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We share here some of the concepts involved in the design and space arrangements
of the new place of worship. The very first step taken after the decision
to build the new church was where to position it on the parish property.
At least a half dozen placements were proposed. The one chosen was a
site that had the church structure as the center of the parish property.
It was from this stance that
the importance of prayer and worship would dominate this community of
St. John. All other aspects of parish life take their meaning, strength
and direction from a people of faith, nourished at the table of the
Lord. The structure is also set at a diagonal to Frame Road. Such a
positioning adds a sense of movement, versus a static site design. The
front entrance faces a southwest direction. A person driving the major
roadway of Newburgh Road coming from Evansville is struck by the presence
of this large structure, topped with a spire and cross. The thousands
who travel that road daily will be reminded of the presence of God in
their lives and our community. The bells, using technology of digitalized
recording and computerization, will also call the people of God to frequent
times of raising their minds and hearts to God.
Entering
the property off of Frame Road is designed to allow a person to
begin to leave a world of care and business to a place of reflection
and prayer. The trees, shrubbery, lawn and flowers bring a peaceful
environment to sometimes troubled spirits. The middle of the angled
main entryway, and the mid-point of the bellgate lead directly to the
middle of the altar. The line is direct, as a visual guide to the mind
and heart of the faithful.
The bell gate
itself holds the bell that has been part of St. John parish since the
1870's. The bell was cast in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1872. The bellgate
serves also visually as a focal point drawing the person into the house
of God. The front walkway takes a person through green lawn and flowers
- God's beauty. The cares of the day begin to lighten as we begin that
transfer of our burdens to our Lord. The front design of the church
entryway is like that of arms outstretched in welcome. "Come into
my house," says the Lord. "Come to me all you who are burdened...
and I will give you rest."
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The closer we come to the church, the
more we begin withdrawing from the world of cares and concerns. We
begin the transformation into persons whose connection bridges both
the heavens and the earth. The cross shaped sidewalks between the
bellgate and the front doors are edged with bricks, inscribed with
names of living and dead parish members and members of their families
or others closely connected with our parish. As we approach the doors
we gain the feeling that we do not walk alone, but are supported and
accompanied by many others. Four crosses on the exterior remind us
that we follow Jesus in our faith. Entering through the air-lock of
double doors into the
narthex, we are
struck with the expansive and high ceilinged area filled with light.
The floor is a patterned quarry tile, with contrasting deep red and
pumpkin colors. The colors seem to bring the outdoor sun into the
gathering space. The area expands to the right and left, thus giving
places for people to gather after Mass and share common life. The
side areas are carpeted and lead to side rooms. This large narthex
area is designed as a commons space where we can stay inside while
it is cold or wintry outside, or steamy and hot in the summer. Above
all it is a place to stand around and talk with one another. We all
get so busy during the week that we seldom have or take the time to
communicate or share stories. The area is light, bright and warm,
inviting and pleasant. Bulletin boards are placed against the side
walls, outside the major entry area. The boards allow various groups
to keep us aware of their special programs, or fundraisers. This is
community space. It is here that we may gather and thus leave the
main church assembly area quiet for individuals to pray quietly after
the Masses, or come early for prayer and reflection time preparing
for the great prayer of praise and worship of our God. This same narthex
area serves as the place to bring little ones if they are cross. We
do not have a special cry room, as we commonly call rooms with glass
fronting into the worship area. The doors leading into the assembly
area of worship have glass inserts. There is a large glass window
to the right side of the entry doors for viewing into the altar area.
Speakers will keep those in the narthex in contact with song and word
of the Mass. The area is not an enlarged playroom, but a space that
may be used to walk or soothe the little one for a short while until
you are able to re-join the congregation inside. To the right is a
hand carved wooden statue of a
Guardian Angel
and child. This was obtained from St. Anthony Parish, Evansville,
in the summer of 1991. The statue originates from St. Ulrich in present
day Northern Italy. As we prepare to enter through the doors into
the assembly area, we notice a standing
holy water
font at the base of the large central laminated wood support beam.
