August 1, 1979*Bishop Charles A. Buswell establishes new parish,appoints Father Ervin J. Schmitt first pastor

August 1, 1979*First Mass at Boy Scout Center

December 9, 1979*First Mass at United Methodist Church

January 26, 1980*Father Schmitt moves into new house at 15 Chickadee Way

March 1980*Shrine of St. Therese, mother parish,donates $25,000 to OLM

March 16, 1980*Parishioners submit three names for parish;Bishop Buswell chooses “Our Lady of the Meadows”

May 1, 1980* Parish has 180 families

May 13, 1980*First Advisory Board consists of 12 members, one chair,parish staff*John Venezia donates the land for the church

June 20, 1980* Bishop Buswell establishes the parish boundaries

September 1980* First religious education program starts

September 10, 1980* Bishop Arthur N. Tafoya is installedat Sacred Heart Cathedral

January 1981*New church building plans are started

February 8, 1981*First Sacrament of Reconciliation

May 10, 1981*First Sacrament of Communion

June 6, 1981* New church pledge drive

1979-2019

4 pastors + 40 years = Our Lady of the MeadowsNovember 1981*Church construction plan completed

January 10, 1982* Official groundbreaking

September 26, 1982*Church dedicated

June 12, 1983*OLM purchases land for playground and picnic area

1983*OLM parish basement completed

1983* New Traditions: OLM first Bazaar, first parish raffle, firstappreciation dinner and first New Year’s Eve Dinner/Dance

1984*Makin’s from the Meadows parish cookbook published

February 1984* Stained glass windows are donated

1985*First Parish Mission

September 9, 1986*Peace and Justice Committee established

1986-87*Organ Fund Memorials begin

February 26, 1988*300 people involved in ministries and parish operation

April 27, 1988*Parish pays off church building debt

May 1988*Planning for new parish center building begins

October 18-19, 1988*OLM defines “Our Journey Together” goals

August 20, 1989*Parish Center ground breaking

September 15, 1989*Construction starts on parish center

2

February 13, 1990*Parish officially moves into new center

May 8, 1990*Bishop Tafoya dedicates parish center

May 14, 1991*Land next to rectory officially named Schmitt Park

July 8, 1991*Father Roger P. Dorcy arrives

1991*Scholarship program begins

October 20, 1992*Tri-parish Youth Ministry begins

1995*5 year plan development starts

December 19, 1995*Rick Oreskey enters the Diocesan Diaconate Program

November 18, 1997*Plans to renovate the Church begin

August 18, 1998*New Ministries: Ministry of Bethany (to sick) underDaughters of the King; Altar Society; Building MaintenanceCommittee, Parish Newsletter group, and Sacristan Ministry

October 27, 1998*New Parish logo designed

November 1998*The Meadows Newsletter premiers

January 26, 1999*Web page olm@olm-parish.com created

November 5, 1999*Dedication of Gathering Space at Vesper Services

January 29, 2000*Father Dorcy’s 20th ordination anniversary

April 25, 2000*Parish “Think Tank” dissolves Parish Council in presentformat, suspends the bylaws and develops a different pastoralmodel

June 7-8, 2003*Dedication of Father Roger P. Dorcy Plazaand farewell weekend celebration

July 5-6-2003* Father Kevin F. Novack welcome reception

2003* First Art Show

2004*25th Anniversary Our Lady of the Meadows Celebration

2004* Youth represented on Parish Council*Leadership Training Workshop* Homecoming series begins*Pax Christi begins

2004*Growing In Faith Together begins

2006Let there be Light! Church Renovation

2008Father Novack appointed pastor at Holy Rosary in additionto Our Lady of the Meadows

2010*Father James King arrives

2011*Father King celebrates 40th ordination anniversary

2012*Father King named Monsignor*Growing Up Catholic established as formation for children

2015*Health Fair established as annual event

2019*Baptismal Font installed and dedicated

August 1, 2019*40th Anniversary of Our Lady of the Meadowsyear long celebration begins with activities every month

August 3-4, 2019* Parish Open House

1979-2019

4 pastors + 40 years = Our Lady of the Meadows

3

By Fran ConsineroIn 1982, Our Lady of the Meadows

opened its doors at the current site to400 families as the newest parish onPueblo’s southwest side of town.

