I was excited that the opportunity opened up for me to go on this year's tour, and to visit 6 church spaces in south central Oak Park. As these churches are more in the area of Oak Park where I reside, I pass many of them every day when headed out somewhere, so it was especially nice to have the chance to go inside some of these places for the first time.
Mom and I headed straight up East Avenue to Fenwick High School, where we picked up our guides and then visited the first place: St. Dominic's Chapel in Fenwick, a Dominican College Preparatory school. When I walked in, I was struck by how much smaller it seemed than in the pictures of it in promotional materials for the tour. It was also interesting to note how the pews face each other, and I thought that was some kind of design having originated in Europe, similar to pictures I've seen of the King's College Chapel in Cambridge. The tour guide, a teacher there, pointed out that the Dominicans, per their tradition, worship by facing each other. The artistic work of note in the Chapel are the 10 saintly figures depicted in the stained glass windows that face the courtyard below. (I was especially fascinated by a story of St. Dominic represented in his window. When his mother was pregnant with him, she had a vision of a dog with a torch in its mouth, setting fire to the world--a sign of the impact her son would have.)
Next, we went up the street to Good Shephard Lutheran Church. The space was simple and austere, reflecting its construction during the Great Depression years, lacking the usual adornments of most Lutheran churches that reflect their roots of having been founded by communities of German immigrants, according to one of the congregants there serving as a tour guide. The artistry I took note of was the images painted on the windows, including concepts, like the Good Shepherd, events like Christ's Nativity, and even Martin Luther's famous Diet of Worms pose. I had the opportunity to chat with the Pastor, Kathy Nolte about the baptismal fonts and Lutheranism. I had been inside this church once before for a piano recital. Apparently, the design of the sanctuary gives it superb acoustics, which is why it is used by many groups for performances and recordings. I was delighted to be serenaded by a harpist during my visit.
We then headed south and then west over to the Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church. It was, again, another space simple and austere in its interior design. There were some colored windows and wood in the furnishings. In the basement, there is a labyrinth in one of the rooms. The church is taking on some green initiatives like installing geothermal heating and solar panels. (This church, in the years right after being founded, used a former rail station depot in Oak Park, before coming to its present location.)
It was back to East Avenue and then down south to St. Christopher's Episcopal Church. This was my first time inside this Church, and I was really fascinated by the interior, with all its woodwork. Given the way the exterior looked, I wasn't surprised by the way the interior looked. As I looked through the guidebooklet to the sanctuary, I found out the ceiling of the sanctuary is supposed to represent the wooden hull of Noah's ark. I was also intrigued to see Russian Orthodox-style icons in the sanctuary and side chapel. Small stained glass windows related Biblical and other church scenes. One of the two sets of the Stations of the Cross had contemporary images representing each station.
After looking around in the sanctuary, we wandered into the parish hall, a space whose construction in progress I had seen a number of years ago. There was a woman there who greeted us, who serves as one of the wards--basically a lay member of church council. I ended up in a really engaging conversation with her, about this church, and similarities/differences of our own denominational traditions. I was having such a good time with this conversation, and probably could have gone on for a while with her, but Mom eventually came and signaled to me it was time to move on. I probably could have stayed even longer exploring the interior, and I wish I had, because there were so many intricate, notable things to look at in the art and furnishings.
Next up was the Parkview Presbyterian Church at Oak Park and Jackson. This church community was founded as a shoot from a Presbyterian church in the area west of the Loop on Chicago's West Side. The sanctuary was quite large, and plain in its overall appearance, though the architect slipped in a few features, like gargoyles. A paper given to the visitors highlighted symbols of Christian faith in the Church, like the shield, lamp (a reference to Psalm 119:105), and the three-stepped Calvary cross, representing faith, hope, and love.
The tour also took us to the church's social hall area, which had some leftover fixtures from when it was used for other purposes. And we went into a smaller, more intimate worship sanctuary space in a lower-level area, which they use in the summer months especially when the main sanctuary is too hot. (Notably, as large as the sanctuary is, the congregation only has about 30 people, which is why they use the more intimate space at times.)
As I walked from the back of the sanctuary toward the front, I noticed that the man serenading visitors with guitar music was John Atwood, of the History Singer duo, who, with Kathryn Atwood, appears at the Veterans' Day and Memorial Day ceremonies at Scoville Park.
Finally on the circuit was a stop at Ascension Roman Catholic Church, my home parish. Father Larry, the pastor, was outside the main entrance greeting visitors, and talked about some of the features on the facade, including the statues of saints, the Celtic Cross, and the letters AMDG--for the Latin phrase Ad Majorem dei gloriam, meaning "To the Greater Glory of God".
