The Art of All Saints

My main thoughts in desigining the Altar Furnishings were to create an enviroment of hospitality, with the lesser furnishings standing together and the Altar, in and of itself a symbol, standing singular and possessing a sense of mystery. Ease of use and flexibility were also considerations. 

In designing the furnishings I used four main elements already in place - the arch, the triangle, the repeating line, and the turned base of the candle stand. 

In the Ambo my intentions were to keep it comfortably human in scale. The use of negative space around the front panel is to convey an image of a shield. The triangle is used as a motif along the sides with the more elaborate triqueta on the front. This would be inlaid. 

In the Presider's Chair, the columns give  it presence while the posture of the chair would imply one ready to take action and serve. The symbol of the lark is a symbol of the priesthood. This is inlaid. Again the triangle acts as a motif along the sides. 

Scaling down the back elements of the presider's chair to the side chairs tie these together. The side chairs may also emply the triangle motif in their back slats. 

The Cross and all Candle Stands are processional. 

The Altar employs a sphere as a central focal point, being held by the four legs creatind a vessel form. The sphere is held in such a way as to give the potential of movement, thereby attracting attention to itself. This was turned from some highly figured wood to imply a sense of mystery. The banding around the altar's top edge us a repeating chip carved triangle. 

Explaining the Designs

The opprotunity to design and execute these pieces for this community constitutes my largest challenge to date. And one that would take more than a year of my time. The process of design, redesign, compromise, refine and conclusion felt to always take place with the best intentions for the community at heart. Fr. Chris, Thom Haeuptle, the building committee and each member of the Church I came in contact with were all gracious and a pleasure to work with. So, I would like to take this opprotunity to thank you. 

The three major areas I was asked to address were the entryway, the baptismal font, and all of the altar furnishings.

As you enter the church, you are leaving the secular world and entering into a place you have made to address the needs of the spirit. We wanted to let you know that you are entering some place special. But, of course our daily and spiritual lives are one and the same. The floor pattern here represents this. The pattern inside and out are the same. On the exterior, however, the pattern is dominated by cool greens wheras warmer colors are used in the interior to bring out the symbol of faith in the same pattern. The structure around the doors proper are intended to give a sense of balance, mass and depth. And the doors themselves are solid with handles that entice you to open. A pair of glass crosses add a precious quality. As you enter, the wood and surface treatment change from the earthy oak to a light bright maple. 

Of course, this is only the church building. You are the church. And this then brings us up to the baptismal font. It is through baptism where you enter the community that is the church. Here I used the theme of lightness and darkness to symbolize the drama and gravity of this act. 

As I began to work on the sactuary furnishings, I had in mind to create pieces that would have an appropiate mass and presence with their symbolic position. And at the same time, make them inviting and approachable. As with all of the pieces, I used elements of classic American furniture. The three main pieces of the altar, the ambo and the presider's chair. All the other pieces were only to compliment these and not stand out. 

With the presider's chair, it was understood that its position in the sanctuary would reveal its importance. I needed to maintain that in its scale. But it also occurred to me that this is a seat of servitude. So I constructed the chair to have a more upright sitting posture, a posture of one who is always ready to stand and serve. To the bank panel, I added an old symbol of the priesthood, the lark.

The ambo now has somewhat more of a presence. Taller and with its larger columns and bowed front reminiscent of a shield, here I used the symbol triquesta, a symbol of the Trinity that also suggests the whole in the Three. 

In style, the altar now stands somewhat apart from the other pieces. No columns here but the legs swoop down and in, then back out again. The shape I drew from two sources. The first is the symbol of the chalice. The second you would find in the celebration of the Eucharist in the upswept arms of the presider. Cradled here is a sphere. This symbol, unlike the others, is fully three dimensional, a symbol of wholeness and, for me, a great symbol of the mystery. 

And, finally, as you leave, above the entry way doors, a final salutation "shalom" written in Hebrew. Peace. 

Designing the Stained Glass
Designing and fabricating the art of the stainned glass for the new All Saints Catholic Church has been both an exciting opprotunity and a tremendous challenge. Research, discussions and planning for the project have been ongoing for the past two and a half years. The primary theme and visual symbol for the windows is taken from John 15:5: "I am the branches..." The image of the vine, with intertwinning branches and a multitude of leaves suggests all the people who make up this parish community. The metaphor can also extend to include all believers and all saints. 

In the tower of the eucharistic chapel (now Marian Chapel), a beacon to the larger community, Christ stands reaching upward and at the same time leaning down. The countenance of Christ reminds us of His role as the Good Shepherd, watching over and caring for His flock. The colors used in the background of this window have symbolic significance. The golden colors represent the grace of the Holy Spirit, descending as beckoned by Christ's raised hand. The blood red "stream" is symbolic of Christ's life on earth and His sacrifice. It is meaningful that these "streams" intersect in the figure of Christ. There is also a cross formed by this intersection that foreshadows the crucifixion. The vine originates through Christ's hand, proclaiming this as a community of believers, linked together and joined to God through Christ.

Originating in the tower window, the vine motif encircles the church, running through the transoms and above the entries of the Nave and the Daily Mass Chapel. The vine then flows from both sides of the Sanctuary windows, leading our eyes to the altar, where the union of the faithful with Christ is celebrated in the Eucharist. 

The six sactuary windows are created using mouthblown glass in colors that represent the litugical year. While intended to be compelling when viewed individually, the windows' primary purpose is to create a worshipful atmosphere and to unify the Sanctuary space, focusing our attention to the liturgy.  

The green colors in the sanctuary windows represent ordinary time and suggest growth and hope. The reds commemorate the Lord's passion, suggesting blood and sacrifice. Violet, purple and blue hues represent the seasons of Advent and Lent, times of sorrow, penitence and preparation. The band of clear surrounding the vine is to represent white, recalling all occassions of the joyful and glorious mysteries of our Lord, of Mary, of Angels, and of saints who were not martyrs. Innocence, purity, virginity, victory, and joy are associated with the color white. The golden vine is a symbol of the Christian life, inspired by the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

"Certainly the architecture does not make a church what it is; but the people are truly the makers of this young energetic parish. The Church and it's 15-acre campus is designed to provide only the basic foundation on which the people of the Parish can build their All Saints Community."