The need for a new parish on thegrowing southwest side would relievethe overcrowding at the Shrine of St.Therese and Holy Family Parishes.Bishop Charles Buswell appointedFather Ervin J. Schmitt to accomplishthe task of building a new parishcommunity.

The Schmitt YearsFather Ervin Schmitt, born in

Rockford, Iowa, the youngest of 11children, grew up on a farm. He waseducated at the Pontifical CollegeJosephinum, Worthington, Ohio andordained a priest in June 1958.

His first assignment was assistantpastor at La Junta’s Our Lady ofGuadalupe Parish in September 1958.He was appointed to St. ColumbaParish in Durango in June 1960. Whilethere, he served as Newman Clubchaplain at Fort Lewis A & M College.

In September 1961 Father Schmittwas appointed assistant Pastor at St.Pius X Parish in Pueblo. He then wastransferred to St. Francis Xavier Parishin August 1964. In July 1965, he wasappointed Diocesan Director of Sem-inarians and Vocations as well asadministrator of Sacred Heart Parishin Gardner. In September the following

year, he was relieved of administrationat Sacred Heart and established res-idence at St. Anne’s Parish in Pueblo.In 1967, he served as temporaryadministrator of Sacred Heart Parishin Avondale. He was assigned asassociate director of VIDA (Volunteersin Diocesan Action) in 1967 and servedas Director from September 1968 toJune 1979, when he was named pastorof St. Anthony Padua Parish in Pueblowhere he remained until his ap-pointment as pastor at Our Lady of theMeadows.

On August 1, 1979, Father Schmittoffered his first Mass within the Parishboundaries at the Boy Scout Center onPueblo Boulevard for eight people. Hewas establishing a “community.” Theparish community began to grow innumbers as well. He founded a musicprogram, using stringed instruments andforming a small choir to lead singing.People volunteered as lectors andservers; in a few short months it becameevident a larger home was needed.

With a small group of parishioners,Father Schmitt set out to look for abuilding to house the growing number.When it seemed they had exhaustedevery possibility, Rev. Paul Tapey andthe congregation of Wesley UnitedMethodist Church came forward andoffered the use of their facility at 85Stanford Avenue. Using a hand-madefolding altar, Father Schmitt offered his

first Mass at Wesley December 9,1979. In the meantime, a parcel of landhad been tentatively offered to theDiocese, for building a church in an areawithin the parish boundaries called“The Meadows.” A site for the parishrectory was chosen nearby. Fiftypercent of the funding came from theDiocese along with a $25,000 donationfrom our Mother Parish, the Shrine ofSt. Therese. In January 1980 FatherSchmitt moved into his new home at15 Chickadee Way. Construction anddedication of the new church was in1982.

Now a name was needed for thenew parish. Parishioners submitted sug-gestions and it was narrowed down tothree names by a vote of the parishcommunity. These were submitted toBishop Buswell. The name “Our Ladyof the Meadows” was selected by theBishop and announced March 16, 1980.

By May, the community had grownto 180 families and it was time to beginsetting up programs for parishioners.A parish board with 12 members wasestablished. The parish board workedon establishing committees and coor-dinating programs. It became evidentthat Our Lady of the Meadows neededmore space. John Venezia had donatedland (3.4 acres between Red CreekSprings Road and Starling Drive--

Monsignor Ervin J. Schmitt, First Pastor Father Roger P. Dorcy, Second Pastor Father Kevin F. Novack, Third Pastor

History of Our Lady of the Meadows spans four decades

(Continued on next page)4

History of Our Lady of the Meadows spans four decades

across the street from the parishhouse.) The board discussed a temp-orary structure with a permanentchurch facility to follow in futureyears.

January 10, 1982, was groundbreak- ing day for the new site of Our Ladyof the Meadows Parish. A celebrationand dedication by Bishop Arthur N.Tafoya was held September 26, 1982.

