"The Church that Parishioners Built" by Karen Walker. Saint Anthony Messenger 11.6 (November 2003): 36-40. Reprinted with permission.
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“The Church that Parishioners Built”
by Karen Walker.
Saint Anthony Messenger
11.6 (November 2003): 36-40.
Reprinted with permission.
St. Therese Shrine and Parish needed a new building.
Since money was tight, parishioners did much of the work themselves.
By Karen A. Walker
ou don’t hear much became Protestant and four went
Y
about parishioners “underground.” The small group grew
building their own to 12 families and, when sons returned
church these days— home after fighting in World War II, a
unless you live near small, simple church was built to serve
Tulsa, Oklahoma. In them.
Collinsville, just 20 miles north of the That same church served more than
big city, parishioners of St. Therese 160 families by the time Chicago-
Shrine and Parish proudly claim to ordained Father Pat arrived nine years
have the most beautiful church in the ago. Each Sunday Mass had the church
diocese. And if—in a predominantly bursting at the seams.
non-Catholic region—the steady stream In 1958, the parish purchased 20
of new visitors to the recently con- acres on the outskirts of town with the
structed Romanesque church is any in- intention of building a church. But
dication, the parishioners may be right. nothing had progressed by 1983, when
PHOTO © 2003 STEVEN J SCHLOEDER
Even so, the most beautiful charac- the land still had only a rectory and a
teristic of this parish isn’t its majestic good-sized parish hall.
building for worship, although that “The first thing the former pastor
aspect is certainly significant. It’s some- said to me,” recalls Father Pat with a
thing you can’t see: parishioners who grin, “was that I really needed to build
built their own church and strength- a church!”
ened the bonds of community in the
process. Strengthening Community First
The need was urgent. Small aisles, few Parish secretary and longtime parish-
A Colorful History pews, no confessionals, no washrooms ioner Gloria Thomason captures this
The original St. Therese Parish church and extreme cold in the winter and spirit of community, saying: “In this
was built in 1914 to accommodate the heat in the summer made for an parish, when you go to Mass and you
Catholic Mexicans, Irish, Poles and uncomfortable situation, even with see a mom getting frustrated because
Bohemians who worked in area strip four Sunday Masses. Since the pastor her baby keeps crying, you turn and
mines. When the mines closed, a wave also serves the Hispanic community at offer to hold him for a while. You try to
of anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic senti- nine other parishes, adding more calm the baby down. Maybe it works
ment swept the region. Father Pat Masses on Sunday was impossible. and maybe it doesn’t, but there’s a lot
Brankin, current pastor of St. Therese, Even so, Father Pat didn’t rush to of community interaction here. That’s
tells the story that in 1928, anti- the task. Instead, over the next three how we are. No one is a stranger here.”
Catholic sentiment grew so strong that years he focused on building a deeper Building on this community spirit,
Catholics were marched out of town at sense of community and identity the new pastor did two things. First, he
gunpoint. among his flock, building on a spirit shifted the psychological perception
Even so, six families stayed. Two that was already there. of the center of the parish from the
36 ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER
The Church
That Parishioners Built
old church to the new site, setting up together to a deeper understanding of fessionals, making a church that looked
a playground and holding picnics, din- church and how it is supposed to func- Catholic. They wanted handicapped
ners and whatever he could there. tion, not just how it is supposed to look. access, side aisles, wide aisles and wash-
Second, he launched study and dis- Now it was time for parishioners to rooms, to name a few wishes.
cussion groups on the documents of apply what they’d learned. These 39 points became the foun-
Vatican II relating to environment and This was a pivotal moment. “Most of dational blueprint for the entire project.
the history of church architecture. All the questions were put up for a vote,” A search for architects followed, includ-
were invited to participate and the stud- says Father Pat proudly. “I trusted their ing Steven Schloeder, founder of Litur-
ies were well attended. sense.” gical Environs, a firm specializing in
Parishioners came up with 39 points Catholic church architecture.
Designing the Church they did or did not want in their new “I read an article Steve had written,”
Father Pat devoted much time and en- church. These points included not explains Father Pat. “What he said
ergy to strengthening an internal sense wanting a church in the round but made a great deal of sense, so I called
of community among parishioners. He keeping a sense of intimacy, wanting to talk with him and asked if he would
describes the process as journeying stained-glass windows, statues and con- make a presentation to the commit-
NOVEMBER 2003 37
(Left to right:) Parishioner
Gae Hill practices faux
marbleizing on an oil
drum before she starts on
PHOTOS COURTESY ST. THERESE PARISH
the actual columns. Sally
Hilger uses the technique
as she paints a church
column. Men and boys of
the parish lay rock on the
church exterior.
