Week Ninety-Seven - Saint Ignatius
7:30 Sunday evening mass, St. Ignatius. After driving through the parking lot of St. I's last week, my daughter and I got a sneak preview of the improvements that had been made to the church over the past few weeks. We accidentally caught a glimpse through the front doors of the large stained glass window we had heard about. It appeared impressive and quite beautiful. I had such high hopes . . .
Oh, dear. Oh, dear dear dear. What does one do in a situation like this? Okay, how to approach this . . . hmmm. Seeing that the whole family was in attendance, something that doesn't happen very often, making this something of a liturgical holiday, there was quite a bit of conversation on the way home. Let's go to the tape:
1. My Husband the Heathen: "I don't think I got my money's worth. All I got was a wagon wheel." There's no denying it - the newly installed stained glass window looks like a big wagon wheel. A large circular piece divided into eight sections, the work is installed directly above and behind the altar. I feel safe in assuming no part of the original, exterior church wall was removed, so clearly, the window is artificially lit from behind. It's not a bad window. Although the details are unfortunately small enough to make them difficult to decipher, the window, of German origin, has a history dating back to the mid-1800's, something you can't not respect. It's the presentation that's gone all wrong. The frames between and around the panes are too wide, too contemporary, creating - wait for it - a big wagon wheel. A big, cheap, homemade wagon wheel. And it's mounted on a big plain beige wall. The result is something oddly contemporary for such a classic piece of art and something fairly, well . . . protestant. It's Crossroads. It's The Vineyard. It's not Saint Ignatius.
2. My daughter: "I feel bad for Jesus." I do too. With the wheel taking center stage, the crucifix has been moved off to the side. It blends into and is dwarfed by its surroundings so it's barely noticeable. Jesus has been upstaged by a wagon wheel.
3. My son: "If I hadn't known they were getting new pews, I would have thought they were the same ones." A few weeks ago, I read an article somewhere that stated several St. I's parishioners were of the opinion that the money used to purchase new pews could have been better spent for a charitable cause, namely, food for the hungry. My initial response to that sentiment was my usual sarcastic one, but after seeing the new pews, I have to concur. These pews looks identical to the old ones. True, they don't shift when someone sits down, they don't creak, and there are no more gaps or broken kneelers, but honestly, without looking closely, I too wouldn't have known they were new. Worst of all, my pet peeve - the old tattered hymnals are still in place in these brand new pews. I couldn't believe it. Would it have killed them to spring for the additional cost to replace those puppies? It's like . . . I don't know . . . putting used car mats in a brand new car, like starting out the school year with old, torn notebooks. It's embarrassing.
4. Yours truly: "The new carpet looked nice."
New and improved? Not exactly, but, hey, maybe it'll grow on me, and to be fair, change is always hard. But then again, change isn't always right.
ATTENDANCE: Comfortably full (significantly less than the normal SRO)
Oh, dear. Oh, dear dear dear. What does one do in a situation like this? Okay, how to approach this . . . hmmm. Seeing that the whole family was in attendance, something that doesn't happen very often, making this something of a liturgical holiday, there was quite a bit of conversation on the way home. Let's go to the tape:
1. My Husband the Heathen: "I don't think I got my money's worth. All I got was a wagon wheel." There's no denying it - the newly installed stained glass window looks like a big wagon wheel. A large circular piece divided into eight sections, the work is installed directly above and behind the altar. I feel safe in assuming no part of the original, exterior church wall was removed, so clearly, the window is artificially lit from behind. It's not a bad window. Although the details are unfortunately small enough to make them difficult to decipher, the window, of German origin, has a history dating back to the mid-1800's, something you can't not respect. It's the presentation that's gone all wrong. The frames between and around the panes are too wide, too contemporary, creating - wait for it - a big wagon wheel. A big, cheap, homemade wagon wheel. And it's mounted on a big plain beige wall. The result is something oddly contemporary for such a classic piece of art and something fairly, well . . . protestant. It's Crossroads. It's The Vineyard. It's not Saint Ignatius.
2. My daughter: "I feel bad for Jesus." I do too. With the wheel taking center stage, the crucifix has been moved off to the side. It blends into and is dwarfed by its surroundings so it's barely noticeable. Jesus has been upstaged by a wagon wheel.
3. My son: "If I hadn't known they were getting new pews, I would have thought they were the same ones." A few weeks ago, I read an article somewhere that stated several St. I's parishioners were of the opinion that the money used to purchase new pews could have been better spent for a charitable cause, namely, food for the hungry. My initial response to that sentiment was my usual sarcastic one, but after seeing the new pews, I have to concur. These pews looks identical to the old ones. True, they don't shift when someone sits down, they don't creak, and there are no more gaps or broken kneelers, but honestly, without looking closely, I too wouldn't have known they were new. Worst of all, my pet peeve - the old tattered hymnals are still in place in these brand new pews. I couldn't believe it. Would it have killed them to spring for the additional cost to replace those puppies? It's like . . . I don't know . . . putting used car mats in a brand new car, like starting out the school year with old, torn notebooks. It's embarrassing.
4. Yours truly: "The new carpet looked nice."
New and improved? Not exactly, but, hey, maybe it'll grow on me, and to be fair, change is always hard. But then again, change isn't always right.
ATTENDANCE: Comfortably full (significantly less than the normal SRO)
DURATION: One hour
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