giving glor yto go d - SS Peter and Paul Parish

Special Thanks to Dr. Denis McNamara, Mike Brummond and John Saxtan for their intellectual
contributions to this text and their proofreading skills.
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
March 25, 2015
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS
SAINTS PETER & PAUL PARISH,
This book can be obtained in the parish office.
2
Sacrosanctum concilium, 8.
3
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1326.
4
Dr. Denis McNamara, Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy, p.188.
5
Revelation 4:6-8.
6
Dr. Denis McNamara, Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 79.
7
Revelation 5:11-12.
8
Exodus 25:18-22.
9
Revelation 21:2, 22.
10
Catholic Encyclopedia (1917).
11
Catholic Encyclopedia (1917).
12
Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1992).
13
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2676.
14
Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1992).
15
Rev. Matthew Mauriello.
16
The explanation of the virtues of Saint Joseph are provided by Mike Brummond.
17
The Forge.
18
Angelus, December 18, 2005.
19
Pope Saint John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, 17.
20
Redemptoris Custos, 30.
21
Servant of God Father John A. Hardon, S.J.
GIVING GLORY TO GOD
ENDNOTES
1
GIVING GLORY TO GOD
Saints Peter and Paul Parish was founded in 1846 and the present Gothic Revival church building, designed by the architect Herman J. Gaul, was dedicated by George Cardinal Mundelein on September 25,
1927. This flyer explains the meaning of the sanctuary restoration executed from January to March,
2015 by Conrad Schmitt Studios and the consistency of the present restoration with the original intent of
the 1927 design. A more complete explanation of the design and meaning of the appointments of the
church building can be found in John Saxtan's book The Stained Glass Windows and Other Decorations of
Ss. Peter & Paul.1
Synopsis of the Sanctuary of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Naperville
Who dwells in our church?
We enter the mystery of our faith through the doors of Saints Peter and Paul Church. We witness the
story of the Life of Christ: His birth, His miracles, His death, His resurrection and His ascension. We
penetrate the mystery of the Last Supper, but the mystery does not end even with our Lord's ascent into
heaven. The Last Supper is truly made present on the altar but made present too is its fulfillment as the
Heavenly Banquet Feast of the Lamb of God. The Father is seated on His throne. The Son, the Lamb
who was slain, is present on the altar and the Holy Spirit gives birth to the Church in all times and places.
We witness the angels rejoicing and the new heavens and the new earth glimpsed. We do not only
watch. We enter this mystery with our souls and minds and bodies singing with the angels: "Holy, Holy,
Holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory!" Our church building shows these mysteries to us through its very art and architecture.
The document on the Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council states: "In the earthly liturgy, by way of
foretaste, we share in that liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem…we sing a hymn to
the Lord’s glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army." 2 More recently, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reiterated this thought: "...by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the
heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all."3 Dr. Denis McNamara, renowned
expert in the history and meaning of sacred architecture, explained that the work of the artist in decorating a church is sacramental. The images we see point to the reality that is unseen, e.g., the sculpture
of a Lamb points to the true Lamb of God present on the altar in the Eucharist. Dr. McNamara wrote:
"Although an infinite distance still exists between God and the artist because God can create something
from nothing, and an artist fashions something out of preexisting matter, as a revealer of invisible spiritual realities, the work of the artist is primarily sacramental."4
What is most fascinating about the current restoration of Saints Peter and Paul parish church is that the
original architect and parishioners working on this project must have had these truths in mind when
they designed our parish church. Proof that Mr. Gaul viewed our church as making present in some way
the complete Mystery of our Faith in the bricks, limestone, paint and glass, still exists in our parish
church and shines forth even more clearly in the restoration just completed. This flyer will help you
make this connection with our forebears.