The year 1983 brought several newtraditions. A children’s choir and liturgywas celebrated every other Sunday atthe 9:30 a.m. Mass during the schoolyear. Also born were the annual Christ-mas Bazaar, Parish Raffle, AppreciationDinner and the New Year’s Eve DinnerDance. Coffee and donuts after the8:00 and 9:30 a.m. Masses began. Theparish basement was finished.

As a fund-raiser the Social Com-mittee of Parish Council took upon itselfthe work and publishing of “Makin’sfrom the Meadows,” a parish cook-book in 1984. Improvements and ad-ditions made in the parish basementincluded new vents and registers in theceiling to accommodate the flow of airfor ventilation, heat coils under thecement on the ramp leading to thebasement, and a new steel table in thekitchen. Landscaping and a sprinklersystem were constructed on the outsidegrounds and at the park.

The highlight of 1985 was the firstParish Mission. The parish continuedto grow with 675 families registered.

Through the next several years,additions and improvements continuedas the parish grew. In 1988, the parishpaid off the debt on the church. A parishcenter planning committee was set upto design the construction of a newoffice and classrooms.

In September 1989, a ground-breaking ceremony for a new parishcenter became a reality. The new parishcenter consisted of office space, a rec-eption area, 10 classrooms for religiouseducation, a library, and a parish hall

for meetings and social events. The newparish center was dedicated thefollowing May 8. The parish grew to860 families with 400 students inreligious education programs.

The Dorcy YearsIn 1991, Father Roger Dorcy was

appointed as the second pastor at OurLady of the Meadows. Father Dorcywas ordained January 29, 1980. His firstassignment was associate pastor atSacred Heart Parish in Alamosa,where he served until his appointmentas associate pastor at St. LeanderParish, Pueblo in 1987. He served asdean of the Alamosa and PuebloDeaneries and also served on theLiturgical Council for the Diocese ofPueblo, Due Process Board, diocesanrepresentative to the South WestLiturgical Conference (SWLC) andFederation of Diocesan LiturgicalCommissions (FDLC).

Nearly a decade later, the newchurch was home to almost 1,100families. Growth in the area was evidentand expansion again a must. It was herethat the strategic plan, OLM2000, wasborn.

The church had no transition areafrom the outside, and a burst of cold airwould occur whenever someoneopened the door. The sacristy was toosmall, and there was not enoughseating. The carpet was worn and thebuilding leaked. There were seriousissues that needed to be addressed.

Phase I included building a 32-foothigh atrium for the entry way into thechurch; the building of a memorialtower; the construction of a new andlarger sacristy; installation of newrestrooms on the main level; the buildingof a day room, which could be used foranything from children’s liturgy of theword, to brides primping, to a quiet placefor families before funerals. It wouldalso have a large, two-way fireplaceand separate area for fellowship.Outside, there would be a large plazacomplete with extensive landscaping.

Parishioners Bob and Pat Millerwere among the first parishioners atOur Lady of the Meadows. Bobdonated seed money in memory of hiswife, Pat who died in 1997. Shortly afterthe expansion Bob also died.

Cost of Phase I was approximately$350,000, with more than $200,000donated by parishioner Bob Miller.Father Dorcy was hopeful that the restwould be offset by donations. FatherDorcy called Phase I, “a near reality”and Phase II “less of a dream.”

Phase II was to be an actualexpansion of the current church towardthe north. The expansion would allowfor greater room about the altar, morespace for musicians and additionalseating. The current sacristy andreconciliation room were replaced withadditional seating. The church held 400-450 people. With the expansion plans,an additional 200-250 seats would beadded.

Before he died, Miller said, “Thetransition area was my whole thought.You get in church and you want to sitquietly in thought and the doors bangwhenever somebody goes in and outof them. And this church is too smallfor the number of families who comehere now.”

Miller said the additions would helpbring even more people into the churchand serve as a temple to those who useit. “The church offers a lot of activitiesand there is something for everyone.That’s what a church is all about.”

The Novack YearsOn July 5, 2003, Father Kevin

Novack became the third pastor at OurLady of the Meadows.

