Week of September 25
Church Tour, what does everything mean where we worship?
Every Catholic Church you go into has the same parts. Just like our bodies, we all have a head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, arms, legs, hands and feet, fingers and toes, and a torso. But just like each one of us, all Catholic Churches are unique. The people who make up the body of Christ, where the name of the Church came from, the altar and the materials that are used inside the Church are all unique to that one.
I want to give you a bit of history about St. Austin Catholic Church… St. Austin Catholic Church: Founded in 1908, St. Austin Catholic Parish was named in honor of St. Augustine of Canterbury. When the Most Rev. N. A. Gallagher, bishop of Galveston, invited the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle, known as the Paulist Fathers, to establish a parish. Not only did Bishop Gallagher ask the Paulist Fathers to tend to the “spiritual needs of our growing Capital City;” he further requested them to “make their House a center of missionary activity for Catholics and non-Catholics.” The Bishop then gave them a particular mandate to “exercise a special care and supervision over the Catholic young men and women who are students at the State University.”
St. Austin, like any Catholic Church, is compiled of a few different parts. When you walk in, you walk into the Narthex, it originally was there to hold people who were not Catholic, and wanting to learn more about the faith, like you. Now, it is seen like the front porch of your house. We stand outside, and we welcome all who come by into the house of God. When you walk in to the Church, you are walking into the nave. Just like a ship (navis) it is the interior of the Church, or Ark. It is composed of different columns and arch ways and accommodates all who walk in. In the nave you will see the Stations of the Cross, Mosaic windows depicting pictures that represent the Old and New Testament and statues of Saints and the Holy Family. Every churches' nave will have different looking Stations, windows and statues, but they all encompass those items.
Then we have the Sanctuary, the place where the clergy, and in our case the choir, lectors come to speak of God and His stories. There are many parts to the Sanctuary that you see and will learn about. We have the altar, ambo, presider's chair, lectern, tabernacle, credence table, and paschal candle. So much happens in the Sanctuary, we hear God's Word spoken, sung, and preached here. It is a time when we are brought into the Word and the Last Supper.
Next to the Sanctuary and tucked behind it is the Sacristy. This is where the Priests, Deacons, Altar Servers, Eucharistic Ministers, and Lectors meet and pray before Mass. They settle their hearts and minds and enter into a prayerful space within themselves to get ready to feed the body of Christ. The Priests', Deacons, and Altar Server albs and robes are in the Sacristy and that is where they dress before Mass.
Just like the community, there are many parts, but one body. The Church fits those many parts into one body, where we all can come together and be one within the Church. I am excited for you all to get a better view and description from our RCIA team to really show you St. Austin and the University Catholic Center.
Common items found in the Church
PDF of The Church-Catechism, Bible Passage, Reflection Questions