Most Just
The Gospel of Matthew calls St. Joseph a “just man” (1:19). Pope Benedict XVI spoke of St. Joseph’s silence and justice: “It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches
over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with
the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the
Lord, of the adoration of his holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no
exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his ‘father’ Joseph that Jesus learned - at the
human level - that steadfast interiority which is a presupposition of authentic justice, the
‘superior justice’ which he was one day to teach his disciples. Let us allow ourselves to be
‘filled’ with St Joseph's silence!”18
Most Faithful
“In the course of that pilgrimage of faith which was his life, Joseph, like Mary, remained faithful
to God's call until the end. While Mary's life was the bringing to fullness of that fiat first spoken
at the Annunciation, at the moment of Joseph's own ‘annunciation’ he said nothing; instead he
simply ‘did as the angel of the Lord commanded him’ (Mt 1:24). And this first ‘doing’ became
the beginning of ‘Joseph's way.’"19
Most Obedient
St. Joseph is characterized in the Gospel of Matthew as one who immediately acts on God’s
word. Quoting the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on Divine Revelation, Pope Saint John
Paul II said that “the basic attitude of the entire Church must be that of ‘hearing the word of
God with reverence,’ an absolute readiness to serve faithfully God's salvific will revealed in Jesus. Already at the beginning of human redemption, after Mary, we find the model of obedience made incarnate in St. Joseph, the man known for having faithfully carried out God's commands.”20
Most Courageous
St. Joseph was the courageous protector of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Contemplating the titles of St. Joseph, Blessed John Henry Newman said: “He was the Cherub,
placed to guard the new terrestrial Paradise from the intrusion of every foe.”
Most Prudent
“The prudence of Saint Joseph is part of our Catholic faith. It is especially shown in his remarkable practice of silence. Of course, Joseph talked. Yet the Gospels do not record a single w o r d
he spoke, no doubt to teach us that if we wish to practice the virtue of prudence, we must look
to our practice of silence. We are to be silent when others want us to speak, and we practice
charity by our self-control. We are to be silent when it is clearly necessary to do something and
not talk about it. For some people talk and more talk is an excuse for doing God’s will, but
speech is no substitute for actions. No one has practiced prudence better than Jesus and Mary.
But Saint Joseph teaches us that prudence is correct knowledge about things to be done or,
more broadly, the knowledge of things that ought to be done and of things that should be
avoided.”21
Ark of the Covenant
"Mary is full of grace because the Lord is with her. The grace with which she is filled is the presence of him who is the source of all grace. 'Rejoice . . . O Daughter of Jerusalem . . . the Lord
your God is in your midst.' Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the
daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord
dwells. She is 'the dwelling of God . . . with men.' Full of grace, Mary is wholly given over to him
who has come to dwell in her and whom she is about to give to the world." 13
Queen of Apostles
Mary under this title carries special significance for our parish dedicated to the two princes of
the Apostles. "Many in their apostolic and missionary zeal have noted the preeminent and
'royal' position occupied by the Mother of Jesus in the community of the early Church and have
recognized the importance of her presence at the events of Pentecost in relation to the spread
of the Gospel message."14
Queen of Families
Pope Saint John Paul II introduced this title into the Litany on December 31, 1995. "The invocation…flows naturally from the fact that Mary is Mother of the Church. The family is considered
the 'domestic church', since it is there that the seed of faith which is planted in the Sacrament
of Baptism is nourished and flourished by the teaching and good example of the parents and
members of the home. The family is the smallest cell of the church which builds up the Mystical
Body of Christ. It is in the family that we find the first school of prayer and the moral and social
virtues that form the basis for society. The family is the place which builds up the world by
guarding and transmitting virtues and values from parent to child by what is taught and lived." 15
The Archivolt
Saint John wrote: "After this I had a vision of an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpet-like voice
that had spoken to me before, saying, 'Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards.'" The large arch above the sanctuary, called the archivolt, stands as this open door to heaven
designed as a much larger and livelier version of the main entrance portal to our church. Whereas the
vines and plants on the exterior door to the church are broken up in small separate square blocks, the
grape vines of the archivolt appear as one continuous flowering vine full of life culminating in a cross.
