Reconstructing a Spiritual Home ..."New Church"

By Robert R. Scbwarz 

                         I have  come to believe in the importance of a church .

                         (  A volunteer  church   construction adviser )

                        The vision of the Book of Revelation reminds us that we

                        have been created for a destiny that will fulfill our deepest

                         longings. We cherish  our unique  ethnic  backgrounds,

                         our distinctive histories  and cultures, and yet at the same

                        time, we desire to belong to such a multitude, to be

                        gathered into a great people.

                        (  a meditation  from the Magnificat publication )  

          Under low, shade-less ceiling lights, we three walked for nearly an hour through a labyrinth  of this  church's  long-awaited reconstruction.  We passed  at least 50 laboring craftsmen kept warm on this sub-zero February morning  by a few small and noisy  gas heaters.  The sound of  crackling heater flames  and pounding   hammers and  drilling into  concrete resounded throughout  this seemingly   unending maze of rooms  being carved into something holy.  Meanwhile  outside , men  were working with brick and mortar as  they have   been since the first bulldozer dug into the new parking lot area nine months ago.  All together, it  was thriving like a beehive or an ant colony.  It  was a 40-year plan about to climax almost 20 years ahead of schedule  for   reconstruction of the  Saint James catholic church of Arlington Heights, Illinois.

          It all began in 2000  with the parish purchasing 13 homes for a badly needed  expansion  for its more than 10,000 members.  " We realized the church had to be completely redone, " said its  now-retired pastor Father Bill Zavaski. People had been worshiping  there   since that  first Mass in February , 1952. 

          "  There has been a great deal of faith, dedication , and love given by the Saint James parishioners ," Father Zavaski said.  When asked what impact the church reconstruction will have on peoples' faith life, he said  "it will give them a stronger relationship with God. "

        

Brian Milligan (left) and Chris Jarosz

  Details of this reconstruction and  how  it relates to Christian faith and worship were explained during our long walk-through by Brian Milligan and Chris  Jarosz,  volunteer  members of  the church construction committee ; both have professional backgrounds in the finances  of  construction work.   Brian is 55,   Chris , 53.

          Between  150 and 200 have so far been employed, Brian  said.  Both men are obviously  pleased that there have been  no labor issues nor " safety risk problems. " Every construction  project has unforeseen issues , " Brian said . "There were  two flammable  oil tanks which had to be unearthed during excavation of the former parking lot. One contained 2,500 gallons, the other a 1,000 gallons.  That caused some delay." 

      

    Making a wide berth around a stairwell under  construction,  Chris said, "And you never know what's behind  the walls or in the foundation or under the soil , like  the swampy spoil  in the former  parking lot.  That had to be replaced with stone. That was a lot of money. Then there was the old drain tile system that had collapsed over the years .That had to be replaced.. Then,  of  course, there was  the challenge of  combating bad weather. "

       

   Much  precaution was applied to safely  remove and then  store  the  current liturgical furnishings such as the  monstrance  (  a receptacle in which the consecrated Host , or wheat wafer,  is exposed for adoration) and the stain glass windows  [ reportedly valued at "hundreds of thousands" ] . The windows  were designed  by William  Randig, a Franciscan friar  and once renowned artist in Europe  who came to Arlington Heights for six months  to oversee  their installation. "  Two new stain glass windows of a design similar to the others  will be installed.

       

   "We hired one of  the  best firm  in the Midwest to  do this, " Chris said.  "We don't want to open up this church and not  have everything going  smoothly . " The altar's marble top  will remain as will the altar's relics beneath it .  (A relic is  preserved body part , usually of a saint or martyr , that a church reverences . )  Completion  is scheduled for   late March .

          Both men volunteer  their expertise at  the construction site for several hours each week.   They are joined by at least four other tradesmen who are parishioners. " We're doing something in a very small way to help Father Matt and the parish community, " Brian said  , and  Chris adding  " we’re  just trying to make the church the best it can be."  