This stone font was the baptismal font in the first St. John Church
on Jennings Street. Many of our present parish members were baptized
at this font as infants. A copper pan was inserted to insure against
seepage into the stone. This font was being used as a flower pot in
a person’s front yard since it along with other church furnishings
were sold in the early 1950's as the parish moved to Frame Road from
Jennings Street. Evangeline Herr, a native of Newburgh and St. John
Parish, asked the owners if they would donate the font back, so it
could be used in the new church. The owner graciously gave the font
to the parish. The practice of blessing ourselves with the sign of
the cross with holy water is a reminder of the cleansing waters of
baptism that wash away all sin. The "living water" referred
to frequently in Scripture is a symbol of the life giving presence
and power of God and his Spirit in us. Thus we walk through the living
waters, cleansed and renewed in faith as we enter further into the
house of God.
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Entering through one of the four double
doors from the narthex into the
assembly
area, we are met with a sea of pews arranged in fan shape all leading
the eye to the altar. There is seating for 818 persons in the space.
The pews are solid red oak. The 20-foot pews were purchased from Good
Shepherd Church, Evansville, when they purchased new pews for their
new church in 1991. During construction of our church, the pews were
stored in rented facilities in Chandler. The 17-foot pews and the
shorter pews are from our previous church. During the first half of
1992, our pews and the Good Shepherd pews were taken to Dale Construction
Company, Huntingburg, for stripping and matched staining. The Good
Shepherd pews received new ends to match those of St. John. The aisles
and staging area near the sanctuary are carpeted. The color is quarry.
The floor under the pews is concrete. The natural concrete was covered
with a grey sealant. The floor is sloped, flat, and then sloped again
down to the sanctuary area which rises up three steps. The various
areas of flat spaces provide multiple choices for seating for those
who are wheelchair bound. The floor covering for the sanctuary and
music ministry areas are grey ceramic tile. The focal point of the
assembly space is the
altar of sacrifice.
Nearby to the right is the
lectern or ambo,
from which the Word of God is proclaimed in reading and broken open
for the faithful in the homily. Both oak structures were crafted by
parishioners Walter and Edward Reine and used in our former church.
To the left and behind the altar are the chairs for the president
of the assembly, the priest, and the ministers at the altar. The eyes
drift upward to the right and left of the altar to the
large
windows that allow trees and sky to be viewed. They are God's
creations and uplifting to the Spirit. The passage of the seasons
of the year are constantly visible. As you pivot around, you notice
that there are four other walls topped with clerestory windows, thus
allowing a gracious amount of natural sunlight to enter the worship
space. The subtle awareness comes that the window frames form crosses.
The eyes continue upward to the pine wood of the ceiling. The structure
is defined with five massive laminated wood beams that join at a
steel
collar some 45-feet above the floor in the mid-point of the area.
The same wood of the ceiling drifts down the wall to surround the
windows. The wooden casing is edged with a darker oak border, which
is echoed in the chair rail. The lighting is all indirect, both the
overhead chandeliers and the wall lighting. Halogen bulbs provide
the light. The chandeliers are cross shaped, thus repeating in the
structure a sacred image in various ways. The walls are a simple antique
white. Below the chair rail and sweeping up the entire wall behind
the altar the color becomes a soft light tangerine. Thus the color
tone and feel of the interior becomes warm and inviting.
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Dominating the front left wall area is the
crucifix,
which helps define us
as a people purchased by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus our Redeemer.
This crucifix has its own journey and story. Father Henry F. Flaherty,
pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Evansville, gave the crucifix to Father
James Rogers to take with him upon his appointment in 1948 as pastor
of Holy Angels Church, New Harmony. In 1952 Father Rogers was named
pastor here. Joe Sasse, of our parish, was prevailed upon to transport
the crucifix here in his pick-up truck. Joe had his Jewish friend
Jack Neumann as a helper. Somewhere near Wadesville the arm of Jesus
fell off. As Jack carried the arm back to the truck (some distance
down the road), a State trooper stopped to question what was going
on. Joe assured the trooper all was okay. The crucifix was stored
in the Frank Sasse granary, because the Jennings Street church was
too small. The cross was covered while in storage. One day it was
discovered that mice had taken a liking to the toes and fingers of
Jesus. This was all repaired in time for its placement behind the
altar in the new church as it opened in 1958. Two other walls have
statue niches. At present a hand-carved, wooden, Baroque-style statue of
Mary with the child Jesus
graces one of the niches. The statue is a product of the Ferdinand Stuflesser
studio in St. Ulrich, Italy. The statue has a tag on its base that
identifies St. Ulrich as being in the region called Tyrol. This indicates
that the statue's origin pre-dates World War I, for it was only through
the Versailles Treaty following WWI that the region of Tyrol was divided
between a greatly reduced Austria and northern Italy. The Austrians
to this day refer to the region of St. Ulrich as South Tyrol. St.