tee. After the presentations, the build- the church is dedicated.” The financial experts at the diocese
ing committee unanimously chose to Speaking of the design itself, shook their heads and muttered,
go with Steve.” Schloeder continues: “Father Patrick “Impossible!” But Father Pat is not eas-
Brankin had outlined his needs for a ily discouraged. He knew the need. He
Traditional, Yet Unique simple and small church that still felt knew his flock. He found a way to
Schloeder was given the 39 points. He ‘transcendent’ and ‘spacious’ and with ensure that everyone could share the
and Father Pat then drove around town a sense of ‘mystery.’ Together, we burden. He asked only for the amount
and surrounding areas to give Schloeder worked out the liturgical plan and the each person would earn in 15 minutes
a sense of the wider region, the com- program, including the need for a lot of of his or her workday, pledged over a
munity itself and the architecture of space for personal devotion, such as five-year period.
different neighboring churches. shrines and side chapels, which were “We laughed about it,” says Father
“He sketched out the original design integrally linked to the communal Pat. “People joked about counting a
of our new church just outside Tulsa,” assembly area in the nave. two-week vacation and weekends.”
recalls Father Pat with a chuckle. “We “The arrangement of the building— Father Pat asked, and they were willing
were on our way to get a burger at a breaking down various functional com- to help.
McDonald’s. But that [sketch] has re- ponents into identifiable parts—was a In a very short time, the 300 families
mained the basic design of the church.” design decision that we made early in at St. Therese had pledged $900,000, an
Schloeder fleshed out the drawing the process, with the idea that the astounding feat for a parish of that size.
and the parishioners gave it an enthu- church building need not be a ‘finished There was one large gift: The estate of
siastic thumbs-up. The proposed design work’ immediately. Instead, like the Thomas Murray, a parishioner who had
met all but one of the 39 points and great churches of our Catholic heritage, died years before, donated land to the
captured something of the community we would put the money into the main parish, which the parish sold for
as well. form of the building and leave it to $650,000.
“This project was very unique to the future generations to finish with mo- But it turned out the actual cost
community of St. Therese,” explains saics, frescoes and so forth,” Schloeder of construction would far exceed
Schloeder. “The building is not a copy, says. $1,000,000. There was only one thing
a model or a reinterpretation of any “When we saw Steve’s design,” adds to do: Parishioners would have to help
particular church. Rather, it seeks to Thomason candidly, “everyone got ex- build their church.
participate in the rich traditions of past cited. They liked it because it looked New parishioner Tom Gordineer, a
buildings. There are clear allusions to Catholic, and it didn’t look like every- recent convert to the faith, helped
San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, with its body else’s church. It looked special. It locate a contractor who could keep
octagonal nave and chancel, but also to has a very spiritual feel to it. Now that costs to $1,300,000 and was willing to
the church of San Lorenzo in Turin, it’s built, you go inside and it puts you let parishioners do as much as they
with the ribbed ceiling forming an at ease. It has a serenity about it, a could themselves.
eight-pointed star. meditative quality that I’ve not felt in On August 8, 1999, the parishioners
“The ceiling in St. Therese was one of other churches I’ve been to. A lot of gathered at the new site, stood on the
the few true flourishes to this otherwise people feel that way.” outline of the new church building and
simple building which allowed us to took a photo. Groundbreaking took
create a wonderful sense of connect- Raising Funds to Raise the Roof place the following week.
edness in the nave,” adds the archi- Next came the biggest challenge: fund-
tect. “The beautiful ceiling has a great ing. At this point, the parish had grown Everyone Somehow Helped Build
sense of proportion and geometrical to 300 families, but with no large While construction crews forged ahead,
interest, and symbolically creates a donors, even capping the project at parishioners were busy preparing to do
‘mystical rose’ in the center, as a re- $1,000,000 was a lot to ask these fam- their part. Four committees were
minder of the Little Flower to whom ilies to bear. formed, covering exterior work, interior
38 ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER
(Above) James Limke, a parishioner since 1942, sands pews.
(Left) Architect Steven Schloeder describes the ceiling as
symbolically creating a mystical rose in the center, as a tribute to
the parish’s namesake: the Little Flower.
work, pew refurbishing and dedication But heat didn’t faze these parishion- playful attitude and joking. They’d
day. “Every family helped,” says Father ers. “We did more than anyone thought walk by and put a dab of paint on each
Pat proudly, “and most people worked we could do,” says Father Pat. “Our other now and then—a lot of fun.”
on two committees.” people aren’t stonemasons. They’ve In the niches, a different painting
By May 2000, construction had never done faux finishing, gold-leaf technique was used. Volunteers painted
reached the phase where parishioners work or pew refinishing. Yet everyone the base coat, and parishioner Kelly
could participate. They took over in the took a hand in this project. Women Lazore used a feather duster dipped in
blistering heat of June and the summer refinished pews. Men, women and even acrylic paint to leave a feathery effect
months through September, working children helped lay the exterior stones.” on these walls.
