Environment Ministry Members Share Their Faith Through the Beauty of Our Church

When Joan Cotton realized she could share her faith through the beauty of decorating, she joined the Environment Ministry.

“God has blessed me with the gift of enjoying decorating and the eye to see how things go together to bring beauty out,” she says. “I love to give to others, and it has also made my faith stronger.”

The Environment Ministry at Our Lady of the Assumption seeks to bring the décor of the church into the Liturgy of the Word and particularly Sunday’s Gospel. In 2011, Fr. Brendan McKeefry started the ministry, which was originally part of the Liturgy Committee.

“The Church divides the year into liturgical seasons starting with Advent and Christmas, or Christ’s birth,” Joan says. “Then we have the season of Christ’s ministry, or Ordinary Time, before Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, or from Ash Wednesday through the Resurrection of the Lord.”

Marylee Johnson has been part of the Liturgy Committee since 1974 and is now a member of the Environment Ministry.

“Visuals help us learn and understand the Gospel as we listen,” Marylee says. “Being involved in this ministry has helped me learn more about the Gospel and my own faith journey.”

During the Lenten season, decorations become particularly quiet and simple as they reflect the readings, and colorful flowers are demonstrably absent.

“For Ash Wednesday, we put a vase of olive branches in front of the altar,” Marylee says. “We then added to that over the weeks that followed with some sand and a cactus plant.”

Then, during the Easter season, bright and colorful flowers symbolized the joy of Christ’s resurrection. Hydrangeas, lilies, roses, and tulips adorned the church, as well as gold and white banners.

While many faith community members volunteer to help the Environment Ministry during the Christmas season, ministry members are needed throughout the entire liturgical year.

“We really need some young folks to get involved!” Marylee says. “They could climb ladders for us, hang the higher-up decorations, and move heavier plants.”

Throughout the week, we have the opportunity to reflect on the Gospel and its unfolding meaning in our lives, and the environment of our sacred space brings us all further into the Word of God.

“Each carefully placed plant, flower arrangement, banner and decoration are meant to symbolically represent each season, and focus our minds and hearts on that particular phase of Christ’s life,” Joan says. “The environment helps draw me back into my faith and deepens my faith.”

If you would like more information about Environment Ministry at Our Lady of the Assumption, please reach out to Joan Cotton at 916-849-2282 or faithformation@olaparish.net, or Marylee Johnson at 916-359-1225.

Our Lady of the Assumption decorated for Lent

Our Lady of the Assumption decorated for Easter