Yesterday morning we were able to visit our church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, for a guided tour. We learned so many interesting things, and even a few secrets, too! Here are a few highlights from our tour.
This is the foyer. Much like the foyer in our homes, it is where we come in and take off our coats. This is the entrance of God's house.
In a small room just off the foyer is where our priests, Father Wilf, Father Jack and Father Dan, keep their vestments. Their vestments are the special clothing they wear for mass. The church calendar tells them what colour of vestments to wear. They wear green for ordinary days, purple during Advent and Lent, and red to celebrate martyrs. Father Dan wears brown robes because he is a Franciscan.
Just beyond the foyer doors is the baptismal font. Babies, children and adults are baptized here. The font is made of beautiful white marble. When we enter the church, we dip the tips of our fingers into the holy water, and cross ourselves.
A narrow shelf, mounted between the foyer doors behind the baptismal font, holds three special oils. These oils are used for baptisms, confirmations, and annointing the sick. Have you ever noticed these oils when you enter the church?
This is the Paschal candle. It represents Christ, our light. It is lit for all baptism and funeral services, marking our beginning and our end.
These pictures are the Stations of the Cross. They tell the story of Jesus' death. They were painted by Father Kenneth Kearns, the first parish priest at OLPH Church. A school in our district is named after him, and a student in our class even attened FKK School in kindergarten! The pictures are amazing and Fr. Kenneth Kearns was a very talented artist.
This is the altar. It is the special table where the priest stands to say mass.
This is the lectern. This is where the readers and the priest read the Word of God from the bible.
This is where the priest sits during mass. We discovered that there is a secret compartment in the arm of the chair. When we peeked inside, we saw a few song books and the fire drill procedures!
There is a small room behind the altar. We were quiet as church mice when we entered here because parishioners were praying. This is where the tabernacle is kept. The tabernacle is the gold box where the body of Christ is placed. A small red light, hanging up high near the ceiling, shines when the body of Christ is in the tabernacle.
We saw the cupboard where the chalices and ciboriums are stored. During mass, the ciborium is the dish that holds the body of Christ and the chalice is the cup that holds the blood of Christ. They are made of precious metals because we only use the best for a meal with Jesus.
Down in the basement of the church is the Clothing Nook. People who are less fortunate are able to come here and shop for clothing for free. We thought the Clothing Nook would be a wonderful place to drop off our clothes when we outgrow them or don't need them anymore.
The last stop on our tour were the offices. We were thrilled to see Father Dan here, and even more excited that he had his guitar with him too! We didn't stay long, though. After a little sing-a-long, we left because there were many people hard at work helping the church run smoothly.
THANK YOU to the wonderful individuals who led us on our tour. We learned so much about our church! OLPH truly is a special place where we are all welcome.
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