"Let's Do This!"

Last Monday at 9 AM, my prayer with those gathered in our parking lot ended with this phrase, “Let’s do this!” It was not a statement of arrogance or something to revel in, but one of decisiveness amidst what I expected to be a very difficult event, the demolition of our old church. While I have been very excited about the prospects of a beautiful new church, I have also been keenly aware of the suffering that many have been going through up to this day. It was a day for some of our community where memories were dislodged from a physical space they had come to know and love. In some ways, the past was being demolished along with the building.  But, as Catholic Christians, this cannot be the last word. Suffering does not have the final word.

We believe in God who suffered too. We know he suffered and died in the person of Jesus Christ who was nailed to the cross for our sins, though personally innocent. What can we learn from this example by our Lord?  Not just that suffering is part of life, but that suffering leads to resurrection, to new life, to joy.  Between suffering and joy, however, is death.  We all experienced the death of our old church on Monday.  It was both dramatic and traumatic.  

I was personally moved when the excavator first pushed several times against the facade and doors of our church, breaking the stained glass and caving in the cinder block. The I-beam that held the balcony refused to be moved despite many tries by the excavator, almost as if fighting against its own demise.  But, it soon would give in like the rest of the building. In a sense, this is sentimentalizing an inanimate object. Yet, welling up within me was a sadness at the scene taking place before my eyes.  One parishioner reminded me, “Even though we are demolishing this church building, the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church,” referencing Matthew 16:18.  Great words!  A great reminder, for God has plans in which we can place our hope. The Church is not built with brick and mortar alone, but more so upon the hearts of the faithful where Christ himself resides.

Beginning of demolition.  Photo courtesy of Fr. William Holtzinger

For the next two months, our hallowed ground will lay dormant while we quietly prepare for the next phase.  Beginning in the first part of August, we will go out for bids for subcontractors for the new church.   We already have our mechanical, plumbing, and electrical contractors lined up.  These are the most important and foundational groups needed.  On September 17th, Bishop Peter Smith will be here and offer our 11 AM Sunday Mass followed by an official groundbreaking ceremony.  There may already be some work done on the new foundation by that point, but it is important to be reminded that this is not just a human endeavor.  Ultimately, it is for the praise and greater glory of God. 

May glory of God shine through us as we bury, so to speak, our former church, and begin to witness the rising of a new church building.

Blessing,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Drone photos courtesy of Vernon Snyder

Church Building Now Empty

Dear Parishioners,

This past week has been an important yet emotional step in our journey to our new church building. Thank you to all the many people who came this past week to help prepare our church by preserving all the items that are important to us while also removing the items that needed to be thrown away or given away for other noble purposes. 

While Tuesday was our official day for the “Church Clean Out Work Day,” we had many people come on Monday to help us get ahead in this needed task. On this following Monday (June 26), the church building will be off limits to all as asbestos abatement begins. It is scheduled to last for two weeks.  At the time this posting went live, we have a demolition date for July 10th. I don't know what time this will be, but keep your eyes peeled to our parish Facebook and Twitter feeds for the latest. 

In addition to preparing the church building for demolition, we have settled into a routine for daily Mass. If you come to daily Mass, each parishioner needs to immediately take notice that they will be responsible for placing a host in the paten to be brought forward at the Preparation of the Gifts.  This is one benefits of no longer having two entrances and two sides to our gathering space. Now, we can more easily fulfill the Church’s guidelines that tell us that the hosts to be brought forward should only be the ones needed for the community at that Mass. As for Sunday celebrations, our sacristans will continue to get rough counts of those who have come for Mass and make sure the number of hosts is appropriate. In addition, we continue to have a reserved number of hosts for the sick in our Tabernacle so that our Homebound Ministers can bring Christ to the sick.

