Week Sixty-Three - All Saints
5:30 Sunday afternoon mass, All Saints. I love Halloween. I really do, mainly because I'm a costume fanatic - making them more than wearing them, but trick-or-treating is also something I've always looked forward to, on either side of the front door. That being said, our house isn't exactly prime real estate for little ghouls and goblins seeking treats on Halloween night. Twenty years ago, I think we pulled in a record 22 trick-or-treaters. For the past couple of years, however, we've seen exactly . . . zero. Oh, I still buy the candy bars just in case, and I still turn on the porch light . . . just in case. It was with some sadness then and little hope of dumping my entire bowl of candy into even a single trick-or-treater's pillowcase - as well as a weekend schedule that happened to make the timing just right - that I set out on Halloween night for All Saints Church in Montgomery.
No problem finding All Saints. Go east to the very end of Cross County, take a right, and there it is, right next to Moeller High School. I expected All Saints to be a big church, a big parish, so I was surprised when, after entering the front door, I found a much smaller worshipping space than what I anticipated. My first impressions were also wrong, however - I later discovered that this was just the "main wing," built in 1951. What I couldn't see was the "south wing, " built in 1961 and positioned to the left of the altar, and the "north wing," built in the 1970's and positioned to the right of the altar. The result is a T-shaped church. Oh, no. Flashback to St. Michael's and St. Vivian's. I realize these add-ons are often the best option that expanding churches have, but I always find it odd when the celebrating priest addresses portions of the church that I can't even see - who is he talking to? Personal fault.
I have yet to come up with just the right word to describe All Saints. "European" comes to mind, but I'm not sure that's right . . . or even what it exactly means. A rustic simplicity dominates the church but in an attractive way. Polished stone walls and low-hung stained glass windows create the sense of an intimate chapel more than of a suburban parish. A large painting behind the altar depicts Jesus on a throne, encircled by angels. Below him is a portrait of a large group of - we're goin' literal here, folks - all saints. From my vantage point, I could make out Mary and Joseph, center stage, but beyond that, it was tough identifying anyone else. Men and women, priests and nuns, one man in fairly contemporary clothing. Hmmm. I think I saw my girl, Saint Therese, in there, and a man in green may have been Saint Patrick. It would have been fun to take a closer look.
Of all things, I was impressed by the pews at All Saints. Crafted from a stunning dark wood, the rows of pews were in excellent condition, each beautifully polished . . . and upholstered! Cushioned seats with matching kneelers looked as if they might be fairly new. Actually, the church as a whole appeared to be well kept and in excellent condition. Nice.
This was an odd mass. In the main wing, I was able to take a head count of those in attendance - a whopping 36. As I approached the altar to receive communion, a quick glance confirmed all of three people in the south wing and maybe twenty to thirty in the north wing. Wow. Is every 5:30 Sunday mass like this at All Saints, or did previously scheduled Halloween festivities take their toll on attendance? No one seemed phased by the virtual absence of a congregation, so I don't know. Even the eucharistic ministers and the music ministry were absent. Weird.
The celebrating priest seemed like the nicest man imaginable. Kind and humble, he wasn't the best speaker when it came time for the homily. He even started out by saying, "I'm going to try to give my homily now." Referencing notes on a single folded sheet of paper, he stumbled and hesitated through it, but overall, it was really quite interesting. He just seemed like such a nice man.
I arrived back home at the height of our neighborhood's trick-or-treating hours. Rather than entering through the back door that we usually use, I rang the front door bell and yelled "Trick or Treat" just to give the dog something to think about. It was the highlight of her night. 2010 trick-or-treat count? Zero.
ATTENDANCE: Nearly empty
DURATION: 50 minutes
No problem finding All Saints. Go east to the very end of Cross County, take a right, and there it is, right next to Moeller High School. I expected All Saints to be a big church, a big parish, so I was surprised when, after entering the front door, I found a much smaller worshipping space than what I anticipated. My first impressions were also wrong, however - I later discovered that this was just the "main wing," built in 1951. What I couldn't see was the "south wing, " built in 1961 and positioned to the left of the altar, and the "north wing," built in the 1970's and positioned to the right of the altar. The result is a T-shaped church. Oh, no. Flashback to St. Michael's and St. Vivian's. I realize these add-ons are often the best option that expanding churches have, but I always find it odd when the celebrating priest addresses portions of the church that I can't even see - who is he talking to? Personal fault.
I have yet to come up with just the right word to describe All Saints. "European" comes to mind, but I'm not sure that's right . . . or even what it exactly means. A rustic simplicity dominates the church but in an attractive way. Polished stone walls and low-hung stained glass windows create the sense of an intimate chapel more than of a suburban parish. A large painting behind the altar depicts Jesus on a throne, encircled by angels. Below him is a portrait of a large group of - we're goin' literal here, folks - all saints. From my vantage point, I could make out Mary and Joseph, center stage, but beyond that, it was tough identifying anyone else. Men and women, priests and nuns, one man in fairly contemporary clothing. Hmmm. I think I saw my girl, Saint Therese, in there, and a man in green may have been Saint Patrick. It would have been fun to take a closer look.
Of all things, I was impressed by the pews at All Saints. Crafted from a stunning dark wood, the rows of pews were in excellent condition, each beautifully polished . . . and upholstered! Cushioned seats with matching kneelers looked as if they might be fairly new. Actually, the church as a whole appeared to be well kept and in excellent condition. Nice.
This was an odd mass. In the main wing, I was able to take a head count of those in attendance - a whopping 36. As I approached the altar to receive communion, a quick glance confirmed all of three people in the south wing and maybe twenty to thirty in the north wing. Wow. Is every 5:30 Sunday mass like this at All Saints, or did previously scheduled Halloween festivities take their toll on attendance? No one seemed phased by the virtual absence of a congregation, so I don't know. Even the eucharistic ministers and the music ministry were absent. Weird.
The celebrating priest seemed like the nicest man imaginable. Kind and humble, he wasn't the best speaker when it came time for the homily. He even started out by saying, "I'm going to try to give my homily now." Referencing notes on a single folded sheet of paper, he stumbled and hesitated through it, but overall, it was really quite interesting. He just seemed like such a nice man.
I arrived back home at the height of our neighborhood's trick-or-treating hours. Rather than entering through the back door that we usually use, I rang the front door bell and yelled "Trick or Treat" just to give the dog something to think about. It was the highlight of her night. 2010 trick-or-treat count? Zero.
ATTENDANCE: Nearly empty
DURATION: 50 minutes
The "T-shape", you refer to is known as the Cruciform architectural plan, which has been a standard in western churches for centuries. Viewed from above the ground plan of the buildings are in the shape of a cross. Within the church, the "arms" of the cross may be used for side altars, eucharistic chapels, music ministry, confessionals, or in the cases you've observed, pews.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there have been exceptions, the vast majority of churches you've visited to date are built on a Cruciform plan, although in a number of instances, renovations have obfuscated the original design.
Thanks for the info! After reading your comment, I went back to the online parish history of All Saints Church. The "arms" of the cross were not part of the original church and were each added one decade apart as expansions to the main wing. I don't know if the church's original plans allowed for the possibility of specifically expanding to a Cruciform design or not, but clearly, they have one now!
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