From
the Pastor's Desk,
I
would like to extend a warm welcome to our
new families who have
recently registered in our parish. Also I would like to share a few items
of interest about the Church complex.
On
August 22,1971
by order
of the Bishop of Lafayette the Mission Church of St Theresa was elevated
to the status of a Parish. Under the direction of Father John McDonald,
M.S., the first pastor of the newly formed Parish, the parish established
a building fund for a new and larger Church building.
In
1976, under the guidance of Father David Hennessey, (second pastor) a
building fund committee was formed to begin work on the realization of a
new church.
Father
Justin Dolan, M.S. who succeeded Father Hennessey, started the very
difficult task of planning the new church.
On
May 9,1981, Bishop Jude Speyer, officiated at the ground-breaking
ceremony.
Father
Norman F. Mailloux, M.S., who replaced Father Dolan, began the actual
building of the new church.
On
September 29, 1984, following the blessing a bronze sculpture of Saint
Theresa, the first Mass was celebrated in the new church with Bishop
Speyer presiding.
I
would like to point our some of the more interesting features of the
church building.
St.
Theresa
Click
on Photo to Enlarge
The
bronze sculpture of Saint Theresa stands at the entrance of the church
extending her open hand in welcome to parishioners and visitors alike.
Dressed in the authentic habit of a Carmelite nun, the figure is
larger than life size and shows Theresa's youthful face (she
died at the age of 24) and the armful of roses.
After
my death I will let fall a shower of roses
This inscription in French
on the base of the sculpture repeats Theresa's pledge to us: I
will spend my heaven doing good on earth. In the spirit of that
promise, the artist depicts Theresa reaching out as if eager to help
anyone who comes to her.
The
sculptor, Sister Mary Peter Tremonte, is a Dominican sister who
specializes in sculpture and liturgical design. She has her studio in San
Antonio, Texas
Stained
Glass: In
the presence of
God
The
design of the stained glass takes its inspiration from these words of
Isaiah:
"Come,
let us climb to the Lord's mountain,
to
the house of the God of Jacob,
that
he may instruct us in his ways
and
may walk in his paths"
Isaiah 2:3
Glass Windows
Click
on Photo to Enlarge
NAVE
The
four walls of stained glass in the body of the church set the tone for
this house of prayer and
establish the environment for worship in the assembly. The Lord's mountain and His paths appears as elliptical shapes amid green trees
and gently flowing waters. Viewers find themselves entering a shady grove,
tranquil; spot, created by the use of the cool colors of blue, green and gray. The uplifted branches of the trees, and the rise and fall of the
other shapes can invite quiet meditation or inspired joyful praise. The
visual rhythms of the line on the orderliness of repeated pattern can
bring peace to the troubled heart or consolation to someone in sorrow.
Instead of competing for attention of the viewer, the subdued tines,
shapes and colors of the glass yield to the more dynamic action of the
liturgy taking place in the sanctuary among the assembly.
Reconciliation
Click
on Photo to Enlarge
RECONCILIATION ROOM
The
window in the reconciliation room continues the tree motif adding the
symbols of penance and reconciliation given us by Our Lady in her
appearance at La Salette. The Mother of Jesus explained that sinners drove
the nails into her Son with their sins (the hammer); with their
repentance, they are able to draw out the nails again (the pincers). The
penitential colors of violet and purple become the dominant colors in this
glass for the chapel of reconciliation.
The
Leptat Glass
Leptat
glass is designed using a Hungarian
technique of acid etching.
Baptistery
Click
on Photo to Enlarge
Baptistery
The theme of the
Baptistery window is taken from
Psalms, describing the happy person as one who delights in the law of the
Lord: He is like a tree planted near
running water, that yields fruit in due season and
whose
leaves never
fade. Ps 1:3.
Through
Baptism the Christian is born into Christ, given new life in Jesus, and
growth in the Holy Spirit. The window design emphasizes the abundance of
fresh, flowing water, a full symbol of the grace of Baptism in which we
are immersed in Jesus' death and come up again a
new person.
TABERNACLE
The
design of the leptat glass at the Tabernacle is a variation on the tree
motif. The viewer can mad the chalice, ciborium or monstrance displaying
the round bread of the Eucharist like a jewel in the design. Leptat glass
is characterized by the frosting in the various patterns of stipple and
striation.
Entrance
Click
on Photo to Enlarge
Narthex
The
large window over the front doors reflects the coming to and the going out
of the People of God who gather at Saint Theresa's. Viewed from the
outside, one thinks of coming in to
dwell in the House of the Lord. Ps 23:6, to hear the Word of God, to
receive Him in the sacraments, and to worship together with others who
make up the Body of Christ. Upon leaving the church, a person sees
him/herself going out into the world, renewed, strengthened, and ready to
pass onto others the fruits of what has been received. The Cross of Jesus
stands in the midst of the people, as the center of the Christian
faith: Be
rooted in Him and build up in Him, growing ever stronger in faith... and
overflowing with gratitude. Col 2:7.
Sister
Mary Peter Tremonte created the design for the stained glass and the
leptat glass in collaboration with the Conrad Schmitt Studios Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, who executed the design in glass. To date, Sister Mary Peter's
sculptures and
glass designs appear in some fifty churches in nine
different diocese.