As always, please keep this courageous and faith-filled enterprise in your prayers.  And, again, thank you to all who gave of their time and talent this past week to help prepare the church for asbestos abatement.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

It Has Begun

Dear Parishioners,

Well, it has begun.  Last week our flags were taken down and our pipe organ dismantled and sent to St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Portland. This weekend marks the last time we will offer any Sacraments or services in our church building. Each one of these events are uncomfortable and even disturbing, for we are all used to these things.  We’ve come to expect them in our minds, hearts, and vision when we come to our campus.  But, instead of living solely in the sadness of things going away, we must all accept that suffering and dying are necessary parts of life and necessary parts of our spiritual growth.  When we accept suffering and death into our lives, we are accepting our cross.  When we accept our cross, we are being true disciples of the Lord and only then can resurrection occur.  So, I want to encourage us all to truly take in the changes that cause us discomfort and see them for the potential gifts that they can be. 

Last week, while on retreat, I came upon this wonderful thought from Thérèse of Lisieux who was quoting a priest, Fr. Almire Pinchon: “The greatest honor that God can pay to anyone is not to give him much but to ask much from him.” God is asking much from us. This transitional time will require us to be uncomfortable at times and even bump into each other at times. We will get to know each other in a much more intimate space, literally we will be closer by the fact that we will be sitting right next to each other! But, this is our grand opportunity to give praise to God and love each other at a more personal level!  This is our time to pray for our community that we will grow through our suffering and become the saints we are all called to be. So, praise God for what he is asking from us!  In return, pray that our participation in our crosses will bear great fruit not just for our parish, but for all those who come to visit or are wanting to join us in the years to come. 

We will be saying goodbye to our current church (honoring our past), and preparing for our new church (building our future).  This presents us all a choice.  What will you choose?  May all our efforts give God the glory, for we choose to serve the Lord (cf. Joshua 24:15). 

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Countdown

Dear Parishioners,

Let the countdown begin! Next weekend will be the last time we will celebrate any Masses, services, or any of the Sacraments in our current church as we move to the Hall and prepare for the next step towards our new church. Here’s what’s coming in the near future. 

June 13-16th - The organ will be dismantled, transported, and reassembled in St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Portland. 

June 18 - After the 11 AM Mass, we will solemnize the departure of our church by stripping the altar, removing the Blessed Sacrament as well as the Holy Oils and processing through the church and to the Parish Center Sky Room where we will have a short time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

June 19 - Our first Mass in the Sky Room will take place. We will continue to use the Sky Room until the day we dedicate our new church in the later part of 2018. We are planning for Christmas and Easter Masses to take place in the gym of the Lincoln Elementary School across the street just so we can handle the increase in attendence during those times.

June 20 - All are invited to help in the removal of all the other items of the church to be either stored, thrown away, or given to other entities. The pews will need to be unbolted from the pews and placed outside. This activity will be lead by Kirk Chapman, Stephen Voehl, and Alan Crews.  If anyone has any questions, they are the ones with whom to inquire.

June 21 - If the church is not yet emptied of items that are scheduled to be removed, etc., this will be when the last items should be completely taken out.

After all the needed items have been removed from the church, a company will come to the church to begin asbestos abatement which will take two weeks to complete. The church will be completely off limits during this important step, indeed expect to see workers dressed in special garb and face masks as well other special wrapping around the church as the professionals determine are needed.

After asbestos abatement, heavy equipment will be brought in and demolition of the church will commence. This is expected to take only three days. We will make sure to advertise this date when it is known. It will be quite the event to witness.

So, there’s our short-term timeline of events.  There may be some unforeseen changes, but we do not expect them at this point.  As always, please keep this process in your prayers.  Please pray for the safety of all who are doing this work.  And ultimately, let us always keep our hearts, minds, and vision on the goal which is a new church for the greater glory of God.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled

Dear Parishioners,

Jesus said, "Where I am going you know the way." Thomas then answered, "Master, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" In the context of the moment, Jesus was trying to encourage his disciples not let their hearts be troubled. And why? Because, Jesus knew that his disciples were afraid and unsure of the future. Jesus told them that, despite his leaving, he would prepare a place for them and then return. He assured them that, more than anything else, they needed to know that Jesus is the "way and the truth and the life," and thus they went out with courage and faith. In this event, Jesus is speaking to us as well.

In each of our lives, there are changes, uncertainties, and other things that cause us fear and worry. In view of our new church building project, the reality that our current church will be demolished could cause anxiety and sadness for some. For others, there is anticipation and excitement. One thing is certain, we must be sensitive to each other during this process. We all hold memories of sacraments and other events that were commemorated in our church.

