St. Agatha - St. Louis

Happy New (Liturgical) Year!

For today's Mass, I thought I would do something special to celebrate the First Sunday in Advent.  I decided to go to the local Polish parish, St. Agatha (Hey, I'm a quarter Polish...).  I attended the 10 am Mass, which is entirely in Polish.

St. Agatha is a personal parish rather than a territorial parish.  I imagine when it was first established there were many homes in the neighborhood.  Now the parish is hemmed in by Anheuser Busch Brewery and Interstate 55.  There were only about 75 people at Mass, in a Church that holds most likely 500.

When you first walk into St. Agatha, you can smell incense.  It smells like a Catholic Church.  It looks like a Catholic Church.  The pews, the part you sit on, are very narrow.  The kneelers were the right height for me though so that more than makes up for the narrow pews that creaked every time I moved.

There was a choir accompanied by an organ in the choir loft.  I think the organ has a bell setting or the choir played bells because one song had bells, but it sounded more like a carillon (which Iowa State University has...totally awesome...especially playing say Jump by Van Halen...but I digress).

I wish I could tell you the normal details of the Mass like if Father adlibed or what Eucharistic Prayer was said or what was even sang.  I can't.  The whole Mass was in Polish.  Everything.  The only words I recognized were "Amen" and "Alleluia."  I know see the value of one liturgical language (Latin) for the Universal Church.  It must have been so comforting to immigrants who were in a strange land with a strange language to know that at least they understood what was going on in Mass.

I have a suspicion that the Polish liturgy, that is the liturgy approved by the Polish bishops, is different from the liturgy approved by English speaking bishops.  It seemed that the Introductory Rite today was much longer than it would be in an English speaking parish.  We didn't sing the Gloria or anything I could recognize as the Gloria.  During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, there was more bell-ringing than at the Consecration.  Father sang the Opening and Closing Prayers and the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer.  The congregation sang the responses to the Prayers of the Faithful and the Our Father.

I was kind of surprised that the Advent Wreath wasn't blessed at the Mass.  That was the part I was looking forward to.  I was wondering if the candles would be purple and pink, or red like German wreaths (I'm still looking for why the Germans use red.)  The candles were purple and pink.  We didn't sing O Come O Come Emmanuel either.  I'm pretty confident I can recognize that melody regardless of language.

I was shocked! when at the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) the server came down and shut the gates in the altar/communion rail.  Communion at St. Agatha is old school, like at St. Francis de Sales.    Everyone, who chose to receive, knelt at the rail and received on the tongue.  I have to say, receiving in this manner is a different experience.  Additionally, at the end of Mass, about half the congregation stayed to pray.  It is such a different feeling not to have people rushing to get out of Church, as if an extra 5 minutes in the building might cause them to burst into flames or something.

Pictures:
(I don't have as many pictures as I would have liked...they turned the lights off 5 minutes after Mass and it was really dark in the Church.)

View from the Back Pew!

It's interesting people either sat in the front or in the way back,

not in the middle.

Cross on the floor, right in front of the altar gates.

I saw pictures of Sean Cardinal O'Malley consecrating a Church,

and there was a big sand cross in that Church right where this one is.

I wonder if that is why the cross is here.

Window in the Sanctuary

Noah after the flood.

I love rainbow stained glass windows.

Mary

The windows surrounding her are flowers and other symbols of Mary.

Mary's Altar

That's a rosary hanging in front.

And a Polish Flag.

This is the last window on St. Joseph's side.

 The top half is covered by the choir loft.

I think it is  St. Agatha and St. Barbara.

I'm thinking the saint on the right is St. Barbara because she is holding a chalice,

and she is the patron saint of brewers as St. Agatha is surrounded by breweries.

Their names are in the halos but it's a bad photo.

At the bottom is the name of the donators of the window.

