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Our Church |
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Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
Bishop Weigand
Sunday, December 12, 2004, was an historic occasion in the spiritual life of our parish. On that day, his Excellency, Bishop William Weigand, Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento, dedicated our new home. This ceremony marked the end of the effort that began over four years ago.
It all began in the spring of 2000 when our pastor decided the time had
come to realize the hopes of our parish community for a permanent
church. Since the inception of the parish, our liturgies have been held
in the multi-purpose room of Notre Dame School and, later in the Parish
Center constructed in 1996.
Our new home is the culmination of the work and dedication of many
people and organizations. Principle among these was the Parish Building
Committee whose vision inspired the architect who designed the
building, and the general contractor that oversaw construction.
Actual construction of our new home began in August 2003 and was
completed in December of 2004. It is a steel and wood frame structure
with a stucco exterior. The design is Romanesque, its principal
features being columns and arches. The size of the building is 18,750
square feet. It has a Narthex, Nave, Daily Chapel, Reservation Chapel,
Parish Offices and a Meeting Room.
It is fifty-two feet high. There is a ten-foot cross on the ridgeline.
The tower that houses the bells is sixty-five feet high. It is a very
impressive structure.
The Narthex is a large gathering space just inside the twelve-foot high
main doors of the church. A beautiful hand-carved statue of Mary and
Joseph welcomes everyone into our new church. It stands seven feet high
and was carved out of Honduran mahogany. Between the Narthex and the
Nave is an etched glass window depicting the baptism of Jesus by John
the Baptist. This window is twenty feet high. The baptismal font is
visible through this window.
The Nave is the main part of the building where the Liturgy is
celebrated. As you enter the Nave, the vastness of the interior is
quite evident. The soaring height of the ceiling, the altar platform,
and the stained glass windows inspire a sense of reverence and worship.
The Nave is 8400 square feet in size and has pews that will accommodate
over 700 persons. The floor is sloped and the pews are arrayed in a
semi-circle around the altar platform.
On one side of the Nave is the Daily Chapel where Mass is celebrated during the week. It will accommodate 120 persons.
Visible from the Nave is the Reservation Chapel, where the Tabernacle
is located. It has kneelers and chairs designed for meditation and
quiet reflection.
The church has many unique features within the worship space.
The Baptismal Font.
Just beyond the doors to the Nave is the baptismal font. We enter the
spiritual life of the church through the waters of Baptism. The font
was placed in the entrance of the Nave for this reason. It has a rock
of significant size, almost six feet in height. Water flows over the
rock as it did when Moses struck the rock with his staff. The rock is
prominent in both the Old and New Testaments and is used as a symbol of
Jesus and his Church. The rock is native Californian stone and pieces
of it are inlayed in various articles of ecclesiastical furniture.
Holy Water Bowls
As you enter the Nave, there are Holy Water bowls on each wall. A
Native American carved these bowls from a piece of the baptismal rock.
The Crucifix.
One of the most impressive sights one sees as you enter the Nave is the
crucifix. It is free–standing between the Altar and the rear wall. It
rises nineteen feet above the floor and the corpus is six feet tall.
The cross is made from Honduran mahogany and is stained to blend with
the other colors in the Nave.
Rose Windows.
There are two rose windows, one at each end of the clerestory. The Holy
Spirit window is located above the altar in the east end of the Nave.
Each of these windows is ten feet in diameter. The Holy Spirit has a
white dove hovering in a sea of blue stained glass. The Creation window
is located at the west end of the clerestory above the entrance to the
Nave. Its centerpiece is derived from Michelangelo’s creation scene in
the Sistine Chapel. The hands of God and Adam are imposed on the golden
hills of California surrounded by oak trees and fronted by the blue
Pacific Ocean.
The Joseph Windows
At the east wall of the Nave along side the Altar platform are the
Joseph windows. There are two on each side of the Altar. On the left
side are Joseph’s dream and the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
On the right side are scenes from Joseph’s carpenter shop and the Happy
Death of Joseph.
Reservation Chapel.
There are three stained glass windows in production for this space.
They will depict the Last Supper, the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes,
and a scene of the Lamb (Chapter 5, Revelations)
The Daily Chapel.
There are eight stained glass windows in production for this space.
They will have scenes of the Annunciation and Visitation, The Holy
Family at Home and the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Ascension and
Pentecost, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Father Junipero Serra and California
Missions, Mother Cabrini and Bishop Neuman, and the Second Vatican
Council. The round window near the ceiling will have the symbols of the
Four Evangelists.
Ecclesiastical Furnishings
One company manufactured all of the furniture in the church. These are
the Altar, Ambo, Presider’s Chair, Tabernacle Stand, Credence and Gifts
Table, and the pews. All of these pieces are made of ash. The furniture
was stained to complement the color of the rock. Several of the pieces
are also inlayed with pieces of the Baptismal rock. The Altar top
represents Jesus and twelve pillars representing the apostles support
it. It has a relic of Pius X sealed into the Altar top. The Ambo has
two pillars representing the Old and New Testaments.
Chandeliers and Wall Sconces
The company that built the furniture, manufactured the chandeliers and
wall sconces throughout the Nave, Narthex and Daily Chapel. The
Building Committee designed these fixtures. The light fixtures
incorporate the arches throughout the Nave and the three circles
represent the Trinity.
Exterior Features
The Front Entrance
The four pillars in the front entrance represent the four evangelists.
They are twelve feet in height as are the four entrance doors to the
Narthex.
Meditation Garden
There is a meditation garden located outside the Daily chapel. It
provides a space for quiet contemplation and reflection among verdant
landscaping.
There is also a new home for our Pastor. A Rectory is located at the south end of the property.
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