TOWN HALL REPORT
Part 2, Stained-glass Windows
The discussion concerning the stained-glass windows falls into a couple categories.
On the side against the windows is that concern that the money for these windows
would put us in more debt or should be put toward helping the poor. The second
concern is that the addition of the windows would ruin the integrity of the modern
style of our church building. On the side of those who are for the windows there is
the hope that the windows will add warmth and added beauty to the feel of the
church and also that this extended use of images in our church would help the
young parishioners (and old) to visualize their faith just like family pictures help
people identify with family events over the decades.
The concern about putting the parish in debt was troubling to the parish finance
committee since they have been very open about the financial situation concerning
the parish and, even though several people have suggested that it would be a
possible course of action to pay for some of the windows by extending the debt by a
few months, this was never something that has been outlined as a part of the plan.
The situation of the parish debt is simple. It will be totally paid off by December of
this year. Our monthly payment is just under $12,000. That will mean a significant
drop in parish expenses in December. The finance committee has discussed
concerns that the Sunday collections and other revenue for the parish has been
going down gradually for the past few years. But even though the decrease has
been a significant amount, the expenses have been kept in check well enough to
cover the deficit. This is worrisome because a bad winter or a major unexpected
expense could tip the balance. As a pastor I also know that people tend to give what
they know their parish needs and seldom want to give extra. But when a crisis
comes people tend to be generous enough to keep things going. Our situation is
nowhere near an emergency but some seem to be spreading that rumor.
Another factor in our budget is that with Fr. Don coming in place of Fr. John the
monthly expenses will decrease by about $3,000 per month as of this July. That is
because Fr. Don will not be receiving a salary and we will not be responsible for his
insurance. Other factors to consider in our financial situation are that there will be
several costs that are coming up. We will need some major repairs on our roof in
the next year. While this will be expensive it should also get rid of the constant
repairs we have been doing every time it rains. We could also use some work on the
parking lot. We are also looking at replacing the overhead lights in the main body of
the church with LED lights. The estimate for this project would be over $50,000.
Completing this project would cut the electrical bill for the church in half and
eliminate the constant replacement of bulbs that has been happening for the past
years. Each time one is replaced it is at a cost of between $75 and $150 per unit and
they are going out fast. Part of the money for this project comes from the Ignite the
Faith campaign. There is actually an annuity fund that is coming due in about eight
months that would help cover the rest of that cost for that project and extra cost for
remodeling the restrooms in the church. Those were earmarked as priority projects
when the Ignite the Faith campaign was started. In other words we are covered
financially.
The other financial concern that has been brought up is that this money should be
going to help the poor. There are two parts to the answer to this concern. The first
is the most simple. If SEAS was not a generous parish in taking care of the poor I
would personally never have brought up this proposal for stained-glass. I do believe
that this has to be a priority of every parish. But that is not a concern that I have
about SEAS. The parish has always been very generous to the St. Vincent de Paul
needs of the area. In terms of the annual appeal for the Archdiocese, much of which
helps with Catholic Charities, the parish has consistently given over 10% over our
target amount. For the Ignite the Faith campaign SEAS had one of the highest
percentages of goal of other parishes of its size. I consider this a real help to the
poor since much of the campaign funds went to help schools in the poorest areas of
our city. Plus I happen to know that SEAS parishioners have individually been very
generous to all sorts of charities and schools around the area.
But all of this does not completely answer the concern of whether money should
ever go towards the building and upgrading of churches. The answer to that comes
out loud and clear from the teachings of the Church. Honoring our God by giving
our best to Him has been the churches constant teaching because it comes straight
from Scripture. The construction of the first dwelling place of the Lord on earth, the
Ark of the Covenant, had to be perfect and much of it was gold. The building of the
temple in Jerusalem was equally extravagant. God made it very clear that He would
accept nothing less. One of the lines was, try giving a second rate sacrifice to the
governor. When Jesus, the new temple, was approached by the sinful woman to
wash his feet with expensive ointment Jesus told them not to stop them. The one
who tried to stop her was Judas. He made it very clear that the poor we would have
with us always and we can always help them, but honoring him is also a priority. In
other words it is not either or but both.
This constant attack on the church as being less than generous to the poor has been
shown to be ridiculous over and over again. “If only the church would sell all the
precious art in the Vatican it could feed all the poor of the world.” It has been
shown that if they did this the poor would be feed for all of ten days and then there
would be nothing to inspire the people. For it is the beauty of the art, that comes
from the heart of believers, that has inspired believers to make the Catholic Church
the most consistently generous institution in the world. In other words scrimping on
God’s churches is not a good idea. All of these concerns had been discussed
thoroughly by the Parish Council and the Finance Committee before I even proposed
the project to the parish. After looking at all the information they agreed that I
should present it.