Links:

St. Agatha Parish Website (in Polish and English)

Photos from Rome of the West

Christ the King - University City

Today is the Feast of Christ the King and what better way to celebrate the last Sunday of the Catholic Liturgical Year then by going to Christ the King?  I had planned to go to Christ the King today in August, but two weeks ago, I found out the Archbishop was going to be at Mass.  I was hesitant to go, not because he's not a great guy (He's got 3! dogs.  How awesome is that?) but because the place would be a madhouse.  I decided to offer it up and go anyway.  I was correct in the madhouse aspect.  I got to church 15 minutes early and parking was an issue.  Normally, I've never had issues parking.  When I go in to church 10-15 minutes early, usually the choir and the musicians are the only people there.  It was half-full when I got there.  They expected so many people for Mass, they brought out folding chairs and made the choir sit in the choir loft (the horror).  According the the bulletin, Mass averages about 350 souls.  There was easily twice that.  Apparently, the way to get people to Mass, relatively on time and appropriately dressed is to have the Archbishop stop by.

The Church is of the same style as St. Michael and Sts. Mary and Joseph, narrow windows and exposed roof beams.  I think it is called Norman style.  The windows were patchwork like, simple colored panes.

The adult and children choirs sang together and I have to say the music was totally awesome.  I thought it was a good mix of older, more traditional hymns and contemporary music.  The choir was accompanied by a flute, a violin, a cello and a piano.  Lucky for me, there were programs so I could listen instead of scribbling furiously.

Music:
Before Mass:  A Jubilant Song, How Lovely Are the Messengers, For the Beauty of the Earth, One Faith One Hope One Love
Entrance:  Gather Us In
Gloria:  the one by Peter Jones, which has different refrains
Alleluia: Festival Alleluia (the one the Archdiocese had commissioned for when Pope John Paul II visited)
Preparation of the Gifts:  The Lord's My Shepherd
Mass Parts:  Community Mass
Lamb of God:  was in Latin! from Mass for John Carroll
Communion:  The Communion Antiphon: Ave Verum (wow) and Draw Near! and E'en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come
Recessional:  To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King (with Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat tacked on the end)

Because the Archbishop was there, in total there were 6 priests concelebrating the Mass:  the Archbishop, the Master of Ceremony, the Pastor, and 3 other priests.  I feel sorry for the Master of Ceremony, it must be so hard to be prayerful during Mass when you have to direct people and make sure everything is correct.

The Archbishop gave an awesome homily.  He basically spoke about what is kingdom and how Jesus had a different view of kingdom than Pilate.  The real power is openness to love unselfishly.  We live in an age of bumper sticker sayings.  Instead of listening, we are thinking about what we are going to say next.  There is a lack of civility.  He also mentioned Irish Alzheimer's, being mad at someone and not remembering why.  We should pray for that person instead and even apologize.

The Archbishop used Eucharistic Prayer III and there were bells at the Consecration.

I have to say it was a very nice Mass however, it just seemed really loud because there were so many people.  For instance, at one part, the congregation needed to turn a page, you could literally hear everyone turn the pages.

Pictures:

Bell Tower of Christ the King

I don't think I've seen a sculpture on a tower before.

View From Back Pew!

Lamb of God Window in the back

St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Catherine

(I'm almost positive one is St. Catherine of Siena as St. Catherine of Siena was merged into

Christ the King in 2002. )

St. Patrick

(A nod to St. Patrick parish which was merged into Christ the King)

Lilies Window

Yes I did some photoshop work.

I draw the line at setting up my tripod on the altar.

Star Window

Links:

Christ the King Parish Website

"Let the Holy Spirit have the last word." Archbishop Robert Carlson

UM-St. Louis- Catholic Newman Center

Yes, I already went to Mass this morning.  However, every year the Catholic Newman Center (CNC) at the University of Missouri - St. Louis has an annual Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner for students.  Since I happen to be a graduate student at UM-St. Louis, I make it a point to go to the Potluck and Mass afterwards.  Father B makes the best turkey.  It's great to see the Newman Center on campus, which is rather small, filled to the brim with students experiencing fellowship (and lots of tasty food!).

The author and Sister Clementia

A Sister of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George

The author and Father B, Director of the CNC

(Now, quit asking for pictures of me.)

The CNC at UM-St. Louis offers Mass for students, faculty and staff (and the occasional parishioner from nearby parishes, namely St. Ann) at 8 pm in the Provincial House Chapel.  (Believe it or not that is not the latest in the Archdiocese.  St. Louis University has a 10:30 pm Mass during semester.)  The Provincial House used to be the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity.  Now it is the Pierre Laclede Honors College and dorms for students.

