Pastor's Page

10/17/2021
 

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I’ve been wanting to update you all on the progress of our “Tabernacle Project” at OLG. The project will be underwritten by the rebate we are receiving from this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal, and by the additional matching contributions donated specifically for this project. The OLG Liturgy Commission recently completed the first step, namely, to determine which part of the church would offer the best placement for the tabernacle. Several options were considered, and the strongest consensus favored using the southwest corner of the church as the most advantageous location, all things considered. Each option we discussed had its own strengths and weakness, its own pros and cons, but the southwest corner had by far the greatest appeal. The next step now is to convene a steering committee of around eight to ten parishioners whose task it will be to determine the specific artistic and aesthetic elements of the project, and how these aspects will dovetail with the liturgical principles and requirements that apply to the tabernacle and to its use in our Catholic life of prayer and worship. To this end, we have also begun working with an artistic design studio, Atelierjones, Ltd., that has had a long and fruitful collaboration with several parishes in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and with other Christian churches. For example, the design artists at Atelierjones were responsible for the beautiful Marian prayer alcove in Saint James Cathedral. Susan Jones, the studio’s founder, and director, has already visited OLG to begin learning about the basic ideas and intentions we have in regard to the placement of the tabernacle, and to start dreaming and imagining with us what might be both beautiful and functional—as well as affordable. Some exciting and attractive ideas have already begun to emerge. More details will be forthcoming as the project continues moving forward. I ask everyone to please begin praying for the success of this effort, that our time, our energy, our gifts and our resources will produce something that is pleasing to God, attractive and compelling to all who behold it, and worthy of the mystery it is meant to put us in touch with—namely, Christ’s enduring presence in the midst of his people.

Grace and peace,

Fr. Kevin