So what is the plan for paying for the windows? It is the same way they were paid
for originally. They were donated as memorials of loved ones to continue the signs
of their love for the Lord and His Church. That is why part of the plan has been to
have plaques from the original donors and the new donors. This gives one extra
benefit of this project. It continues the legacy of these amazing gifts.
In terms of the issue of the stained-glass windows ruining the integrity of the
modern church that we have is a totally different concern. To answer this we have
to go back to what was happening in the Catholic Church when our parish church
was being planned. The Second Vatican Council had just been completed. A key
word describing that council was “ecumenical.” This single word had become the
focus of a liturgical renewal that was to have tremendous impact on the church.
Prominent liturgists of that era took that word of ecumenical to an extreme that
bishops, cardinals and popes would later comment on as being against the real
purpose of the Council. These liturgists used it as an opportunity to make the
church into an institution that would not offend any other Christian denomination
and would hopefully even appease non-Christian faiths. Their idea of ecumenical
was to water down the teachings of the church as seen in her buildings to the point
that they would be just like all the other churches. There is actually a church that
has taken this idea to its extreme. It is called the Unitarian Church. But the result of
this in the Catholic Church was the tearing out of the statues of the Saints that other
Christians might not see as important. They also redesigned the worship space to
take out any notion of a sanctuary as the church had understood it in its Jewish
roots. The sanctuary had always been a place in which God made Himself present.
For Catholics that meant the presence of Christ in the tabernacle and then in the act
of transubstantiation. The new meaning was that Christ would be present in the
community (where two or three are gathered in my name) as it came together for
the common meal. This was actually the Protestant notion of the Eucharist. It
almost totally threw out the Catholic notion of the real presence of Jesus in the
Eucharist; body, blood, soul and divinity. With statues gone, the tabernacle out of
sight, all that was left was to take out any other “Catholic art.” If you look at the
churches that were built in that era you will see this as a dominant pattern.
Since then the Catholic Church has done its best with the guidance of Saint Pope
John Paul II and Pope Benedict to reestablish its Catholic identity. For this loss of
identity also crept into our schools, especially into Catholic universities. That is part
of why the term ecumenical is no longer used. In its place is the “new
evangelization.” This is what Vatican II was actually written to be. It was never
meant to be a watering down of our faith but explanations of our doctrines in
language that other faiths could understand.
So what is the basis for worship space as the last popes have outlined them? For
one it is to show a strong Catholic identity. It is not one that seems ashamed of our
heritage. In new buildings or churches there is no doubt a more modern
appearance but it includes images from scripture and church history. The most
immediate change in all churches was Pope Benedicts mandate to replace images of
the resurrection with the crucifix. He was making it very clear, that even though we
are a resurrection people, the emphasis of the church needs to be the Eucharist
which is a sacrifice and not just a community meal. Another change was to make it
clear that having the tabernacle in the sanctuary was no longer to be seen as an
affront to the consecration as was taught by the shortsighted theology of the 1970’s
& 1980’s.
This still leaves us with the concern that was voiced very clearly in the town hall:
how do we keep artistic integrity in our worship space? It was mentioned several
times that we need to have artists on a committee and an architect to look at the
plans. In discussing this with the Parish Council it was agreed that the artists that we
have on the Council itself have a feel for the plan. As far as an architect, the main
concern that they would be able to take care of beyond artistic concerns would be
whether the structural integrity of the windows will hold the extra weight of the
stained-glass. I have consulted three different construction people and talked to
Leon who was instrumental in working with the architects of the church and all have
assured me that the window frames are very well suited for this project.
The other concern with the idea of having people with art degrees is to look at what
kind of art are they experts in. You would not go to Metro Tech’s program for
training chefs to find experts in how to prepare the sacred meal that is our Catholic
Mass. We have a very distinct way of looking at things at just having an art degree
does not prepare one for understanding it. Our seminarians and young priests have
far more expertise than any art major. It is interesting to watch where they go when
they have free time. They end up at St. Peter’s Church on 28th and Leavenworth.
They know that St. Peter’s incorporates what the church has been teaching them for
the last decade.
Last but not least I need to fill you in on the follow-up discussion of the Parish
Council after the town hall meeting. After listening to the concerns the Council
went over the discussions that they had this past year concerning the windows.
They were concerned that misinterpretations of the financial situation was clouding
the reality. They also felt that the concerns about artistic integrity did not reflect
the majority of the people of the parish. They reinforced that they hoped that we
could move forward with the stained-glass windows and even look for other ways of
helping SEAS Church reflect the Catholic identity that we are so proud of. They hope
that the windows will help those who are passing by our complex will see beauty
that will attract them to come and be a part of our community. They do not share
the concern that the windows will not fit the design of our building but, like family
pictures, will enhance the feeling that we are all a part of the Communion of Saints.