Unlike other Masses, Masses at the CNC start with announcements and greeting your neighbor in the next pew.

The CNC currently has an awesome music director, who plans the music and sings and plays guitar for the Masses.  The music director does an awesome job of tying the readings, homily and music together.

The music tonight:

Opening:  Come, Worship the Lord
Offertory:  You Alone
Communion:  Sweet Redeemer
Closing:  Soon and Very Soon

The Responsorial Psalm was substituted for Keep Me Safe O God, which is Psalm 16.  I think the emphasis is different from what the Lectionary suggests, which has the refrain, "You Are My Inheritance O Lord"

At the beginning of Mass, after the greeting, Father B gives a Gospel question, something to think about while the readings are heard.  Tonight's Gospel Question was "What Are You doing on December 21, 2012?"  It's usually a big clue as to what the homily was about.  Father talked about how everyone is starting to freak out about the end of the world.  He points out that in Mark's Gospel, Jesus isn't all bent out of shape about the end of the world, so why should he be bent out of shape?  As Father reflected on the readings, three words popped out at him:  anticipation, awareness and trust.  Father went on to talk about how the readings today were in the apocalyptic style.  From Greek, it means to take away the veil. The readings aren't so much about the end of the world, but more about the end of the old order and the beginning of a new order.  Which I guess, if you are really entrenched in that old order, could seem like the end of the world.  The fullness of the God's kingdom is in our midst and we should be doing things instead of worrying.  (As a total aside, I really enjoy Father B's homilies.  They always seem so relevant to my life.)

The Prayers of the Faithful are done slightly differently at the CNC Masses.  Father says them (instead of a reader) and at the end, there is an opportunity to for students to add their own intentions.

Father tends to sing many of the Mass parts in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, such as the Preface, which is cool, especially since he sings well.  I think the Eucharistic Prayer was Eucharistic Prayer III but it could have been Eucharistic Prayer II.  After Communion, Father gives a closing prayer/reflection that is really cool and relevant.

The best part?  After mass there is food and fellowship!

The CNC is an awesome college Mass and had I not found the CNC (and Father B) when I needed it back in the day, I don't know if I would have come home to the Catholic Church.

Pictures:

View from the Back Pew

(Actually, there are pews further back, but Father discourages us from

sitting there...)

Because this is also used as an auditorium and lecture hall,

everything must be movable and portable.

Normally, the chapel is so dark at night you can't see the windows.

Tonight, there was enough light to make Jesus glow.

The Daughters of Charity are in the process of removing the windows.

Links:

The Catholic Newman Center at UM-St. Louis Website

Photos of the Chapel from Rome of the West

Photos of the Newman Center from Rome of the West

Disclaimer:

In case it wasn't clear, when I'm not Church hopping around the Archdiocese, this is the "parish" I call home.  I owe them a debt of gratitude for helping me stay Catholic :)

Update:  I forgot to mention the truly awesome campus minister, Liz, who does a great job of planning and running activities.  And keeping us rowdier students inline.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Crestwood, MO

The feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (also known as St. Elizabeth of Thuringia) is on November 17, so today I visited St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Crestwood for the 10:30 am Mass.

I was a little nervous about the interior of the Church, given that the exterior is different, with a giant steel structure that looks like either spider legs, alien legs or the claw from Toy Story.  The Church is very modern, I'm guessing built in the late 1950s.  However, the interior was very nice. It was simple and plain, but not ugly.  Mass was relatively well attended (~75% full) with a mix of various ages, including children.

Before Mass, the parish watched the Faith for the Future Seminary Campaign video.

As there was no choir loft, the choir was in the front on the right side.  The choir was accompanied by either a piano or an organ depending on the song.  The choir prayed together before Mass.

The music:
Opening:  Seek Ye First
Offertory:  We Remember
Communion:  We Will Rise Again and For the Fruits of His Creation
Closing:  Sent Forth By God's Blessing

The Responsorial Psalm was again substituted this week with Center of My Life.  The "approved" Psalm was Psalm 16: 5, 8, 9-10, 11.  The versus for Center of My Life are based on Psalm 16: 1-2, 7-11, which if you ask me, is close enough for jazz.