This represents the door to the heavenly liturgy and the foretaste of the new heavens and the new
earth. Please make note of an interesting artistic detail that teaches us about the importance of the
Eucharist. The archivolt is painted in a style called "trompe l'oeil," literally meaning "to fool the eye."
The painting gives the impression that this is not a flat surface but three-dimensional carved stone. The
impression is given by the use of darker colors for shadow and lighter colors for surfaces where the light
strikes the "stone." Please notice that the archivolt design is painted in such a way that the "shadows"
of the painting indicate that the light is coming from the main altar where the Eucharist is celebrated
and not from the windows or the light fixtures. It seems some thought about meaning and symbolism
went into the design of our parish church and the artist did not simply operate from the perspective of
what he or the design committee "thought would look nice."
The New Heavens and the New Earth
When Christ comes on the Last Day, He will set all things right creating a "new heavens and a new
earth." This new creation will not be in a fallen state as our earth is today. The new garden of Eden will
contain beautiful and perfect plants that never die. Their perfection is symbolized in art by beautiful
symmetry as displayed in the carved foliage and flowers on the high altar and the side shrines. The blue
sky is full of stars reflecting the light of the Most Holy Trinity and the people of God who are united in
the one Son. Stars of different shapes and designs appear in the blue sky of the apse ceiling. The stars
with six points symbolize the Father (similar to the Star of David) and the twelve pointed stars symbolize
the twelve tribes, the twelve apostles and Holy Spirit uniting the entire Church in the One Body of Christ.
Shrine to Saint Joseph16
Ambo
Saint Joseph attends the Banquet Feast of the Lamb with His beloved wife, Mary. The stonework connects us to that found in our beautiful windows and the foliage grows up from the altar below reminding
us that the Eucharist begins to make present the new heavens and the new earth. Please notice that the
flowers found in the vines here are lilies, the symbol of Saint Joseph's purity as the most chaste spouse
of the Virgin. The medallion above Saint Joseph is also a copy of the medallion that was placed here in
1985.
Present at the Banquet Feast of the Lamb are the four living creatures depicted on the front of the
ambo: an ox, an eagle, a lion and a man. These four traditionally symbolize the four evangelists proclaiming the glory of the Lord and singing at the Banquet Feast of the Lamb: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.” 5
Most Pure
St. Josemaria Escriva prays: “Saint Joseph, our Father and Lord: most chaste, most pure. You
were found worthy to carry the Child Jesus in your arms, to wash him, to hug him. Teach us to
get to know God, and to be pure, worthy of being other Christs."17
Wedding Feast of the Lamb
The clearest indication that the sanctuary of our church was designed not only to reflect Christ's life here
on earth but also to reflect the Heavenly Banquet Feast of the Lamb is found at the heart of the sanctuary itself. The marble bas relief of the Lamb seated on the Book with the seven seals was present on the
high altar of the church from the first moment the doors opened in 1927. Since 1927, this sculpture of
the Lamb has appeared on the high altar at which Mass was celebrated every Sunday and Holy Day.
After the Second Vatican Council, this altar was shortened and the altar table was placed where it is
found today below the stairs to the tabernacle. The bas relief of the Lamb, however, remains just below
the tabernacle where the Eucharist is reserved.
The design and appointments of the sanctuary, even the entire church, point toward the divine truth
that the Lamb of God is truly present on the altar at every Mass and truly and constantly present in the
tabernacle. The Eucharist, in fact, is the foretaste of the Banquet Feast of Heaven.