Ulrich is a small village in the Alps. During winter months the men
spent time indoors developing wood carving skills - from simple items
to the ornate and beautiful statuary and church art. The firm is still
headed by a Ferdinand Stuflesser. Both statues, Mary and the Guardian
Angel, were in need of major restoration. Victor Kupchek, an art restorer
in Rockport, Indiana, was commissioned to bring the works back to
their original splendor. Time and donors will allow us to continue
to fill our niches with works of artistic beauty and inspiration.
At present the
holy oils grace one of the
niches. The oil of catechumens, the oil of chrism and the oil of the
sick are blessed annually by the bishop during the Chrism Mass held
on Tuesday of Holy Week. Each parish receives a supply of the oils,
which are used throughout the year in various sacraments. Thus, the
people are reminded of the unity of faith among all Catholics in southwestern
Indiana. The walls on either side of the doors leading to the narthex
hold the stations of the cross.
These stations were taken from the former church. The music ministry
will emanate from the tiled floor area to the left in the assembly.
The organ is a newly purchased Rodgers electronic organ. Through the
aid of computerization the sounds of a large pipe organ are re-created
through a series of speakers housed in the large boxes to the left
and right of the altar area up near the ceiling. A piano is also available
for special presentations. A choir of at least 25-voices may occupy
the area so designated. The placement was chosen to allow the choir
or cantors to sing with the people in the assembly area, rather than
a position that would have them singing against the people. The floor
of the assembly area is concrete to give another hard surface for
musical instruments and voices to have more vibrancy. The sloped floor
will allow voices to rise over the backs of those in front of them,
thus enhancing the sense of a community at song and prayer. The speakers
for the voice enhancement sound system are clustered in a central
position above the altar area. Acoustics in a church need to strike
a balance between the natural reverberations of song and instrumental
music, and that of the single voice reading or leading in prayer.
Our sound design takes both needs into account.
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To the right of the altar platform is the
baptistry.
It is here that we
are brought to the Lord and consecrated to him. Infants are carried
by parents and godparents. Adults are accompanied by sponsors. We
become new persons through the cleansing waters and are consecrated
for the work of the Lord through the oil of chrism. The special baptismal
garment and the candle symbolize and remind us of the specialness
of becoming children of God. "Are you not aware that we who were
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Through baptism
into his death we were buried with him, so that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live
a new life. If we have been united with him through likeness to his
death, so shall we be through a like resurrection." (Romans 6:3-5)
Dead to the old. Alive to the new. These are the rhythms of baptism.
Our baptistry is cross-shaped to call to mind the dying with Christ.
The base of the baptistry is eight-sided or octagonal. The early Christians
always noted that Jesus rose from the dead "early in the morning
of the first day of the week." They took the seven days of a
week, plus one and used the number eight or octagonal shapes to represent
Christ's resurrection to new life. St. John the Lateran Basilica in
Rome has a free standing, octagonal shaped baptismal building. We
are capitalizing on the cross and eight-sided symbolism with this
baptistry. Multiple cross imagery is given through the standing limestone
font. It is cross shaped and visible as such from all sides. Crosses
are also etched into the sides. Water bubbles up into the 19-inch
circular basin at the top. The circular shape here is a reminder of
the infinity, unendingness of God, as well as a sign of the womb of
the Church which nurtures life. The water flows out onto the cross
beams and then cascades down into the pool and is circulated back
through the system, which includes heated waters. The basin has a
copper pan to keep the water from soaking into the porous limestone,
but also to provide a linkage with the holy water font in the narthex.