Father's homily was probably one of the best I've heard yet.  I was a little nervous because he started talking about the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati"  Father mentioned that the Sunday radio programs featured ministers who preached about the end times.  Basically, we don't know what and when the end times are.  All we can control is what we do today and tomorrow; our choices essentially.  The object of Christian Life is to get up and do it a little better each day.  The homily then progressed to discuss the Mass and how it was central to our lives.  Without the Eucharist, there is no meaning to everything else.  This is because Mass is a transhistorical event, it is the beginning and end of Christian Life.    The Eucharist is the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, it is a Eschatological event.  Essentially, Mass is and should be the center of our lives as Christians.

Father said Mass incredibly reverently.  Father seems to be attempting to bring more reverence into the parish Masses.  The Confiteor was said.  Father has also set a crucifix on the altar, to simulate ad orientem worship.  Additionally, Father used Eucharistic Prayer I with accompanying gestures and bows.   The chalice was kept covered and Father cleaned up all the cups the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion used.



Pictures:

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

The claw, the claw is my Master.  (From Toy Story)

Little Prayer Garden

Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue

Rustic Cross

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

View from the Back Pew!

Note:  The screen was there for the seminary campaign video.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Window

I wonder why they don't have her in the window?

All of the windows are in this style..full of symbols.

St. Dominic Window

Fish Ambo

Saint Mosaic on right side of Sanctuary

Saint mosaic on left side of Sanctuary

Links:

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Website

St. Matthias the Apostle

Originally, I had planned to visit a Church in north St. Louis City, but with the weather so nice I thought I would drive to a Church in the hinterlands of the Archdiocese.  Then the people with whom I reside with decided they would spend the day in the country.  So I decided to go some place closer, someplace with a pancake breakfast perhaps?  That lead me to St. Matthias, in Lemay.  I attended the 10 am Mass.

St. Matthias is a very modern church.

The choir was in the front accompanied by an organ and a flute.  There was no choir loft.
There was a song before Mass.
The music:
Opening:  Lift Up Your Hearts
Responsorial Psalm: Center of My Life
Offertory: All God's Gifts
Communion:  In the Breaking of the Bread
Closing:  Lead Me Lord

I'm all for singing a hymn or other song during the Responsorial Psalm, but what replaces what is supposed to be used should at least be based on the same Psalm or one of the suggested replacements.  Today's Psalm was Psalm 146, the song sung was based on Psalm 16, which was not one of the suggestions in the misselette.

The homily was about how some are criticized for giving gifts solely for the Honor and Glory of God.  Father also talked about how we don't really "waste" time coming to Mass, and how it is not a "waste" or "foolish" to become or being a priest, religious or stay at home mother.  It is not foolish or a waste to those with Faith.  Father also mentioned that we add water to the wine before Consecration to represent the people.  Actually, the mingling of the water and wine show in a symbolic way the hypostatic union, the union of human nature and divine nature (Thanks Father Cory!)
.
No processional cross, no consecration bells and Father used Eucharistic Prayer II.

Before Mass ended, there was a Faith for the Future (the seminary campaign) pep talk.  I still need to pledge....

The outside of the Church.

Loudspeakers instead of bells.

The former grade school is attached to the Church.

The parish is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year!

A tombstone to remember the unborn.

This is the best I could do for what is in the window.

It's either Jesus or St.  Matthias.

I'm thinking St. Matthias otherwise he's nowhere else in the church.

The view from the pack pew!

That's a Year of the Priest banner up front.

The Tabernacle and Sanctuary Lamp.

Orange?  Really?

I wonder if the Sanctuary Lamp can fly...its got fins like a helicopter..

Seven windows...Seven Sacraments.

1.  Baptism

2. ?? (Holy Eucharist)

3.  Confirmation

4. ?? (Holy Orders..keys and the hands)

5.  Holy Matrimony

6.  ??

7.  ??

I know which Sacraments are missing...

I just don't know which window goes with which Sacrament.

Feel free to leave a guess in the Comment box!

Outside Stations of the Cross

Close-up of the 15th Station

Note:  The 15th Station is a relatively new (~20 years) addition.

More about it: here.

Links:

St. Matthias the Apostle Website

A Response to My Post on St. Francis de Sales

The blogger who blog St. Louis Catholic, has written a long response to my experience at St. Francis de Sales and the traditional Latin Mass.  You can read his thoughts here.

