3 minute read
The Church Decorating Ministry: Bringing Our Worship Space Alive
The architecture of our beautiful church serves to lift our eyes and our spirits up in prayer to our Creator. As we journey through the liturgical year, the Church Decorating Ministry fills our sacred space with the beauty of nature and the colors of the changing liturgical seasons. The artful decorations enhance our personal prayer and our liturgy as they help us enter into each season. As we pass through Lent and Easter approaches, the Christmas and Easter decorating team is hard at work, preparing to make the church come alive for the Resurrection. Bonnie Graham and Shelly Deem coordinate the church decorations for these special seasons.
“The decorations are sort of an exclamation,” Shelly says. “It’s a magical time and the decorations enhance that. This is such a big important time and the church takes on such a transformation.”
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Bonnie and Shelly like to take a fresh approach each year and consider how they might use all the possible Easter flowers and colors. The church transforms from a somber, Lenten purple to the vibrant and bright Easter white with spring flowers and color filling the beautiful space. Flowering crabapple trees, ferns, and Easter lilies are some of the natural décor you might find for Easter. Whatever the decorations might be, they draw our eye to the sanctuary and, most importantly, the altar.
“We don’t overdo the tabernacle, but we never take away from the tabernacle,” Bonnie says. “The altar of celebration is definitely a focus. That’s key, especially at Easter. It’s a ‘wow’ moment when people walk in.”
Bonnie and Shelly pull out all the stops for the Christmas and Easter seasons. They rely on a dozen men from the parish every Christmas to move and set up 15 Christmas trees. Then they get to work hanging lights on the trees and placing the many, many baskets of poinsettias. For Easter, there isn’t as much heavy lifting, but they still need plenty of help setting up.
“People might think they need a special talent to come and help, but some of it is just a matter of placement and tweaking,” Bonnie says. “I know there are people out there with wonderful ideas and we are very open to that.”
Beyond just beautifying the church, Bonnie and Shelly see their work as a special ministry that reaches those who might only come to church for Christmas and Easter Masses. They hope their work makes the church truly special and welcoming and helps all who attend enter into the liturgy. “Parishioners do seem to really enjoy it,” Shelly says. “After Mass, all the families take pictures in front of the decorations.”
Gathering to decorate the church is a full day’s work. It’s a chance to work around the church while enjoying the fellowship of other parishioners. Bonnie and Shelly welcome all who have an interest in helping.
