Monthly Archives: July 2013
‘A dream come true’
‘A dream come true’
By Gretchen R. Crowe
Day turned into night as parishioners of St. Theresa Parish in Ashburn celebrated the dedication of their new spiritual home last week.
Gathered around the shiny bronze doors of the brick and stone structure, hundreds of parishioners – hoods up and umbrellas out – watched as Arlington Bishop Paul S. [...]
Saint Aloysius Parish…reborn!
Saint Aloysius Parish…reborn!
By Hugh McNichol
Part of Gray’s Ferry in Dixie!
Growing up in Gray’s Ferry had its great spiritual benefits. Living within a cluster of 3 parishes, all within walking distance made going to Sunday Mass an easily attainable ritual. With Saint Gabriel Church, King of Peace Church and Saint Aloysius Church all within the boundaries [...]
A Generous Gift
A Generous Gift
Submitted by Fr. Eugene Harrison
Fr. Richard Thibodeau, pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish, was pleased to receive and bless a new, uniquely designed baptismal font in St. Mary’s Assumption Church in New Orleans on December 2. The font was commissioned by anonymous donors and reflects the style in which St. Mary’s is constructed. Executed [...]
Historic bells to ring in new church
Historic bells to ring in new church
By Joanne Glamm
A crane lifts more than a ton of century-old metal away from a brick enclosure, lowering the historic sound maker to the ground.
The process is repeated to bring two more bells down to a cement landing outside St. Joseph Catholic Church in northeast Le Mars.
The bells are [...]
Trucks haul off church memories
Trucks haul off church memories
By Steve Barnes
WATERVLIET — As twilight settled on Saturday night, workers from an Atlanta religious artifacts company trundled a pair of life-size statues from the former St. Patrick’s Church.
Through the gloom beneath the 137-foot bell tower, they looked to be Mary and Joseph, each holding a baby. Surrounded by the frame [...]
St. Stephen church to be razed
St. Stephen church to be razed
Former parish site will serve spiritual, educational and social needs of neighborhood
SOUTH BEND – The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has announced that St. Stephen Church, 1102 W. Thomas St., South Bend, will be razed this month. However, the former parish site consisting of about two acres will continue to [...]
Far away, treasures of faith resurrected
Far away, treasures of faith resurrected
By Dennis Shaughnessey
LOWELL – A glimpse through the glass doors at the Sacred Heart Church on Moore Street reveals and empty sanctuary, several broken church pews, sawdust, rubble and little else. Former parishioners of the church, which closed its doors in 2004, have been dispersed to other churches in and [...]
St. Anne stained glass to be sold off
St. Anne stained glass to be sold off
By Shawn Boburg
LAWRENCE – Even before yesterday, the interior of the century-old St. Anne Church didn’t see much light, only sprinkles of color from the 12 stained glass windows that ran high along its curved apse.
One by one, those last radiant panes were removed yesterday and replaced with [...]
Baltic, Connecticut Church Gets a Major Altar-ation
By Ted Mann
The Day of New London
Sprague — Frank Caron stood near the sanctuary of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church last Tuesday afternoon. The pounding of hammers was deafening, the floor was dusty and strewn with tools, but he was smiling.
“It’s beautiful,” said Caron, 77, a lifelong member of the church. “No [...]
Saints of the Americas Celebrated in Peoria
Saints of the Americas Celebrated in Peoria
By Jack Wintz, O. F. M.
About a year ago, Sacred Heart Church in downtown Peoria, Illinois, reopened its doors after an 11-month renovation that dramatically changed its artistic appearance. Amazingly, almost everybody likes the new look.
Perhaps the most magnificent and unique features of the new church is the 29 [...]
Rescuing, Restoring, Recirculating
Resucing, Restoring, Recirculating
ATLANTA – Rick Lair is a man on a mission. He drives 100,000 miles a year, buying, selling and delivering religious artifacts, in his quest to make sure they find the appropriate new home.
For more than a decade, his business, King Richard’s Religious Artifacts, has helped churches, schools, convents, hospitals and monasteries in [...]
St. Benedict’s Gives Church Fresh Anniversary Look
St. Benedict’s Gives Church Fresh Anniversary Look
By Stephen O’Kane
JOHNS CREEK – It was only four months ago that the interior of St. Benedict Church did not look much like a sanctuary at all. Extensive scaffolding had replaced the pews and the usual colorful decor of the church was swapped for bare walls and floors.
On Saturday, [...]
Disposing of Catholic Sacred Articles on Ebay
Dispoing of Catholic Sacred Articles on Ebay
By Hugh McNichol
As a Catholic Church, we need to be quite sensitive about the disposition of sacred articles that are no longer being used in our parishes.
A trend developing is finding Catholic sacred articles on places such as E-Bay or other online salvage sites. The real problem with [...]
Glorious renewal of God’s house
Glorious renewal of God’s house
By Ann Carey
After decades of sparseness, new church construction and renovations reconnect with symbols and styles of the past
When the Second Vatican Council closed in 1965, a new liturgical movement swept the country that stressed the function of a church over its design. Accordingly, many of the churches built after Vatican [...]
Artifacts from St. John Cantius in Northampton serving new purpo
Artifacts from St. John Cantius in Northampton serving new purposes
By Chad Cain
NORTHAMPTON – St. John Cantius parish may have closed more than two years ago, but its spirit lives on via religious artifacts that have found homes in other Catholic churches, some of them hundreds of miles away.
An altar was removed Tuesday and hoisted onto [...]
New baptismal font dedicated at St. Mary’s Assumption
New baptismal font dedicated at St. Mary’s Assumption
By Beth Donze
On Dec. 2, Redemptorist Father Richard Thibodeau, pastor of St. Mary’s Assumption Church, blessed a new baptismal font commissioned by anonymous donors and crafted in Italy. The font mirrors the 1858 church’s German baroque style and incorporates numerous elements of its architecture. For example, the Carrera [...]
A church is reborn in Peoria
A church is reborn in Peoria
By Toni Cashnelli
The view from the choir loft at the renovated Sacred Heart Church.
Photo by Rick Lair
The goal of the renovation of Sacred Heart was a simple one:
“Fr. Larry wanted to make it look like a church again,” says Rick Lair, whose company, King Richard’s Religious Artifacts, played a major [...]
Catholic treasures … returned to Catholic Churches!
Catholic treasures … returned to Catholic Churches!
As a Catholic Church, we need to be quite sensitive about the disposition of sacred articles that are no longer being used in our parishes. A trend developing is finding Catholic sacred articles on places such as E-Bay or other online salvage sites. The real problem with these sites [...]
New altar arrives from overseas
New altar arrives from overseas
By Jerry Buxton
Sewerd — The waiting was over at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. Father Rene Guesnier expected the new altar for St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church to arrive around 9:30, so it was not very late.
The new white marble altar arrived in a Ryder truck, brought all the way from King Richard’s [...]
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