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

St. Francis de Sales - St. Louis

Today is neither a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation.  However, I had the opportunity to go to a Solemn High Requiem Mass to remember the Souls in Purgatory, as November 2 is the Feast of All Souls.

St. Francis de Sales is not a regular parish of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, but rather it is an oratory staffed by priests (and soon to be nuns) from the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.  What makes the St. Francis de Sales different from every other church in the Archdiocese is that Masses and other devotional practices, like Benediction, are conducted according to the 1962 Roman Missal.  This is the Mass that was used before Vatican II (read the documents)

St. Francis de Sales is a very old, very Gothic cathedral like Church.  Comparing it to St. Anthony of Padua, it seems shorter, but much taller.  Many of the interior elements of St. Francis de Sales, such as the wall paintings and the stained glass windows resembled St. Anthony of Padua and St. Boniface, all of which were founded by German immigrants in the mid to late 1800s.  St. Francis de Sales is in dire need of restoration (or a good cleaning...white paint would be so much better than grey..) and they have started a campaign to raise the funds.  The biggest issue is that the beautiful bell tower, which can be seen for miles, is separating from the main church.

Because it was a weekday Mass, I assumed most people would be in more casual clothing.  There were somewhere between 75-100 people of various ages.  All of the women wore long skirts and all but one had head coverings, such as mantillas, of some kind.  I was rather shocked about how nicely dressed everyone was.  Even the men who wore jeans wore button down shirts.  There were no flip-flops.  No dresses so tight and/or short you wondered how the wearer genuflected or kneeled.

This was the quietest church I have ever been in.  I was taken back to grade school, when Mrs K and Sister Mary Anne, insisted on absolute silence in Church, it was that kind of quiet.  It stayed that quiet pretty much throughout the entire Mass and after Mass.  There was no mad rush out after Communion.  As whole, the people in Mass knelt right after Mass to pray private prayers.  I thought maybe there was a devotional or something, but was informed it was just private prayer of thanksgiving.

I didn't have a missal, so I couldn't really follow along.  I could have swiped my friend's but then I wouldn't be able to see what was going on.

The priest, deacon, and subdeacon all wore black vestments.  There were 9 altar boys of various types, a couple seminarians and a master of ceremonies, who directed everyone on where to go..sometimes by clapping, sometimes by pulling on surplices.  Because it was a Requiem Mass, which is a Mass for the Dead, there was a coffin-like structure (called a catafalque) in the center, surrounded by unbleached candles.  The entire Mass was in Latin.  I only knew exactly what was going on at five points during the roughly 90 minute Mass:  the Kyrie Eleison (or here for the current use), when everyone made the Sign of the Cross on their foreheads, lips and chest at the Gospel (or at least I hope it was the Gospel) when the priest washed his hands at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist (for the current Mass),  at the elevation at the Consecration, and at the end when the catafalque was being incensed and sprinkled with holy water.  Because it was a Requiem, there was no Gloria and there was no homily for some reason.  My friend insisted the Our Father was said, but I totally missed it.  The Mass itself was said with Father having his back to the congregation, so that both he and the people were both facing God.  It's called ad orientem worship as opposed to what occurs in a current Mass, which is versus populum, or towards the people.  Father chanted whenever he spoke loud enough for people to hear.  It seemed to me that the congregation spoke only two lines multiple times: amen and "Et cum Spiritu Tuo" which means "And with Your Spirit" as an answer to "The Lord Be With You"(Dominus vobiscum) My friend said there were actually more parts for the people (like a piece of the Our Father)...but I missed those too.  This was a very reverent and holy (and quiet!) Mass.  There was incense during the Mass.

The music was chanted and was absolutely lovely.

My thoughts are conflicted.  I think Latin is necessary for a universal, Catholic church.  It would be nice to know that no matter where I go or what happens to me, the Mass is constant, if not reassuring in its routine.  However, I feel betrayed at some level.  It was my understanding that the only major changes made to the Mass after Vatican II were to have Mass in the vernacular and to allow Communion to be received in the hand.  This is so not the case.  For the majority of the Mass, I had no idea what was going on.  I'm having a hard time reconciling that the Masses that I have described so far in this blog and have attended my entire life originated from the Mass I attended tonight.  I have no clue as to how what I witnessed tonight morphed into what I witness on Sunday everywhere else.  It seems to me that the Mass I witnessed tonight was akin to the Old Testament God, distant and remote, whereas the Mass I attended every Sunday, is more like the New Testament God, approachable and friendly.  This is an inaccurate analogy, as I have been in some Masses that were so cold, God needed a hoodie.  But I am so conflicted...