Inside, volunteers discussed some of the interior decor, especially the painting pattern put in place during the parish's centennial year, and the stained glass windows. One of the guides talked about how there were a lot of symbols that were on the ceilings and higher wall spaces, and I learned those were not original. So with the re-decorating came the decision to paint over them with colors and designs that would allow the windows to stand out. I was a little sad to see the symbols painted over, as I remember when I was preparing for Confirmation, during one of the meetings, we went into the church to look at and discuss the symbols. But hearing the way it was explained, I certainly saw the logic in the decision.
There were also books out with images and diagrams of how the Church looked over the years. I was especially intrigued to see pictures in a book Pastoral Associate David Philippart had, showing the interior decor of the church in its earliest years.
It was great having the opportunity to enter these sacred spaces, and learn more about them, and the communities that gather there, especially those outside my own tradition. And for the two Roman Catholic spaces, I gained new insights into my own understandings of faith as revealed by the spaces made for the worship of God. And there was a good diversity of denominations represented among the 6 spaces on this year's tour.
These places I visited are part of my own common life, as I pass by them frequently, and the people who gather in them are those who share with me this place I call home. So it was indeed a privilege to enter in and visit with the people who, by the practice of their faith traditions and spirituality, truly bring these spaces alive.
After looking around in the sanctuary, we wandered into the parish hall, a space whose construction in progress I had seen a number of years ago. There was a woman there who greeted us, who serves as one of the wards--basically a lay member of church council. I ended up in a really engaging conversation with her, about this church, and similarities/differences of our own denominational traditions. I was having such a good time with this conversation, and probably could have gone on for a while with her, but Mom eventually came and signaled to me it was time to move on. I probably could have stayed even longer exploring the interior, and I wish I had, because there were so many intricate, notable things to look at in the art and furnishings.
Next up was the Parkview Presbyterian Church at Oak Park and Jackson. This church community was founded as a shoot from a Presbyterian church in the area west of the Loop on Chicago's West Side. The sanctuary was quite large, and plain in its overall appearance, though the architect slipped in a few features, like gargoyles. A paper given to the visitors highlighted symbols of Christian faith in the Church, like the shield, lamp (a reference to Psalm 119:105), and the three-stepped Calvary cross, representing faith, hope, and love.
The tour also took us to the church's social hall area, which had some leftover fixtures from when it was used for other purposes. And we went into a smaller, more intimate worship sanctuary space in a lower-level area, which they use in the summer months especially when the main sanctuary is too hot. (Notably, as large as the sanctuary is, the congregation only has about 30 people, which is why they use the more intimate space at times.)
As I walked from the back of the sanctuary toward the front, I noticed that the man serenading visitors with guitar music was John Atwood, of the History Singer duo, who, with Kathryn Atwood, appears at the Veterans' Day and Memorial Day ceremonies at Scoville Park.
Finally on the circuit was a stop at Ascension Roman Catholic Church, my home parish. Father Larry, the pastor, was outside the main entrance greeting visitors, and talked about some of the features on the facade, including the statues of saints, the Celtic Cross, and the letters AMDG--for the Latin phrase Ad Majorem dei gloriam, meaning "To the Greater Glory of God".
Inside, volunteers discussed some of the interior decor, especially the painting pattern put in place during the parish's centennial year, and the stained glass windows. One of the guides talked about how there were a lot of symbols that were on the ceilings and higher wall spaces, and I learned those were not original. So with the re-decorating came the decision to paint over them with colors and designs that would allow the windows to stand out. I was a little sad to see the symbols painted over, as I remember when I was preparing for Confirmation, during one of the meetings, we went into the church to look at and discuss the symbols. But hearing the way it was explained, I certainly saw the logic in the decision.
There were also books out with images and diagrams of how the Church looked over the years. I was especially intrigued to see pictures in a book Pastoral Associate David Philippart had, showing the interior decor of the church in its earliest years.
It was great having the opportunity to enter these sacred spaces, and learn more about them, and the communities that gather there, especially those outside my own tradition. And for the two Roman Catholic spaces, I gained new insights into my own understandings of faith as revealed by the spaces made for the worship of God. And there was a good diversity of denominations represented among the 6 spaces on this year's tour.
These places I visited are part of my own common life, as I pass by them frequently, and the people who gather in them are those who share with me this place I call home. So it was indeed a privilege to enter in and visit with the people who, by the practice of their faith traditions and spirituality, truly bring these spaces alive.
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