April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ST. VINCENT'S, ALBANY
Parish wins award for unusual redesign
Parish wins award for unusual redesign
The parish was recently cited by the Faith and Form art and architecture journal's international awards program in the category of "liturgical and interior design" for its unusual concentric setup.
The new design includes movable chairs around a central altar, a new baptismal font and better acoustics for the music ministry; also added were eight icons of holy men and women and a ceiling painted to look like a starry night.
Many contemporary churches place the altar in the center, noted Rev. Richard Vosko, but to create a circular space within a square room is definitely thinking outside the box.
Around the table
Father Vosko is both a sacramental minister at St. Vincent's and a nationally-recognized designer and consultant for worship spaces. While he cited Church documents that describe Mass-goers "gathering around [God's] altar" to "become one temple of His Spirit," parish life director Betsy Rowe-Manning said the renovations were also "totally practical.
"The rug was worn out; the walls needed painting; the lights were insufficient," she explained. "The space physically needed some updating."
The renovations started last June and were completed by November. Masses were held in the parish hall in the interim; every couple of weeks, parish leaders would take photographs of the progress and put them on the cover of the church bulletin so parishioners could see what was happening.
Walls were painted. New carpeting and wood flooring were installed, as were power-saving LED lighting, air conditioning and a new restroom. A new baptismal font was built, next to tiled flooring that provides for once-a-year baptisms of adults and makes it easier for persons with disabilities to be baptized. A large cross, placed near the altar, can be moved and can have the body of Christ removed from it for Good Friday and the Easter season.
A central altar platform was added and the music ministry relocated in front of a harder wall that better amplifies their sound and encourages congregational singing. The new configuration also added 30 to 40 seats, Mrs. Rowe-Manning said - much-needed in a church that registers 750 families but pulls in so many more Sunday Mass-goers that some liturgies can be standing room only.
Painting and writing
Painting the church's ceiling dark blue with stars was actually a nod to a pre-1984 feature of St. Vincent's, Father Vosko said, and it "helps us remember we are part of God's creation." It was also a practice dating back to the Middle Ages to paint church ceilings with constellations that would have appeared in the sky the night before the church was dedicated.
Christine Simoneau Hales of Philmont was commissioned to "write" the eight icons (the term used for creating them) that grace one wall of the church; they were funded by parishioners and The College of Saint Rose in Albany, which is affiliated with St. Vincent's, and parishioners voted on their choices.
Featured are, of course, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Rose of Lima and St. Louise de Marillac (a contemporary of St. Vincent and foundress of the Daughters of Charity religious order). Also making the cut were St. John XXIII, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Francis of Assisi and Dorothy Day. Father Vosko said the icons remind parishioners of their own place in the communion of saints.
Thumbs-up
Parishioners have, for the most part, welcomed the changes, said Father Vosko and Mrs. Rowe-Manning. The priest admitted there's been a little confusion from the youngest Catholics over the icons: One little girl answered a question about who they depicted with, "Well, they're the presidents."
Aside from that, parish leaders feel the church building now reflects changes made to the life of the Church during the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
"And I think St. Vincent's was ready for it," said Father Vosko. He is excited not just about the award, but about simple features like parishioners' ability to now hear and see one another during Mass.
Mrs. Rowe-Manning said a few things were not included in the renovations -- for example, adding a screen to project baptisms so everyone can see the ceremony, or upgrading the sound system -- but she feels the changes have brought parishioners closer.
She used the example of the choir: Now, "they are more leaders of song than performers. We're all singers." [[In-content Ad]]
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD
Comments:
You must login to comment.