Going forward, be assured that people of good faith are striving to be good stewards in the process. Things are bound to change and mistakes will be made. We will be bumping into each other more and sitting closer to each other. In our transition period, which is slated to begin on June 24/25th, we should not be like the Israelites who grumbled and, thus, wandered in the desert. Rather, we are the disciples of Jesus who are called to a particular mission (this new church) with courage and faith.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger Pastor 

The Big Push:"Commitment Weekend"

Dear Parishioners,

Did you know that our Honoring our Past - Building Our Future capital campaign has three goals? 

1. Raise a minimum of $2.5 mil.,
2. To reach a challenge goal of $3 mil., and finally
3. To give everyone an opportunity to participate in any way they can to this important campaign.

If you check out our thermometers in our narthexes, you will see that we have met goal #1.  Yea!  Thank you to all who have made it possible. This coming weekend, we can make a strong push for goals #2 and #3.

This weekend is called “Commitment Weekend.”  It is one of our biggest moments where I am asking that everyone that has not already made a financial commitment to our capital campaign, to do so.  By heading over to the Parish Center after Mass, you will be able to speak with a campaign volunteer who will guide you in making your pledge. It is not a negotiation, but a time to graciously and gratefully receive whatever gift you decide upon to give.  Even if you have not yet decided on how you will give, please still speak to a campaign volunteer in order to let us know.  Why you might ask?  Well, after all the Masses in the afternoon, we will then make an effort to go visit the homes of those whom we have not yet heard from in regards to the campaign.  So, if you prefer that nobody come to your home, please stop by the Parish Center after Mass and let us know.  Again, our goal is to try to have personal contact with every parishioner we can so as to make sure that everyone has a chance to get involved in this amazing project.

If you have any questions, again, going to the Parish Center will connect you with a campaign volunteer who will help answer your questions.  

Thank you all for your amazing generosity!  The community of St. Anne has done it again!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Advent: A Season of the Paschal Mystery Honor our Past- Building Our Future, Pt. 5

Dear Parishioners,

Advent is upon us!  O Come!  O Come Emmanuel!  In this season, we are to be preparingfor the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord (his first coming) as well as looking head with hope to when he will come again (his second coming). It is a time to reconcile with God and our neighbor when sin and a cold heart may keep us apart.  It is a time to be people of light amidst the darkness. 

This is very likely our last Advent in our current church.  With that comes a sense of sadness as well as hope. We may be sad, as we cling to the memories that are framed by the walls of this sacred space. It may be joyful as we look to a new beginning with a foundation being prepared for the future. We honor all those experiences and people who have dawned our doors.  As we gaze about our church, we are reminded of how it has changed so many times in the past. This is a perfect season to prepare our heart for something new, something that builds on the memories and guides us towards our future. With the process of a new church building moving forward, we must hold close to our hearts the Paschal Mystery (the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus). 

The thought of change causes pain and suffering for most of us. But, as Catholic Christians, we know that suffering can be redemptive if we join it to the sufferings of our Lord.  We do best not to avoid our suffering, but to go head-long into them.  By doing so, a part of us dies—possibly our selfishness or pride, possibly our neediness or sinfulness.  Whatever dies in us, we know that through death, new life—resurrection—comes forth.  Advent is a time to allow our old sinful ways to die so that we may live anew. 

So, let us walk as people of the light amidst a darkened world.  Stare down your fears and sufferings and let go of whatever is keeping you shackled in your heart.  Let us enjoy this final Advent knowing that something new is coming, something that will also give Glory to God.  May we let the light of Christ shine even more brightly in our hearts so that his first coming will propel us to fearlessly head towards his second coming. O Come!  O Come Emmanuel!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Honoring Our Past, Pt. 3

Dear Parishioners,

Continuing with the theme of honoring our past ~ building for our future, I would like to turn our attention to one of the main reasons for our church project: the overall arrangement of things in our church, most specifically the sanctuary and pews. How did the current arrangement come about?  Who were the main players?  What were their reasons? What issue(s) were they trying to solve? And finally, are those solutions still relevant today? How does our new church project honor the original intent of our current building while bringing up to date the norms of the Church?

