The Stations of the Cross were made by a young artist, the son of a member of our parish. His name is Cody Harrington, and he has an incredible talent for reproducing what he sees. They are done in pencil on 11’’ by 17’’ paper and then enlarged, using a very advanced printing process. They were inspired by the film “The Passion of the Christ.” While this film does not include all of the 14 Stations of the Cross, the frames and still photographs of the movie were used as models for the drawings. The emotion and gravity of the images reflect an aspect of Christ’s Passion that is usually stylized. Here, the reality of Jesus’ suffering is a powerful and moving force.
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Main Entrance MuralIn 2010, St. Jude commissioned local artist, Andy Buchanan, to create his artistic interpretation of the renowned Giotto fresco, "Christ Washing the Apostles' Feet". The 120-square foot mural is in the arch above the main doors to the church. The NarthexThe Narthex is a gathering space. It is similar to the courtyard in this way. The large central doors or the “great doors” are important, both architecturally and liturgically. They symbolize the parish’s welcome of our community. In some places certain doors are only used on special occasions. These doors are fourteen feet tall, and hand-made of solid black walnut. They are intended to last for many lifetimes. Some of the business of preparing for the Mass is conducted here, in the narthex. We have an information table, and the eastern doors open into support areas, restrooms, nursery and vesting sacristy. But the primary purpose is for people to have a place to greet one another and share joys, sorrows and needs. Typically, a narthex is not a devotional space, so that the conversations that are necessary in greeting one another can comfortably take place. The NaveThis part of the church is traditionally called the nave. It is a unique word but it finds its origin in the Latin word for ship (“naves”). Some architectural plans look like an inverted ship. As well, since the nave is the central place where the people sit, it looks something like a Roman galley, where slaves sat on benches and powered the ship with oars. Baptismal FontAs we stand here, we need to talk about visual focal points. The baptism font may be the first thing people notice. It stands here as a constant reminder of our entry into the church, and our touching the water and making the sign of the cross, renews our sense of belonging to God and his church. The flowing water reminds us of the living water that Jesus spoke of in the Gospel of John (John 4:10). The font is made in the shape of a cross because, as St. Paul tells us (Romans 6:3) we have been baptized into Christ’s death. As we die to self, so we live to God in Christ Jesus. PewsThe pews are a custom design specifically for this building. Pews probably go unnoticed, and perhaps these will as well. We don’t often think of how much an impact pews make on a space. At first, people thought of these as being too modern, but now that they are here it is hard to imagine another design. They are designed, as is the whole building, to communicate a sense of lightness, welcome and peacefulness. The floating plane, held up by the black walnut dowels is an imitation of the ceiling. All the furniture in the building follows this design. The pews are solid maple, trimmed with black walnut. They were constructed by New Holland of Pennsylvania. Color and MaterialsThe decision to use the limestone treatments directed most of the other color choices. We tried to maintain a narrow color palette, using only a small range of earthen colors. The offsetting treatments of black walnut help to break up or identify the spaces. As a result, when color is added, through vestments or banners, the space becomes a canvass, and the colors seem more alive.
Sound and AcousticsThe acoustics of the space are one area where there is a great deal of risk involved. Two things need to happen in terms of sound. We must be able to hear and understand the spoken word, and we must allow the music the vibrancy and brightness it needs, in order to participate in the worship of God. Great church music needs a little bit of echo, resonance or reverberation. Being able to understand the spoken word is more difficult in that same sort of space. We achieved some balance with the wood ceiling panels that have sound absorbing material behind them. The sound amplification system employs some of the most advanced technology available. Sound is a great mystery in the church, and a place where many buildings fail to do their job. We will pray over this one and hope that our desire to get it right pays off.
The Cross ShapeThe shape of the church floor plan is one of the most significant factors in designing a church. Ours is a “cross” shape with the central nave forming the vertical leg of the cross, and the two transepts forming the horizontal arms. Although this shape is common to ancient buildings, the lack of materials that could easily span large spaces lead to some of the most innovative and beautiful construction pieces. Roman arches and a variety of vaults were invented to carry the load of the roof across a large open space. Our steel frame construction has removed the need for those, but we have simulated the feel of those ancient building elements in the shape of the upper roof over the nave. From the outside, the cross shape floor plan directs the architecture in such a way that it is unmistakable as a church. While we have tried to create a welcoming and warm space, the cross shape tends to be a little more formal. The AltarObviously, the main focal points of the church are the altar, tabernacle and crucifix. These describe why we are here. Of these three, the one that cannot be dispensed with is the altar. It is the most important focal point, and it is, therefore, placed on the axis (the center line) of the main nave and the transepts. Once again, the altar is constructed of shell limestone and weighs over 5,000 pounds. We have designed the lighting in the church to further enhance the focus of the crucifix, tabernacle and altar. The TabernacleThe bronze doors of the tabernacle have emblazoned on their face the chi ro, what look like an “x” and a “p”. They are the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ and are a traditional monogram for our Lord. According to Catholic norms, a parish can have only one tabernacle. Yet, the Blessed Sacrament is the most attractive object of our devotion. We seek to be in the Lord’s presence when we come to the church. In this configuration, we can see the tabernacle and be assured of the Lord’s presence from both the chapel and the main nave. The CrucifixThe crucifix was carved in Ortisie, Italy by Ferdinando Perathanor. It is seven feet, eight inches tall. It is an unusual style. Jesus bears all the marks of the passion, including the wound in his side, which actually occurred after he died. Yet Jesus’ eyes are open, and he is looking at us with a haunting and questioning appearance. The artist has left it to us to interpret the unique carving. |
St. Jude hosts a variety of beautiful stained glass windows. Many of these depict various angels ascending towards the ceiling of the church. Two circular windows depict the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit. Click here to view the gallery to see an array of many of our windows.