Father Novack served as ParochialVicar of Immaculate Heart of MaryParish in Grand Junction, Administratorof St. Patrick Parish, Telluride and OurLady of Sorrows Mission, Nucla. Hebecame incardinated in the Diocese ofPueblo in 1997. He then became Pastorof St. Margaret Mary Parish in Cortez

(Continued on page 8)

(Continued from previous page)

5

40 Years o40 Years o40 Years o40 Years o40 Years o19791979197919791979

6

f Memoriesf Memoriesf Memoriesf Memoriesf Memories 20192019201920192019

7

and its Mission of St. Jude, Dove Creekand of the St. Rita Parish in Mancos,and its Missions of Our Lady of VictoryDolores, and Immaculate Heart ofMary, Rico. He also served as amember of the Diocesan LiturgicalCouncil of the Diocese of Pueblo.

With the completion of the Narthex,there were not enough funds pledgedto start the second and third phases ofOLM2000 that were to expand andupdate the church, so the expansionproject went on hold. However, theneed to update did not go away. Nordid the kindness of our parishionerssubside and our development fund hadslowly continued to grow giving enoughfunds to start on the update project. Therenovation project entitled “Let therebe Light!” was born in the fall of 2006with hope to be completed bycelebrating Christmas back in theChurch. Masses were moved to theParish Hall.

The renovation project includedbringing in more light. Carpet wasremoved in the aisle and replaced withtile. Carpet under the pews wasreplaced and the pews were updated.The stone in the narthex was mirroredon the wall behind the altar. Skylightswere added over the altar and ceilinglighting beams were added with indirectlighting along each beam. The worshipspace was altered by moving the choirarea to the east alcove with the soffitover the alcove reshaped into a bandshell to improve acoustics with thesound system speakers blended into theceiling. The cry room on the west wastaken out and additional seating wasadded. The tabernacle was moved tothe back of the church with a windowto the right of the entry offering theopportunity to acknowledge the BlessedSacrament upon entering and leavingthe church.

In January 2007 Father CharlesOgoegbunah Anedo joined the parishstaff. Father Charles was ordained

History of Our Lady of the Meadows spans four decades

March 19, 1999 as a priest of theCatholic Archdioecese of Onitsha,Nigeria. Father Charles’ stay at OurLady of the Meadows was only for afew weeks. After getting settled in heaccepted a position at St. AnthonyHospital in Denver and moved backthere the end of February 2007.

Jean-Marie Mondji served as adeacon at Our Lady of the Meadowsuntil his ordination May 30, 2008 byBishop Arthur N. Tafoya at SacredHeart Cathedral. After his ordinationFather Jean-Marie was assigned toeastern Colorado serving in Lamar,Springfield and Holly. Father Jean-Marie returned back to Our Lady ofthe Meadows in April 2009 as ParochialVicar.

In July 2008 Father Marco Salinasjoined the staff at Our Lady of theMeadows as associate pastor. At that timeFather Kevin was appointed pastor atHoly Rosary as a mission parish in additionto Our Lady of the Meadows. FatherMarco and the parish staff assisted FatherKevin in the pastoral duties at bothparishes. At that time Deacon RickOreskey asked to be relieved of his dutiesat Our Lady of the Meadows. With theaddition of Father Marco the Massschedule changed to 5:00 p.m. Saturdayand 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of

the Meadows and 9:30 a.m. and 5:00p.m. on Sundays at Holy Rosary.

While at Our Lady of the MeadowsFather Kevin began GIFT (Growing inFaith Together), the annual juried art showand having daily Mass at 5:30 p.m. onTuesday and Thursday.

In April 2010 Father Kevin an-nounced that he would be leaving OurLady of the Meadows and Holy Rosaryto accept an assignment at St. Michael’sin Canon City. Father Jean-Marie alsoreceived a new assign- ment. Due to thefinancial problems and significant debtfaced at Our Lady of the Meadows atthe close of the fiscal year, Father Kevinwas forced to lay off the two youthministers (Linda Davis and Lynn Cervi)and reduce the hours of the administrativestaff, (business Manager, Deacon MikePatterson and administrative assistant,Fran Consinero) from five to three daysa week. This became effective May 1,2010 and remained in effect until thearrival of the new pastor Father JamesKing in July. Father Kevin was assignedto St. Michael in Canon City, whereFather Jim was previously. It was also atthat time Charlotte Plutt, liturgical andpastoral coordinator, decided it was timeto retire after 31 years.

