Week of
December 20, 2000
Inside the Register
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St. Mary Parish proclaims 'God is With Us!'
By Peter Droege
This
Christmas, parishioners at St. Mary in Littleton will present a gift to
the community that joyfully proclaims, "God is With Us!"
The gift is a stunningly beautiful church that demonstrates their unbounded hope for the future, and a highly visible adoration chapel conceived in the days of anguish following the tragedy at nearby Columbine High School.
After months of gathering for Mass in the school gym, the new church will be finished in time for Christmas Eve. That is, of course, if Father David Blue Jacket has anything to say about it.
Father Blue Jacket, pastor, led the Register on a tour of the new church on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the midst of the final flurry of construction, he shared the vision that led the growing parish to undertake the $4.2 million project.
"This parish is alive and thriving and dedicated to bringing people to Christ," said Father Blue Jacket, pastor since 1997. "The fact that the parish is always building demonstrates that."
In January, the parish will begin its centennial year. Father Blue Jacket points out that a building project has coincided with every significant parish anniversary: In 1925, the original church on Nevada Street was enlarged; in 1950, the parish built a school; and in 1975, a gym and religious education center were added.
Pausing, Father Blue Jacket called out to a Fire Department inspector walking through the church: "How are we doing?"
"Just fine, no problems," he said with a smile and a wave.
"We have to be in here by Christmas you know," Father Blue Jacket called out.
"Well, my wife can't wait to see it, and that's more pressure on me than anything," he joked.
Turning back to the Register, he said, "They're parishioners."
In March of 1999, a core team began studying the feasibility of expanding the church. A poll the following May indicated 88 percent of parishioners supported the effort. In September, a capital campaign was launched and by December more than $3.9 million had been raised.
"I think our school and religious education program are major reasons why so many families come to St. Mary's," he continued. "One of the things that is most exciting about this parish is that the older parishioners are open and welcoming to the new families," he continued. "As a result, the new members are equally invested in supporting the parish."
"We have many parishioners who helped build this church," Father Blue Jacket said. "All that we have is due to the sacrifice and dedication of those that came before us. It is our duty to make sure that those who come after us enjoy the blessings we have," he added.
In planning the expansion, great care was taken to honor and preserve the architecture and structural beauty of the church built on the site in the 1960's. By all accounts, it was a success.
Father Blue Jacket points out that the significant dates of the expansion effort all fell on important feast days: Groundbreaking took place last year on Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception; the final Mass in the old church was celebrated on Easter, 2000, and the first Mass will be celebrated on Christmas. The dedication ceremony will take place on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation.
"We dedicated the project to Mary and asked for her intercession throughout the effort," Father Blue Jacket explained. "I came in one day in the early days of construction, and there was a beautiful image of Mary on the windowsill - it was there the whole time.
"We are going to put it into our archives," he continued. "It is as if she was watching over the project the whole time."
The main sanctuary has been moved from the west side of the church to the east. The altar, ambo and tabernacle are the central elements in the new addition that includes additional seating and a choir loft under a ceiling of soaring skylights.
The main sanctuary is in the shape of a chalice. The adoration chapel, just to the east of the sanctuary, is round. The host and chalice are central design elements in the new structure. The main entrance is under a giant portico on the south side of the church. Upon entering the vestibule, one encounters the giant baldachino that stood over the altar and now forms a canopy above the baptistry. Complementing the sacred art that fills the church are beautiful woodwork, tiles and soft, natural colors. Even longtime parishioners may find it difficult to point out where the original church ends and the addition begins.
Outside the main entrance is the Father Frederick McCallin Prayer Garden, named for one of the parish's most renown pastors. In addition to foliage, benches and a beautiful statue of Jesus, the garden includes the cornerstone of the original St. Mary Church, built in 1901 in Littleton. "Marian Hall," a cavernous new parish hall is located in the basement under the new church.
The facility includes a stage, giant seating area, bathrooms, conference rooms and storage rooms. It will be used for school productions, Catechetical School and Biblical School classes, and other events. When asked if there is any aspect of the expansion effort that is especially meaningful to the parish, Father Blue Jacket immediately responded, "The adoration chapel." "We were doing the design for the church about a year after Columbine happened and that tragedy was very much on our minds as we designed the chapel," he explained. "It was purposefully designed to have glass all along the east windows facing the street. "This was done to send a message to the community that, with the Blessed Sacrament here in the chapel, Jesus Christ is present among us," he explained. "At a time when we were so confronted with evil, it is a powerful message to send to our neighbors and to the community."
A giant sculpture in the 35-seat chapel will depict the Last Supper, symbolizing the spiritual nourishment that comes through the Body and Blood of Jesus. The monstrance is a five-foot cross with a "luna" placed in the crossbeam, where the Blessed Sacrament will be placed. Father Joseph Cao, ordained last summer, is assigned at St. Mary Parish. "Watching the construction has been very exciting," said Father Cao, a native of Vietnam. "Ever since I have been here, Mass has been celebrated in the gym, so I am especially looking forward to being able to celebrate Mass in the new church," he said with a smile. Pat Padilla, on-site construction supervisor, recalls playing on the ballfields at St. Mary School when he was growing up in Littleton. Working on the addition has been meaningful for him. "We do all kinds of projects: schools, hospitals, all kinds of stuff," he told the Register. "The architecture in this place is really beautiful, and everyone has done a great job. No problems to speak of," he added. When asked if it was the first time a church was built under his supervision, Father Blue Jacket turned and asked, "Is that on?" pointing to the tape recorder. "Yes," said the Register. "Good," he continued, reaching out and grabbing the tape recorder. "This is the first time I have built a church, and the last!" he shouted, to the laughter of the workers and others in the immediate area.
St. Mary Church is located at 6853 S. Prince St. in Littleton. For directions or a schedule of Masses, call 303-798-8506.