Church Decorating Committee Shares Talents to Help Our Faith Grow

Our Church Decorating Committee works throughout the year to make sure we can experience the peace and beauty of the nature God has created. Their work — the freely giving of their talents — inspires us to more deeply open our hearts to God when we celebrate the Mass.

“I’d quit work, and two weeks later there was a notice in the bulletin that the committee needed someone,” says Ronda Wand, who became the committee coordinator at the end of February 2019. “My husband said, ‘A door closed, but one has opened.’ I’m a decorator by trade, having worked for 40 years for Ashley Furniture.”

The committee has about 30 members. During the year it decorates the church with flowers for all holidays, hangs banners, and changes the altar scarves for the liturgical time of year. Ronda emails members for workdays and has a good response on the major holidays.

Committee members engage their talents and work together to decide how they will decorate with flowers, being mindful of the liturgical calendar and the appropriate colors.

Ronda also is a member of the parish Garden and Flowers Committee, and she brings her love of flowers into her work with the Decorating Committee.

“I feel closer when I’m gardening and doing flowers — I feel closer to God,” she says. “I can express my feelings for my parish and I hope the people can see the beauty of the flowers, and our church.”

That beauty, and the skills of those who have arranged them, can help us also grow closer to God.

“At this time there is so much unrest in our world, and here in Quincy, also, we can maybe look at our church for faith and encouragement and peace,” Ronda says. “I hope that when we’re decorating our church, the people can look and just feel the presence of God through our decorating and flowers. I feel I’m closer to my faith when I’m either gardening or working with flowers and decorating our church. I think people on the committee feel the same way. We all stand back and say, ‘Isn’t it beautiful?’ I feel so proud of what we’ve done, just a pouring out of all of us to make it as attractive and lovely for everyone that comes there. People come up and say, ‘The church looks so nice.’ I give credit to everyone. I want this place to feel it’s for them. I feel it’s part of God’s plan we’re doing this.”

The restrictions brought by the pandemic have caused some changes in decorating during the year. For example, the committee often hangs banners in the narthex and the church proper, but currently, all that can be done is the placing of potted plants in the narthex. It is hoped that the committee will be able to do more decorating at Christmas.

Members of the committee and Ronda have embraced stewardship in their work.

“When stewardship was brought forward to us, it was an awakening for me,” she says. “It was something now I can do. I felt really confirmed with the volunteer time for both the Gardening and Decorating Committees. This was just right. Stewardship is important. It is part of our church. I’m so thankful Fr. Leo got it going to the height of where it is now. So many are involved in stewardship now.”

Additional Church Decorating Committee members are always welcome. For more information, please call the parish office at 217-222-3155.

During the year it decorates the church with flowers for all holidays, hangs banners, and changes the altar scarves for the liturgical time of year.

Committee members engage their talents and work together to decide how they will decorate with flowers, being mindful of the liturgical calendar and the appropriate colors.