Besides serving as vicar general, I am parochial administrator of a thriving parish cluster that includes St. Mathias in Hampton, St. Mary in New Trier and St. John the Baptist in Vermillion.
The churches in these parishes were built in 1900, 1909 and 1913 respectively. Each of the three are unique in their architectural style, and similar in their terracotta color. As we’ve addressed some maintenance projects to preserve these historic buildings, something that frequently comes to mind for me is the faith of each parish’s founding families. They set out on a seemingly impossible task — given parish size and average income for a farm community of that time — to build what continues to be enjoyed today. Each of these communities built churches in a spirit of thanksgiving for the many ways they were blessed by a loving God.
A church building stands as an icon in a community. In days gone by, people would recognize this fact by women making the sign of the cross or men tipping their hats when passing a church as a gesture of respect. While this may not occur today, church buildings remain a constant reminder of the presence of God for all who pass by their way, and places of encounter whether in the people gathered, the living word of God proclaimed, or the sacraments celebrated within their walls. We take great pride in our church buildings as places that hold memories of major life moments, from the baptism of a child to the marriage of friends to the funeral of a family member.
As we continue our Lenten journey toward Easter, this is a time of renewal for us. In the first letter of St. Peter, we read about our being living stones built into a spiritual house that offers a sacrifice of praise to God. Just as a church building is an icon, each of us who are baptized into the mystery of God’s love and sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in confirmation are called to be icons. Nourished by the body and blood of Christ, we are people sent out as icons and missionary disciples to bring the gift of God’s love to our world. Lent is our call to be renewed as people of faith.
In our world today, we see many things that challenge our faith and belief in a loving God. It seems that daily we hear stories of war on the other side of the world, violence in our cities and heartbreak in families. We hear about sickness or accidents where friends and neighbors die far too young and leave us asking ourselves understandable questions ranging from “why?” to the meaning of life itself. In these times, among other reasons, we can struggle with our faith.
In 1973, then Coadjutor Archbishop Leo Byrne wrote a pastoral letter that was released during Holy Week titled, “Christ the Victor.” In his letter, Archbishop Byrne wrote that we can never forget that Christ has conquered death and risen to new life. He underscores that our faith is in Christ the victor. As we continue our Lenten journey that calls us to be renewed as a Church, we look to Christ the victor to find meaning for life. In Christ the victor we are reminded that death is not the end. We believe in life. We experience Christ the victor in the compassion of family, the caring of friends and hope for justice in a world made new. People will experience the presence of Christ the victor in new ways this Lent as they participate in small faith sharing groups arising out of our recent Archdiocesan Synod. Examples of Christ the victor surround us.
It was this kind of faith in Christ the victor that led generations before us to build churches. We may not build churches as architectural structures like those of previous generations, but we are called to be living stones built into something greater than ourselves to share the light of God’s love for our times. We are called to be icons for our world who, in the vision of Pope Francis, meet others living on the periphery of society, engage them as we find them and accompany them to an encounter of God’s love that is present, alive and among us still today.
