“The rebuilt Church must be a sacred edifice; the exterior recognizably Catholic, the interior a sacred altar for the Sacrifice of the Mass.”
In April 2011, an arsonist burned the Catholic Church of Hacienda Height’s St. John Vianney Parish down to the ground. Let us recognize this hate crime for what it is: an attempt to terrorize our Catholic community in southern California.
As trusting Christians, we place our trust in the Lord and work hard, in solidarity with your parish as St. Francis once did: to rebuild the Church. This Sunday’s Introit Chant* Deus in loco sancto suo offers this web-site a fitting prayer:
A. God is in his holy dwelling place; the God who causes us to dwell together,
one at heart, in his house; he himself will give power and strength to his people.
Let God arise; let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee from his presence.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
like wax that melts before the fire,
so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.
A. God is in his holy dwelling place; the God who causes us to dwell together,
one at heart, in his house; he himself will give power and strength to his people.
INTROIT • 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The parish of St. John Vianney has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild a Church that can stand proud as Catholic, a building that the Curé of Ars could actually recognize as one of his own. The goal of the Vianney Project is to share this message:
“The rebuilt Church must be a sacred edifice; the exterior recognizably Catholic, the interior a sacred altar for the Sacrifice of the Mass.”
Who are we? We are not architects, nor academics. We are Roman Catholics whose lives are daily shaped by the 60 and the 10. Our friends and classmates have married at our local parishes, our children will be baptized at there too. And one day (far, far in the future, God-willing), our families will solemnly carry our bodies from the doors of our homes at St. Joseph, St. Christopher, St. Louis, St. Martha, St. Elizabeth, St. Lorenzo, and St. John Vianney herself.
Why this web-site? We urge our leaders to consider a Catholic progressive vision that builds anew with continuity with our heritage. We’re not asking for Gothic spires or gilded statues, but surely we can avoid the mistakes of the last generation, when altars were stripped from their places and churches lost their sacredness. This web site will respectfully present the vision, to be discussed outside its URL on social media sites and in person. If you are interested in praying with us or something more, contact us.
Why ‘a sacred edifice’? The heart of this website will be a series of posts that collect articles from many web-sites and digs through Church documents to support those who will make the most difficult decisions.
What did St. John Vianney say? From his sermon, “The Crosses Which are Worn”, the Curé speaks of our Catholic Identity and of the power of external symbols, expressions of our Catholic Faith:
It is to show the public profession which the Christian should make of the religion of Jesus Christ and to remind all passers-by that they should never forget the memory of the Passion and death of our Saviour. This sign of redemption distinguishes us from idolaters, as in olden times circumcision distinguished the Jewish people from the infidels.
Let us note, too, that when people want to destroy religion, they begin by overturning these monuments.
Finally, let us not forget the power of prayer. An Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. St. John Vianney, ora pro nobis.
*Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
A House to be Dedicated, is a Soul to be Sanctified, August 2011
What does SACRED mean?
1. The Church edifice is “SACRED” when it is “set apart and consecrated for divine worship”.
Why a “sacred building”?
2. Conversion happens at Holy Mass!
3. The Church building is the stage for Salvation History.
4. Most importantly, our Church is our silent Catholic Identity. It is our visible Creed!