     

     Chris said his grandfather's support of the church has  inspired him through the  years to be a productive  church volunteer.  He recalled how his grandfather  when retired moved  to Florida  and helped establish the only Catholic  church on  Florida Long Boat Key .  T he church was Saint Mary of the Star and  had been a small firehouse where a retired priest  had been celebrating Mass in  a room there  for the last  15 years for a congregation of 20  to 40 people . " Helping with this reconstruction project is my way of trying to follow  in his footsteps  ."

      

    Being involved in making Saint James handicap- accessible—a primary reason for the reconstruction—has been very satisfying to Chris.  He related an incident when his father's heart stopped beating  during a Saint  James Mass after walking up several feet of outside steps. Fortunately, he was revived by a physician sitting in front of him.  Another incident occurred during a funeral service in the church when an elderly church visitor asked Chris asked for directions to  the washroom in the basement .  The visitor,  Chris said, soon returned in tears, exclaiming he was unable to descend the stairs.

          "I mentioned this incident   to Father Matt, who said this ' happens  just about every time we have a wedding or funeral here .'   I could see  then that our church was not  handicap- accessible. " 

          Main floor washrooms and an elevator   are now being built.

          "It's very rewarding for me to give back and add what I can  to the betterment of this church ," Brian said.  He added though,  that seeing parts of the former church being taken down or demolished  is " almost hurtful. It's a holy place. It's God's   house. "

         

      Now with a plasterer  here and carpenter there and the  three of us standing  in the middle of  a soon- to- be  majestic and enormous sanctuary, Brian was asked  if he ever while making his rounds had  a so-called  God moment. " I have prayed  inside here," he replied. I have taken a few moments away from everyone and  have  come to believe in the importance of a church .  It's something I 've started to get excited about."       

          Later that week several other Saint James people voiced their excitement about their "new " church.

      

    Pat Farrell, director of spiritual direction at the Saint James school, said "This is a wonderful  reality and gift for our culture  that you don't find in this secular culture. It's for people of all ages , and it will reach young people and at different spiritual levels.   One's spiritual well-being will  come through better in this extra space.  The whole point [ of this reconstruction  ] is to enhance faith.  We will be able to expand hospitality  at each mass. "

        

  Diane Adam , one of the church's  most active volunteers,  is especially pleased about the having a special room for Eucharistic adoration and prayer and the greatly expanded space for worshippers to interact with other people of faith  after the Mass.  "People will stay a bit longer after the Mass and not rush off," she  said. "This new and large gathering   space will enrich our worshipping tremendously. "  She smiled when saying, "  And they kept  the stain glass windows ! "

       

   Pastor  Matt Foley said that what might please parishioners the most is ,  perhaps, their  no longer having to attend  Mass in the school gymnasium  and also  "the great sacred space awaiting them " ,  the tabernacle returning to its traditional place behind the altar, and , of course, the church to be  handicap -accessible . He hopes everything will be ready by Easter Sunday, April 21.  In a recent  church bulletin , he wrote, "I've celebrated Mass in the hills of Mexico and in a war zone of Afghanistan. But when celebrating the Mass  within the walls of a church,  we are able  to experience the beauty of  our faith with all of the elements that allow for the signs and symbols of t he  Catholic liturgy. "

        

  Norma Aquila , church sacristan , is a 78-year-old  single woman who has been meticulously preparing the Saint James altar for Mass since 1993.  She immigrated  from the Philippines in 1974.  Aided by three church members,  she sees that the several wash cloths and towels used during  11 weekly  masses are washed and ironed and that the vessels used for the communion wine are  sacramentally cleaned after each mass.  "I am very thankful our church is being renovated," she said. She admits being somewhat nervous about finding "where to put things" in the new church  she has yet to tour. "I want Father Matt to show me around," she  said. "I' m  so excited. So many changes ! " 

          Wrote  religious author  Michael E. DeSanctis , Imagine what Sundays in a parish could be if worshipping  communities are assured that the liturgy in their spaces might be a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy….what beauty looks like and what sanctity feels like.  

The End

All comments  welcomed at

 rrschwarz7@wowway.com

© 2019  Robert R. Schwarz