We enter through the life-giving and cleansing waters into the house
of God. The candidates for baptism enter the waters down the steps
(dying with Christ) and exit out the steps of the other cross arm
(rising to new life). White tile lines the baptistry pool. The color
choice reflects the cleansing nature of God's new life. A cross in
the floor of the baptistry reflects the shape of the pool itself.
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The powerful grouping of St.
John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River looms large
above the baptismal pool. These, too, are handcarved wooden statues
commissioned for St. John Parish and depicting the parish's patron
saint in the very act of baptism. Florian Haertle, Oberammergau, Germany,
was the sculptor. We pray that St. John parishioners may ever call
others to prepare their hearts for the presence of Jesus the Lord
and Messiah. Donors of the St. John and Jesus statues, as well as
Mary and the Guardian Angel statues, were William and Mary Waters.
These parishioners made these wonderful works of art gifts for the
ages. The statue of St. John and Jesus arrived via air freight Sept.
4, 1997 and were dedicated in the fall of that year.
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As you leave the assembly area through
the door by the baptistry you can proceed out a back door. Turn to
the right and you enter the sacristy. This room serves many purposes,
most of which attend to needs of worship. Several large closet-style
areas hold extra vestments and altar cloths. One of them has cabinetry
for the storage of the chalices and communion dishes or ciboria. Hosts
and wine will be stored. Linens used at the altar will also be placed
here. Another closet has storage areas and hooks for the robes of
those who serve at the altar. A small refrigerator for preserving
wine is there. A double sink with more storage is against another
wall. These will be for cleaning the altar vessels. Such a sink is
called a sacrarium. The altar books - the sacramentary which contains
the Eucharistic prayers, and the lectionary which contains the Scripture
readings - are placed in this room as well. This is the room where
the servers and other liturgical ministers will gather to prepare
all things in readiness for worship or prayer services. This is also
the area where the groom and groomsmen gather for weddings. A door
leads up three steps to the vesting room for the priests or deacons.
A door to the right as you ascend the steps leads to a small bathroom.
The vesting room contains a large wardrobe and table-like wooden piece
of furniture. This is the vesting table. The vestments, that is, the
albs, stoles and chasubles, are stored here. Prayer, Scripture and
liturgical books are here for the presiding ministers. The
vesting
table itself is over 100- years old and comes from the original
St. John Church on Jennings Street. It is of tiger walnut wood. It
was refurbished by Jim Shoultz and Bob Gesselman of our parish. The
second half of this space serves as the Reconciliation Room for the
Sacrament of Penance. In the corner is a
table
with two chairs. Just inside the door off the Blessed Sacrament Chapel
is a kneeler with screen. The penitent coming for the sacrament will
either kneel behind the screen for the confession of sins or the penitent
may walk around the kneeler and be seated for a more informal style
of confession. This is commonly called face-to-face confession. In
reality such a counseling set-up allows for a more extensive spiritual
direction for the penitent to take place. The door from the sacristy
will be locked. The door from the chapel will be closed, thus insuring
complete privacy for the confessor as well as penitent. The
stained
glass window contains four medallions from the original church.
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At the southeast corner of the Church
structure is the
Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
It is here that the
tabernacle is placed
and thus it becomes the chapel of reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.
Because of this, the space is more highly ornate than others. This
is an especially sacred space. A space where people may come for private
prayer and meditation. The intention is that people of all ages will
feel free to come and spend some time quietly with the Lord. This
is to be a refuge, a place of peace, a place of strength. A light
shines on the tabernacle at all times. The word tabernacle means a
little house - a little house where God dwells in a special form,
in the consecrated hosts that remain from the Eucharistic liturgy.
The traditional candle in a red glass vigil stand marks the place
of reservation. The tabernacle has been with the parish for many years
and comes from the original parish church. The tabernacle rests on
a pedestal
held up by angels. The angels
thus remind us of the words from Scripture, "He will bid his
angels take care of you; with their hands they will support you."