When talking to parishioners who were here when it was constructed as well as four of our former pastors, they all told me stories about how, the pastor at the time, Fr. Kelly, demanded that the church be fireproof, thus cinder block and steel were the main materials used.  The church was intended to seat 700 people facing the West where the Sanctuary and main altar was going to be placed. In my research, I was surprised to find other versions of the church that were drawn up prior to the final one we have now, some of which placed the altar on the East side of the building and others having very ambitious ideas for the entire campus.

St. Anne Catholic Church ca. 1

After construction of our current church began in 1959, Fr. Edmund Murnane, pastor of St. Mary parish in Eugene and friend of Father Kelly persuaded Fr. Kelly to place the altar in the middle of the church so that people could see both the altar and the priest. Some pastors shared with me that there was talk coming from Rome that liturgical changes were potentially coming, thus another reason for Fr. Murnane’s encouragement to Fr. Kelly. Keep in mind that the Second Vatican Council had not yet taken place, so the Mass was in Latin with the priest faced ad orientum or liturgical “towards the east” along with the entire congregation. In that form of the Mass, much of the action at the altar was obscured by the priest’s body. So, when the rubrics called for the priest to raise the host or chalice after consecration, he had to raise it well above his head. This moment is the most commonly captured image when referring to that form of Mass, now called the Extraordinary Form. If you want to experience that form, we host specially trained prIests to come roughly every other month to our mission, Our Lady of the River, and offer that Mass. So, in the context of the time, putting pews to the side of the sanctuary would have been very avant guard yet practical in view of the goal of being able to see more of the action happening at the altar. That being said, the arrangement of the church interior was very controversial amongst parishioner then and has continued to be so until today.

When the Second Vatican Council concluded, the liturgy was to be reformed in light of ancient documents describing the earliest liturgies as well as a sense of “full, active, and conscious participation.” The post-conciliar document, Inter Oecumenici §91, spoke directly about the preference for altars to be centrally located and free standing in order to permit walking around it, i.e.. for incensing. The 1970 Missal and subsequent editions have encouraged the priest to face towards the people, ad populum, when possible.

In the time since the Second Vatican Council, many ideas have been offered for church construction and layout.  Some have held the test of time while others have been corrected and/or removed.  According to “Built of Living Stones,” the document from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, tabernacles can be placed in many locations. When they are placed in the sanctuary but not directly behind the altar, confusion has happened as to the proper liturgical gestures and behaviors are appropriate.  Archbishop Sample, when I asked him what he wanted in a new church, gave me clear direction. He stated that he wanted a church to look like a church, to be beautiful, and the Tabernacle to be located directly behind the Altar, for “it would solve many issues.”

With these changes in the liturgy, the original reason spelled out by Fr. Murnane to Fr. Kelly for placing the sanctuary half-way down on the North side of the church with the pews on the side no longer offered the advantage for which they were intended. In my humble opinion, the only advantage to our current arrangement is the close proximity of the people in the pews to the sanctuary and the action at the altar. This an important feature when pondering on the placement of pews, but in our situation the disadvantages, over time and experience, outweigh this singular advantage. When our Core Building Committee began meeting three years ago, it was clear that they wanted the church to have all the pews facing the same direction. They felt the orientation of the pews to be more distracting than helpful when it came to paying attention. They voiced their concerns that the acoustics inherent in our current arrangement, regardless of the sound system, made much of the Mass unintelligible. They voiced concern about the issues created by not having a main aisle and how we had missed many opportunities to host weddings for our parishioners in lieu of other parishes that “looked and felt more like a church.”  These issues and more were likely unforeseen in the process of discernment when our current pew layout was being planned.  

So, with the needs of the preconciliar Church being met by Fr. Kelly, the reforms of the Second Vatican Council offering reforms, the norms of our Roman Missal giving us new clarity, the guidelines by our bishops giving us guidance, and the reflection from our Core building Committee giving ideas on how to meet today’s needs, I think that it it is safe to say that if our new church plan was built back 1959, it would have been received well.  That is another way to honor our past.