every weeknight and many Saturdays. To learn faux marbleizing, parish-
Dedication took place on the Feast of ioners purchased large empty oil bar- Building Community
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, October 2, 2000. rels. Every morning, Hill would go up Gloria and Gilford Thomason led the
Families signed up to bring food for to the church grounds and spray the 30-member “pew crew” in stripping,
15 people, two or three families each barrels black. Men would carry them sanding, repairing and re-staining the
night, from June to September. They into the church hall, and that evening pews and re-covering the kneelers with
were told they could bring anything a crew of volunteer painters would new vinyl. It was a legacy she felt con-
they wanted, from peanut butter and practice the painting technique. The tinued from her grandparents’ time.
jelly sandwiches to pizza or even next morning, they’d start over again. Her grandfather had made the pews for
steak—it didn’t matter. “Those tins must have about 25 coats the old church; her grandparents, aunt,
On several occasions Bishop Edward of paint on them,” laughs Hill. It took uncle and mother had all helped ham-
J. Slattery, bishop of the Tulsa Diocese, several weeks until they felt they had mer nails and finish them.
personally brought chicken for every- the technique down and were ready to Dean Echaute sprayed on a final pro-
one. “We had plenty to eat,” laughs paint the actual church columns. tective coat when the pews were done.
Gae Hill, a fine artist who headed the “It was wonderful,” says Hill, whose Patrick Murphy handcrafted wooden
column-painting committee. “We each comment echoes that of many other screens that sit in front of the first pew
put on 10 pounds! In fact, we joked parishioners. “How it deepened the fel- of the church to provide a kneeler for
that some people came just for the lowship was more important than get- that pew. He made two six-foot-long
food.” ting the church done. It’s brought us screens to perfectly match the two oak
But people came for far more than closer together as a church. Parishioners screens that were purchased as part of
food. Each night 30 to 40 people are proud of what we did and of the the pew set.
showed up at the church straight from church. I hear that more than anything “The pew crew worked so well as a
work. Some of the retirees arrived ear- else. I don’t think it would have meant team because of their commitment to
lier. The brutally hot summers hovered nearly as much as it does now to have our Faith and to each other. When we
at 105 degrees or more. With no air helped created it.” started, they had no knowledge of how
conditioning in the church, no breeze “The painting group [including those to refinish furniture, but by the end of
and no fans allowed (since that would who helped paint the church walls] the project, we’d recommend them to
have destroyed the gold-leafing work), worked so well together, they didn’t anyone for a refinishing job. They even
the heat inside the building could reach really need a leader,” recalls Thomason. critiqued each other’s work and took
130 degrees. “There was a lot of kidding going on, a pride in it,” says Gloria Thomason.
NOVEMBER 2003 39
PHOTO © 2003 STEVEN J SCHLOEDER The 12 columns in the interior of the nave of St. Therese Church recall the 12 apostles on whom Christ built his Church. Tom Gordineer and Bill Helean Laying the rock retaining wall was “This building, dedicated at the brink helped oversee the construction just as labor-intensive. Men loaded two of the third millennium in the Great process; Gordineer was there daily. big trailers with rocks from a field, with Jubilee 2000, is a sign of hope that Gordineer has a background in con- permission, and drove it to the site. the age of banal and functionally- struction and his recent retirement Then a bucket brigade was formed of determined churches is coming to an enabled him to act as the church’s on- men, women and children, and each end. The involvement of the commu- site construction representative each rock was handed down the line. nity was wonderful, especially their day. Later, both parishioners helped on “They’d stand for hours in the blis- willingness to throw themselves into other teams. tering heat and work,” says Father Pat. the refurbishing of the pews, the laying “It was interesting on that lift,” re- “No one complained. It was just incred- of stone and the building of the cam- calls Gordineer, referring to the two ible. panile [the free-standing bell tower]. mechanical lifts used to hoist the vol- “I want a parish where people are “Most importantly, it’s a testament unteer gilders to the ceiling heights committed to this place. I want it to be and a test case for the restoration of where they laid a 3” gold-leaf strip edg- the center of their lives in an evangel- authentically Catholic architecture, ing the central ceiling star, and on the ical sense; to have them derive mean- showing that by returning to the great entire chancel arch. Scaffolding was ing for their lives from the Mass they principles of sacramental architecture used for the chancel arch. celebrate, the building they built. I we can achieve great beauty and deep “Guys who were terrified of heights want all of it to be the center of their meaning in a thoroughly contempo- would go up and work,” says Father understanding,” reflects Father Pat. rary building. We can build churches Pat, who also helped lay the gold leaf “Really, this is the most wonderful that recover the ancient understanding by hand from the heights. “It was so parish I’ve ever served in.” of the Church as the Body of Christ, the labor-intensive and hot that about two In a universal sense, perhaps the Temple of the Holy Spirit and the City hours was all a guy could take. When beautiful community and parish of the Heavenly Jerusalem.” A that person was done, someone else dynamic and the new liturgical build- would say ‘my turn’ and go up. One ing of St. Therese in Collinsville have a Karen A. Walker is a writer in the Catholic and sec- crew might only get six feet done a broader application. At least architect ular markets. She is president of a public relations night.” Schloeder thinks so. firm in California and resides in San Juan Capistrano. 40 ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER
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