Pictures:

View from the Back Pew!

I actually didn't sit in the back pew this time.

I sat at the second column from the front and

still couldn't see everything.

St. Francis de Sales

This is sometime in the beginning.

Maybe around the Kyrie..

(Almost all of the pictures are blurry...God is telling me no take pictures during Mass...)

No clue what is going on.

I think it might be the reading because a book had been walked around right before.

Back in front of the Tabernacle.

No clue what is going on.

In the current Mass, this would be the Final Commendation.

Incensing the Catafalque.

The priest is about to bow to the Crucifix.

The Gospel Book is resting on the deacon's head.

I do hope he doesn't use hair products...

Links:
St. Francis de Sales Website
From the Rome of the West Site (I get the feeling he really likes it :) ):
Catafalque
Interior Set #1
Interior Set #2
Interior Set #3
Sacristy
During Holy Week
From Flickr (exterior shots and night shots)

All Saints - University City

Today is the Feast of All Saints, which is a normally a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States.  Since the feast day fell on a Sunday, the normal Sunday programming, er readings (has been corrected..they are called Propers) were set aside, for the readings appropriate for the Feast.

In honor of the Feast of All Saints, I went to All Saints in University City. Because today is the parish's feast day, there was only one Mass at 10 am.

My first impressions of the Church was that it was very very brown.  It was also the oddest shape I'd every seen for a Catholic Church, octagon.  Father mentioned in his homily that the windows represented the Beatitudes, which were featured in today's Gospel.  If you looked closely, you could see the Beatitude written in the window.  Underneath, it looked there may have been a Saint who represented the Beatitude depicted.  The window I sat by was "Blessed Are You Who Are Persecuted" and there was a young woman who was about to be martyred by sword depicted.

The parish was very diverse in age and ethnicity, which I think reflects well the surrounding neighborhood.  I was thinking there would be more college age or graduate students as Washington University is relatively close and many of the students live in apartments around the Church.  They must all go to the campus Newman Center.

There was a choir which sat in front and was accompanied by a piano and either an electric bass or guitar, instead of the choir loft with the organ.  (Which may have been broken..as there was a ladder leaned up against it.)  The choir and the cantor were very good and sang very well.

Entrance:  Gather Us In

Preparaton of Gifts:  Blest Are They

Communion:  Taste and See

Going Forth:  For All the Saints

Mass:  Mass of Creation

The homily was about how we are all Saints and how the Saints can inspire us no matter where we are in our life's journey, as there is a Saint for you and relevant for you.  At one point I wondered if Father had read My Life with the Saints by  Father James Martin SJ (links to his Facebook page or here is his author page), as he brought up many of the same points. (Totally awesome book and priest BTW.)  The big question was "Who are you inspiring by your holy life?"

The Prayers of the Faithful were tied to the Beatitudes.  Father used Eucharistic Prayer III and sang the preface (awesome).  There were bells at the Consecration.

After Mass while I was taking pictures, I met some of my loyal readers!! (Mary, Mike, Jimmy? YAY!!!).  We talked for while and it was totally awesome.  While we were talking, Father came up and introduced himself and stuck around to chat.  Totally cool and very friendly.

The View From The Back Pew!

Tabernacle off to the left.

St. Anne and Mary

Stone thing/memorial in back of Church.

Four sided and had candle on top.

Big dates in the parish history.

Old Confessional turned into Saint Shrine.

I found this statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a corner.

:(

Please put Jesus back in the Church...or make a shrine area.

Window of:

Either early Christians being burned alive for the Faith,

Or Souls in Purgatory/Hell.

Links

Parish Information from St. Louis Archdiocese (Note:  There is no longer a 6 pm Sunday Mass)

Pictures from Rome of the West

Video about All Saints' Day from Father James Martin SJ

Litany of the Saints or a cool sung version here