I will be offering more about our history in forthcoming bulletin articles.  So, keep your eyes peeled to this column in the weeks ahead.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Three Ways To Help With Our New Church Building Project

Dear Parishioners,

For many months, people have asked how the new church project was coming along.  I have shared with them that we had hired a capital campaign company, Walsh & Associates, who sent us Mark Warren as the lead coordinator who has been conducting our efforts to prepare and will walk us through the process to the end.  From there we hired Carole Kay as the Administrative Assistant to help manage the day-to-day operations in preparation for our capital campaign.  I have also formed a new cabinet specifically directed to lead our efforts to maximize our potential for success.  These include Dave & Doneta Thomason, Kirk & Jamee Chapman and Bill & Maureen Bailey who have graciously agreed to serve as our Campaign Chairpersons with Dave & Terri Currie, Glenn & Sandy Walker, Phil & Barb Busch, Mike & Kathy Bird and Stu & Sharon Watson respectively agreeing to head our important support committees for Prayer, Hospitality, Youth & Children’s Gifts, Communications, and Creative Giving.

So, this weekend marks what is called, “Announcement Weekend” where I spell out the issues that have brought us to this point of discernment to build a new church as well as our plan to meet and sole those issues.  Ultimately, I have three requests:

1) Please pray regularly for our campaign's success and that God’s will be done.

2) Please prayerfully consider helping by becoming a campaign volunteer, too.  Remember that many hands make light work.  With a strong volunteer group, we can have confidence that the effort is efficiently run and that the job of volunteering will be easy and enjoyable for everyone. 

3)  And finally, you will all eventually be asked to support the campaign effort financially, as well.  We also need and ask that whatever gift you ultimately decide to make be over and above whatever you do regularly for our church since we simply can’t afford to jeopardize our regular giving or in any way erode our ability to provide ongoing support for our programs, services and ministries.

Please see our special insert in this week’s bulletin for more details.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me or Stephen Voehl, our Business Manager.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

New Church Building Update

Dear Parishioners,

Once again, as a manner of transparency and high communications, I would simply like to give you an update to our new church building project.  Here’s a brief history.

 After determining needs and wants over the course of several years, myself along with the Core Building Committee along with the Administrative Council called upon S & B James of White City to draw several plans for a new church which included site plans. The idea of simply remodeling the current building was reflected upon, but continually introduced more problems than it solved.  So, a new building has always been our focus. We did a feasibility study in view of the plan we felt was the best solution to answer almost all concerns brought forward. But, it soon became clear that our dreams when compared to our fundraising potential didn’t match.  So, we concluded that, knowing our potential for fundraising, we would then have S & B James draw up a new plan that would come within our financial reach.  Such a drawing would cut out some of the items we dreamed about, but would focus on the one main goal of this whole project: a better liturgical space worthy of the Sacred Liturgy which had all the pews in one direction. 

Thus, a very rough drawing of a basic rectangular building meeting our basic needs has been draw.  As a rough draft we will soon be reflecting more deeply on this drawing before we bring it before the parish community.  

The Archdiocesan Building Commission will need to weigh in and give approval of our plan and fundraising efforts. Assuming all goes well with the process of finalizing a suitable drawing, we will then seek out a professional company to help with a capital campaign which would likely happen in the Fall.  Assuming that goes well, we would then seek out bids from construction companies, choose the one construction company that fit our criterion, and ground breaking could occur late Winter or early Spring.  During the building phase of this project, we expect to hold Mass in our Parish Center. It will be tight, but we can fit. Personally, I am very curious to see how that experience bonds us together more as a community. 

Again, this is the latest information regarding the building project.  I have no intention of rushing any of this so all suggested drawings and time frames are subject to change.  I have not called together our Core Building Committee for review of the new rough drawing, but will do so when S & B James is ready to discuss the ideas together.  

So, I ask that you all continue to keep this project in your prayers.  We want to do this right and with prudence.  Some people are antsy to get this going while others are very cautious.  I understand both of those points of view, as I have held both, jugging them in my mind many times.  I pray that this project, however it goes, will be a grace-filled time where we grow together as a parish in our journey towards our Lord.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor