Sanctuary Update!
Hello St. Mary Magdalene,
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s video with me, Fr. Chris. It’s been a while since my last update on our sanctuary so that’s what we’ll talk about today! I’ve got some dates of what’s happening! I also have pictures of what several of these components will look like.
First, beginning March 13th until March 31st we’ll be installing our muralwork and having the front panel of our ceiling painted with gold stars! During this time we’ll have use of most of the church, the only area that will be unavailable to us will be our sanctuary due to the scaffolding. The timing of this installation also means that we’ll have all of our artwork in time for Palm Sunday and Holy Week! I don’t have any additional pictures of this muralwork because I don’t want to spoil the surprise and the magnificence of the unveiling. We’ll see it unfold together as a community during the installation.
Second, our new altar furnishings which so many of you generously paid for will be in at the same time, meaning that these pieces too will be ready for liturgical use on Palm Sunday. My plan for Palm Sunday then is to bless items at each of the Sunday Masses so that the whole parish can participate in the blessing and dedication of these items.
Third, you’ve seen in the design drawings that we’re having new marble altars and an ambo in the sanctuary. Thanks to some generous donors, these items are fully funded, designed, and waiting for the marble to arrive so that fabrication can begin. These pieces should be ready for installation at Mary Magdalene in early June. Here are some photos of the altar and ambo pieces and how they tie in with our overall theme.
Once all these pieces, murals, altars, and furnishings, are installed we’ll have an open house in June where everyone will be invited to come see these pieces up close. More information with specific details will come later. In the meantime, we’ll run features in the bulletin describing each piece.
Thank you all for your prayers, support, and patience as we enhance our sanctuary space. I am excited to see this beautiful sacred art come to our parish in order to help us enter more deeply into prayer and the holy sacrifice of the Mass!
Some of the meaning of these symbols. More detailed explanations will come in the bulletin, website, and additional correspondence.
Pelican: A Eucharistic symbol as mother pelicans will actually pluck the flesh from their own body and feed it to their young, giving their life that the children may live.
Phoenix: A mythological bird that rises from the ashes with a word of command like what St. Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
Peacock: A bird found regularly in the catacombs of Rome symbolizing resurrection. Peacock flesh resists decomposition and was thus adopted by the early Christians as a sign of our faith in Christ resisting the ravages of death.
God bless,
Fr. Chris
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