And again, "angels came and waited on him." (Mt. 4:6,11)
The pedestal is a gift from St. Mary Church, Evansville. The altar
is of limestone. It was the altar on which the tabernacle was placed
in our former church. The altar stands in front of a paneled wall
which contains the subtle design of the cross. The crucifix was the
main crucifix in the original St. John Church. Statues of
Mary
and Joseph add a touch of the human to the walls of the chapel.
The plaster statues date from 1938 and were also in the original St.
John Church. The pews are from our former church. The
stained
glass windows are from the original St. John Church. Pieces of
the glass were gathered from various places and refurbished to fit
the four windows and transom. Sunburst Stained Glass Company, Newburgh,
did the design and installation. Agnes Bossing provided the funding
for placement of the windows in the chapel and vesting room as a memorial
gift in the name of her late husband Mel and herself. The lights come
from the former church. The mixture of the old and new gives a familiar
feel to the space - a space where people will feel comfortable in
the presence of the Lord.
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Before arriving at the chapel from the narthex, the visitor will pass the
nursery.
This is designed for care of infants and toddlers during liturgical
services if the parents so desire. Volunteers look after the little
ones, thus allowing parents a more distraction-free time at Mass.
The room has several baby beds and little-people tables and chairs.
A changing shelf is built in. A restroom is attached to take care
of such needs. The outer wall is almost entirely glass, thus making
the space bright and cheerful. This space will also be used as the
bride's room for weddings. A mirrored make-up table and adjoining
restroom will add to the convenience. The restroom is a unisex handicap
accessible space. It has a door into the narthex area, thus giving
access from two areas. Just off the narthex are larger restrooms,
for women on the south, for men on the north. Two meeting rooms are
entered from the narthex to the north. They are named Zachary and
Elizabeth, thus completing the family of John the Baptist. Before
entering the meeting rooms is a door leading to a control room. Winding
steps lead to a loft above with a vantage out over the congregation.
This lends itself to videotaping or photography of special celebrations.
The master equipment for the sound system is housed in the loft area
as well. To the left before the meeting rooms is an elevator, which
leads to the lower level.
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Just inside the north entry to the
church is a workroom. This has a sink and cabinetry as well as other
storage areas. This is the place for flower preparation, for electronic
equipment, banners, music and other cleaning supplies.
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Stairs from the narthex lead down to
a lower level of 7,500 square feet. (The ground level of the structure
is 15,500 square feet.) The lower level has three major meeting rooms,
a kitchen,
an office, a storage room, restrooms
for men, women and handicapped, and the mechanical center for power,
heating and air-conditioning. This space was completed in 1997, largely
by volunteer labor of parishioners. Special funds were gathered to
complete the structure that had been part of the original church design.
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Architects for the structure were Knapp,
Given, Veazey and Shoulders of Evansville. (Subsequently the firm
became Veazey, Parrott and Shoulders.) General Contractor was Arc
Construction Company of Evansville. The church was constructed at
a cost of some $1.85 million. The lower level was an additional $120,000.
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Enriching the exterior of the church
is the prayer garden, which is comprised of two sections, namely,
a fountain
and reflective area and a rosary
garden. Keith Scheessele designed and supervised the fountain
and area for reflection as an Eagle Scout project in 1995. The following
year Dan Rice designed and completed the rosary garden as his Eagle
Scout project. William and Margaret Wallace purchased the statue of
Mary which graces the center of the rosary.
The area is used by young and old as a spot of quiet and refuge to
pray and find God’s presence in the beauty of a natural setting.
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The priests’
residence was constructed in 1992 by parishioners. This is located
on property formerly known as the Bradley place. The former rectory
was situated at the northwest corner of the present church. The home
of Mary and Al Combs was purchased along Frame Road in front of the
church. A wing was added toward the church,
and the rest of the structure was totally renovated to serve as the
parish administrative center. The work
was done by parishioners. This was completed in July 1995. A science
and art classroom and a kindergarten were added to the school
in time for the school year 1992. The former
church space was converted to a Great Room and houses the school
library, the computer lab and music room. The parish storage building
was greatly enlarged in the fall of 1997. Expansion of the school
is to follow shortly.
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