The King YearsOn July 4, 2010 Our Lady of the

Meadows welcomed Father James Kingas the fourth pastor.

Father Jim was born and raised inOelwein, Iowa, at that time a thrivingrailroad center. His father and grand-father were life long railroad men. In thesummers Father Jim and his olderbrothers had railroad jobs. He went tothe Parish school from Kindergarten to12th grade, then to Loras College inDubuque, Iowa for a BA degree. He wasalways involved in student government.For a number of years, he worked in aPueblo Diocese summer program atSacred Heart in Alamosa and withMigrant programs in Manzanola, Deltaand Palisade. In his senior college summer,

(Continued from page 5)

Monsignor James King, Fourth Pastor

(Continued on next page)8

he petitioned Bishop Charles Buswell toaccept him as seminarian for the PuebloDiocese. He spent three years at St.Thomas in Denver and his Deacon yearback in Iowa. He was ordained on May22, 1971.

Father Jim served in the parishes inMontrose, Grand Junction, Gunnison,Alamosa and Canon City beforeaccepting the position at Our Lady of theMeadows.

In July 2010 the Formation De-partment consisting of Linda Davis, LynnCervi and Chris Armstrong werefurloughed to bring the budget in line.Deacon Mike Patterson also was cutback from three days a week to two. Heworked Tuesdays and Thursdays until hisretirement in April 2017.

In August 2010 one month afterFather Jim’s appointment as Pastor, hefound the Mass schedule difficult andwanted to spend quality time withparishioners at both parishes. Therefore,he changed the Mass times to the currentschedule (Saturday 5:00 p.m., Sunday, 7:30and 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of the

(Continued from previous page) Meadows and 9:15 a.m. Sunday at HolyRosary.

Later that year we began using anEnvelope Mailing System (Our SundayVisitor) which sends parishioners at bothparishes weekly envelopes in addition tospecial collections (Debt Reduction,Maintenance to name a few).

Two priests could handle both parishesbut when Father Jim came, it went downto one priest with two parishes and addedresponsibilities. In October 2010 FatherJim was appointed Vicar General, thenBusiness Director, then Chief FinancialOfficer at the Diocese of Pueblo CatholicPastoral Center. Father Jim split his weeksspending morning hours at Our Lady ofthe Meadows and the afternoons at theDiocese. Though job descriptions havechanged, Father Jim still kept those samehours until his retirement.

In November 2012 Father Jim wasnamed Monsignor in a Vespers service.

On November 1, 2017 Father Jim an-nounced his retirement from the positionsof Vicar General, Chief Financial Officerand other positions related to the Dioceseof Pueblo. He still is pastor at both Our

Lady of the Meadows and Holy RosaryParishes.

In the summer of 2018, Father Jimannounced that he wanted to put aBaptism Font into the church at the headof the main aisle. The cost was about$15,000 not including the cost of cuttingback the pews and redoing the floor toallow for casket entry.

The third week in April 2019parishioners were happy to see our newBaptism Font in place. Due toconstruction delays the addition was notready for Easter as anticipated.

Special thanks goes to the ParlapianoFamily for donating the font and to all otherdonors including Steve Swath who helpedfinance the project. Those other donationswere used to pay for expanding spaceand installation. The Baptismal Font wasdedicated during the 11:00 a.m. MassSunday, May 5.

The first weekend in August the parishofficially turns 40 years old and will hostan Open House. A year long celebrationwill continue with a special activity eachmonth concluding with a picnic in August2020.

History of Our Lady of the Meadows spans four decades

Reprinted from the Dedication of theWorship Commons and “Dovecote” Me-morial Tower

All Are WelcomeBishop Matthew Clark of Rochester,

New York said, “Perhaps the greatest sym-bol that the Catholic Christian communityshould extend to itself and to others is thatof Hospitality.” He further stated that, “Wemust provide places where all people feelwelcome, places where our love and joy,along with our faith, can be expressedopenly and freely.” Bishop Clark admittedthat Catholics often appear to others asclosed groups intent on a very limited sa-cred expression; and , if the richness of ourheritage is to be a force in a New Millen-nium, we need only return to the model ofour Lord who “dines with sinners” and who“heals the broken hearted.”

