25:10-22). On the altar cloth reads the words, Holy, Holy, Holy. This is the prayer of the angels at worship of the Lamb in the book of Revelation. “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come” (Rev 4:8).

A church is the place where time and space collapse into one single event. In the liturgy, we are at the Last Supper, we are at Calvary, we are in the future New Heaven and New Earth and we are in the present moment. Jesus’ once and for all sacrifice, resurrection and ascension are being made present. Heaven and earth are touching and the veil is opened. This is the language of our sanctuary at Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

To the left of the altar is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ark of the new covenant and to the right is her most chaste spouse, Saint Joseph, terror of demons. They are flanking the tabernacle, their Son Jesus, thus making the holy family complete. During the Confiteor prayer, I often gaze at the statues of the angels and Mary and Joseph as I say, “Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God."

The altar is square, reminding me of the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard of the Temple. It is covered with a green altar cloth signifying that we are in ordinary time. On the front it features a grape vine and wheat surrounded by crosses. Of course Jesus chose bread and wine because they are natural, universal symbols of sacrifice. They truly are the work of human hands. It takes planning, seed planting, watering and time. Once harvested it takes energy, time, and the immolation and grounding of the wheat and grapes. In ancient times it was done by hand or by foot. Then even more time is taken to bake bread and to ferment wine. The final product is then offered to God by the people in the offertory at Mass. Always below the altar and below the ambo are fresh flowers. Like the Garden of Eden, our church is a sign of our heavenly home which is a garden paradise.

To the left of the altar is the ambo. The word 'Ambo' comes from the Greek word 'ámbon' which can mean edge, rim, or pulpit. It matches the altar in style because it is where we feed on Jesus, the Word of God. The readings and the homily are given to us from this holy spot in the sanctuary. Next to it is an ordinary, utilitarian podium used for making announcements and speeches by lay people.

As mass comes to an end, I wait for the priest to pass by and then I genuflect and exit the side door located by a statue of the sacred heart of Jesus. The statue is surrounded by votive candles and a rail to kneel. On the other side is a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, also with candles and a kneeler. The side doors of Saint Peter and Saint Paul are unique as they feature images of each of the seven sacraments. The theological significance is that the sacraments are themselves types of doors leading is from the profane to the sacred, from the ordinary to the extraordinary and from natural to supernatural.