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The Church of the Holy Ghost A Brief History In the beginning were people with a common bond of faith. In 1944, a small group of 150 Catholic families from Wood Dale, Itasca, and surrounding communities began a mission church in Wood Dale. They celebrated their first Mass on March 26 at the Wood Dale Public School. Father Niess, then pastor of St. Alexis, Bensenville, officiated. All were moved to our present site on July 6, 1945. It took almost two years to complete the church because materials and contractors were hard to get during World War II. Father Joseph E. Wagner was appointed our first pastor in autumn of 1946 by Cardinal Samuel Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago. Father Wagner said the first Mass in the church basement on November 1, 1946. The Cardinal dedicated the Church of the Holy Ghost on June 1, 1947. In September of 1948, Holy Ghost School had a humble beginning with only ninety six pupils and three classrooms in the church basement. A four-room school building was erected in 1949, the same year that Holy Ghost Church became a part of the newly established Diocese of Joliet. Pope Pius XII appointed Most Rev. Martin D. McNamara as the first bishop of this diocese. Father William D. Ryan became pastor June 14, 1961. Under his guidance and through the efforts of Holy Ghost people, we continued to grow physically and spiritually. It soon became necessary to plan larger facilities. A building fund drive was underway by 1975. Most Rev. Romeo R. Blanchette gave his approval to begin work on a new church building in autumn of 1978. Work began in May of 1979. The dedication by Most Rev. Joseph L. Imesch was March 23, 1980. In June of 1980, Father Thomas J. White became pastor. During his nine-year tenure, Holy Ghost grew and prospered. His welcoming style encouraged the people to become involved and participate in parish activities. Father White was followed by Father Thomas J. Fleming who became pastor in 1989, leaving after three years for health reasons. Our present pastor, Father Kevin Farrell, came in June of 1992. Since coming to the Church of the Holy Ghost, he has brought together an effective parish council and up-dated our liturgical celebrations. Father Kevin supports us with thoughtful, timely, and on-target homilies. He continues to provide sensitive spiritual guidance and practical learning opportunities for his flock. Our Worship space depicts our common belief One cannot enter the church without passing through the narthex in which the Baptismal Font & garden reside. The entrance into the font is designed on a North-South (or death) access. The candidate sits down into the water and is plunged 3 times under the waters of new life. The immersed candidate now becomes the newly baptized, and while standing in the font is turned and reoriented to the East-West (life access). The baptized is now a full member of the Church and emerges to face the sanctuary where the altar-table, cross, & ambo (the podium where the Word of God is proclaimed) is located. This is an intentional statement so that the font leads the baptized to the altar. The paschal candle is placed prominently near the font symbolizing the reality that Jesus is our light throughout our faith journey. The oils of the sick, chrism, & catechumen are also located in an ambry within the font area.
Our Font Design is Rooted in Tradition Ancient cultural understandings and experiences were drawn together by the early Church to express its understanding of Baptism. The earliest traditions had Christian Baptism celebrated at the great Easter vigil. The Elect (the candidates) were led down into the font and immersed in the waters of Baptism. They were then led from the font, clothed in white garments to signify new life in Jesus, anointed with oil to signify God’s selection of them as His own and then presented to the assembly for the first time to join in the Eucharistic meal. These early Christian Baptism traditions were restored after the Second Vatican Council and they are also reflected in the architectural design of the font. Baptism reflects ancient cultural understandings and experiences drawn together by the early Church. The writings of Paul draw upon two cultural bathing traditions to explain the meaning of baptism. The first was the Roman tradition of social baths in which community was fostered, the second was the Jewish ritual baths performed with the religious intention of cleansing believers from sin. The two traditions had common elements: a bath or washing in water, the putting on of new or freshly laundered clothes and an anointing or perfuming with scented oil. Both involved a community aspect. The Roman baths were social experiences that fostered the community. The Jewish ritual baths restored the wholeness of the community before God. These are the same essential elements used in the current Rite of Baptism. The font structure matches Jewish ritual bath requirements In the Jewish ritual bath, the vessel containing the water had to be large enough to immerse an adult. Also, the water had to be “fresh,” that