The Cross and Sacrifice in Glass
Dr. McNamara explains: "Here, without denying the value of material to become the bearer of divinity,
the dust of the earth used to make stained glass is transformed through the application of human will
and intellect, imitating God the creator who fashioned man from mute dust and made him living and
intelligent, then glorified him to radiance. Saint Paul writes, saying that 'just as we have borne the image
of the man of heaven' (1 Corinthians 15:49), and here stained glass becomes more than a mere painting
in light. It reveals in our time the reality of a restored, divinized creation."⁶ The windows of the apse
allow us to glimpse the institution of the Eucharist, the New Covenant (Multiplication of the Loaves, Last
Supper, Mass in the Catacombs), foretold in the sacrifice of the Old Covenant (Sacrifice of Isaac, Sacrifice
of Melchizedek and Passover). The Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross stands at the center of these windows
marking the passage from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant (horizontal) and uniting earth and
heaven (vertical). The window of the crucifixion reminds us that the Eucharist makes present both the
Sacrifice of the Cross and the foretaste of the Banquet Feast of the Lamb. All of these apse windows
gaze toward the altar teaching worshippers who it is lying on the altar not only by the mysteries depicted in the windows but also by the glory of the jeweled glass indicating divinity and the foliage of the
new earth framing the depictions. The church herself is adorned to meet the bridegroom.
Angels
"I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures
and the elders. They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice: 'Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.'"⁷ As the
Book of Revelation tells us, myriads of angels exist in heaven. However, the seven angels depicted in the
apse ceiling all face the altar on which will soon be present the Lamb of God who is worthy to receive
"power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing". The Latin words for these
seven characteristics are: "virtutem, divitias, sapientiam, fortitudinem, honorem, gloriam, benedictionem". "Dignus est agnus" means "Worthy is the Lamb" with the words "that was slain to receive"
being implied.
The two large wooden angels with gold-leaf highlights have been restored to their original location, one
on each side of the tabernacle. These specific angels have the task of representing the cherubim⁸ whose
wings protected the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Old Jerusalem. Now they
stand protecting the New Covenant who is the Lamb of God present on the altar anticipating the New
Temple in the New Jerusalem.⁹
Shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saints as well as angels dwell in heaven and so we see the saints represented by our statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul as well as Saint Mary and Saint Joseph.
The New Heavens and New Earth
The stone work around this shrine to the Virgin emulates the windows decorating the rest of the
church with motifs of the new earth with flowering plants and vines. The "curtain" of vines and
flowers which grows up uninterrupted from the altar below, surrounds the Blessed Mother, the fruit
of whose womb is the Son of God. Please notice the flowers found within these vines are white
roses, symbolizing the purity and queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The medallion above Saint
Mary is a copy of the medallion that was placed here in 1985, thereby preserving some elements
from the previous renovation of our parish church.
Titles from the Blessed Virgin Mary
A selection of titles taken from the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary are included in the design of
the shrine. Although these titles were not included in the original design of this shrine in 1927,
Marian titles from the Litany were included in the later design painted in the mid-1940s. Just as we
have included elements of later design in various aspects of the present restoration out of respect
for the devotion of the people of the parish during that time period, so we include a selection of
these titles of Mary. Please notice that the chosen titles were brought up to date in that two of
them were introduced into the Litany only recently by Blessed Pope Paul VI and Pope Saint John
Paul II.
Holy Mother of God
The Blessed Virgin Mary was declared the Mother of God by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus
in the year 431. "According to St. John (1:15) Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Word Who assumed human nature in the womb of Mary. As Mary was truly the mother of Jesus, and as Jesus
was truly God from the first moment of His conception, Mary is truly the mother of God." 10
Mother of the Church
Blessed Pope Paul VI declared Mary the Mother of the Church, in 1964 during the Second Vatican Council. "Mary's spiritual motherhood rests on the fact that Christ is our brother, being
'the firstborn among many brethren' (Romans 8:29). She became our mother at the moment
she consented to the Incarnation of the Word, the Head of the mystical body whose members
we are; and she sealed her motherhood by consenting to the bloody sacrifice on the cross
which is the source of our supernatural life." 11
Virgin Most Faithful
The co-suffering of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the drama of salvation is rightly celebrated because she stood by the cross of the Lord "firm in faith, strong in hope, burning with love; there
she did not spare her own life when her nation was brought low; she endured the greatest of
pains in bringing forth her Son… How blessed was the Virgin Mary in her sufferings: she gained
the palm of living martyrdom at the foot of the cross of her Son."12