Vincen de Paul Saint
catholic church | seward, nebraska
AN INSIDE LOOK AT OUR PARISH
W
Serving as Faithful Stewards of Ou
e are blessed at St. Vincent de Paul with a vibrant parish and school community — and many, many people who work behind the scenes to keep our faith family thriving! With about two dozen regular members and countless parishioners who help out as needed, our Facilities Committee is a wonderful group of people dedicated to ensuring the continued safety and beauty of our church and school campus. The Facilities Committee supports our two maintenance workers with various projects around the parish — stepping in to help with everything from cleaning, to changing the batteries in our automated faucets, to planting trees. These days, the committee is even busier than usual as St. Vincent de Paul prepares to move forward on remodeling the sanctuary. The Sanctuary Committee, a subcommittee of
4
FAC
the Facilities Committee, has held numerous meetings with an architect to go over the new design elements of the sanctuary. One of the biggest changes in the sanctuary will be the placement of a crucifix over the altar in place of the current Risen Christ. “We have a Risen Christ that is original to the building,” says Aaron Busse, Chair of the Facilities Committee. “There is a desire for people to go in and pray in front of a beautiful crucifix and some of those traditional elements that have been refined over the last two thousand years. With so many parishioners wanting to keep the Risen Christ, we’ve come up with a good plan to relocate it to the entry. So it won’t be off in a corner — everyone will see it as they walk in.” In addition to placing a crucifix over the altar, other plans for the sanctuary remodel include removing the existing backdrop and having a new one made, replacing the carpet with tile, bringing the tabernacle to the center, and moving the statues of the Holy Family and St. Vincent so that they are on either side of the crucifix. The organ and choir area will also be relocated to a less central location. After facing significant delays due to the COVID-19 crisis, Aaron is happy to report that the sanctuary remodel is quickly moving forward and hopes that the work will be completed sometime between Christmas and Easter! As with all things, this enormous undertaking of our Facilities and Sanctuary Committees would not be possible without the generous support of our parishioners. Two years ago, the Sanctuary Committee was able to raise $40,000 through a special appeal. This summer, parishioners once again rose to the occasion of a second special appeal for the sanctuary project. Anonymous