is flowing water. Flowing water was known as “living water” because the Hebrew people believed that flowing water was moved by God’s Spirit. Our font is intentionally designed to be large enough for both infant and adult immersion. The water in the font constantly moves and overflows with the “Living Waters”of Jesus. God’s gift of new life through baptism is ever visible and within touch to all who pass through the font area in the parish narthex. Additional Worship Space Renovations Many other wonderful changes have been made in our worship space across the past few years. The skylight over the altar brings a new radiance into the sanctuary befitting the reality of what transpires there during the celebration of every Mass. Our tabernacle is located adjacent to the sanctuary and mimics in style and shape, the cross that is suspended just beneath the skylight. The tabernacle placement affords new opportunities for adoration to the Blessed Sacrament. A spacious sacristy just off the narthex is a bright, highly functional room which gives our clergy and acolytes a place to prepare for liturgies. It provides suitable storage space for vestments and sacred vessels. The music choral area has three graduated levels of platforming, padded chairs for the choir members, and a very functional redesigned area for musical equipment and the parish instrumentalists. Overall, the sanctuary furnishings with their harmony of design and simplicity of beauty can’t help but identify our church as sacred space. The ambo (pulpit, lectern) is slightly raised and positioned to complement the altar. It is a worthy place for where the sacred Word is proclaimed. The altar, tabernacle, sanctuary lamp, cross and processional cross also echo these unifying qualities making the entire church Nave a beautiful environment for giving praise and thanks to our God.
Community of
Saints Stained Glass Windows
St. Peter, St. Mary Magdalen, St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Augustine and St. Monica, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Pope John Paul II, St. Joseph, Mother Teresa, & St. Anne and St. Joachim encircle the assembly. The saints in our church depict a variety of traditional and modern day saints which serve as a support and remninder to all who worship in our space that we are all called to be a holy people. The saints represent Christians of various ages, professions, life styles, genders, and time periods. The John Paul II window is one of the first stained glass representations in the world of our Pope since his passing. The windows were designed and fabricated by Light Haus, Inc., in Madison, Wisc. by Don Pellett. The John Paul and Sts. Monica & Augustine windows can be viewed on the following website: lighthausartglass.com. The painted black on white glass stations of the cross in a triptych form are located on the back walls of our space. Jesus’ journey from death to new life is depicted in scenes placed within a cross. The scenes are unique in that they require the human eye to complete the scene of each station. The stations are set in mahogany and iron hinged in three piece frames which open for the Lenten Season and close during the rest of the liturgical year. When closed, a combinaiton of mirror and baffled glass which mimics the pattern in our stained glass windows adorns the front panel. The stations were designed by artist David Wilson of South New Berlin, New York, and Rick Findora of Morning Glory Studio in Lodi, Wisconsin. Our cross is a magnificant rendering of Jesus in transition from Death to Resurrection. It is made of mahogany, lead, and glass. Jesus is suspended in front of the cross and hangs in mid-air as if ascending into the arms of His Father. The cross was designed by Rick Findora of Morning Glory Studio in Lodi, Wisconsin, and the artist that sculpted the corpus was Jay Hall Carpenter of Gaithersburg, Maryland. A location of honor is now in place for Our Lady. The Marion Shrine for special devotion, will be embellished and further developed by the year 2007. A new statue of Mary has been commissioned and is in the process of being custom designed for our shrine. When completed, the area will be a fitting tribute to Mary, the Mother of God. The parish is currently accepting donations for the Mary statue and shrine area. The sculptors of the statue, Anna Koh and Jeffrey Varilla of the Koh-Varilla Guild are located in Chicago, Illinois. The Donor Book of Honor The book is located in the narthex of our church. It is a gold covered engraved book which honors all of the past and present benefactors that make the mission and most recent renovations of our parish possible. The book is located under the stained glass Holy Spirit logo in a niche just outside the sacristy. The Book of Remembrance Our parish history includes the keeping of a record book with a listing of all the deceased members of our parish community. The list of names of all the deceased are recorded into our “Book of Remembrance” which is prominantly displayed amongst the foliage and living waters in our baptistry area.
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