One of the great prophetic voices of

our own OLM community was PatriciaMiller. Every Sunday after Mass, she andher husband Bob would gather friends andstrangers on the sidewalk just outside thechurch and share their “love and joy”.Strangers were strangers no more. Con-stantly, Pat would share her dream that wewould someday add a sheltered space tothe building where everyone could do thesame, a place where people could pauserather than rush off to their own mysteri-ous and private lives. She was sure each ofus had a gift that needed to be shared witheveryone else.

Following her untimely passing in 1997,Bob Miller approached the parish leader-ship with the proposal that Pat’s dreamcould become a much needed reality. Hepledged that he would gladly do what hecould in her memory to bring it about.

For years prior to Bob’s offer, the Par-

ish Pastoral Council had often discussedthe physical needs of the church. They re-alized that the ten feet or so from the doorsto pews was grossly inadequate. Theyknew that legal measures would soon pre-vail upon us to provide adequate restroomfacilities for the physcially challenged. Theconstant requests of our volunteer forcefor more sacristy space and housekeepkingstorage were annual. The council had al-ready two years prior established a “strate-gic planning” committee to address theseissues. Added to the above were furtherstudies that showed that our sacred musicministry had no room, that we would soonhave inadequate seating, that our parishhall was already too small for open parishfunctions, and that we would soon legallymaximize our building use.

The Miller offer gave the necessary

Place of welcome, fellowship, love and joy

(Continued on back cover)

9

FUNERALPREPARATION

Contact Father Jim Kingat 561-3580

to make arrangementsprior to calling

the Funeral Home.

FOREVER YOUNG

Forever Young is a 55 andolder club that meetsonce a month for social-izing. They are self-funded through dues. Formore information or tojoin contact Bertha Beckat 566-7709.

FORMATION

ContactChris Armstrong

at 561-3580for information.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

This Committee oversees fi-nances of the parish, antici-pates annual income, pre-sents a requested budget tocouncil and pastor. Thiscommittee meets the thirdThursday of the month. Formore information contactthe Parish Office at 561-3580.

EXTRAORDINARYMINISTERS

OF COMMUNIONMinisters of communion arecalled to serve the very life ofthe Church, the living Body ofChrist, in helping in the distri-bution of the Body and Bloodof Christ. Required training forEucharist ministers is sched-uled once a year and ministersare publicly commissioned atMass every three years.

EXTRAORDINARYMINISTERS OF COMMUNION

TO HOSPITAL & HOMEBOUND

Trained and commissioned Eu-charistic Ministers bring com-munion to and pray with home-bound, those hospitalized, andparishioners in special circum-stances. Visits are determined bytime frame of parishioner andminister. To get set up call FranConsinero at 561-3580.

FIRST EUCHARIST(COMMUNION)

For informationcall Chris Armstrong

at 561-3580.

DAUGHTERSOF THE KING

The Daughters of the King is theextension of Christ’s Kingdomthrough prayer, service andevangelism. New members arealways welcome. Meeting is thethird Wednesday of the month at6:00 p.m. in the library. For moreinformation contact Mary AnnRoldan at 561-0728.

COFFEE & DONUTS

Coffee and Donuts (Fellow-ship) is an extraordinary wayof getting to know one an-other. Servers are needed af-ter the 7:30 and 11:00 a.m.Mass on Sunday each weekand occasionally at the 5:00p.m. Saturday Mass. Formore information or to vol-unteer, call Theresa Woods at561-0864.

CHURCH ENVIRONMENT

The elements of church environ-ment contribute to the overall ex-perience of liturgy. These ele-ments help people pray when theenvironment is beautiful, hospi-table, clean, and appropriate forthe liturgical seasons. If you havean appreciation in creative artsand a willingness to work this isthe ministry for you. To sign upcontact Betty Giltner at 560-9802.

CHILDREN’SLITURGY OF THE WORD

Children’s Liturgy of theWord helps children re-late to the scripture ontheir own level and enliv-ens the Word of God intheir hearts. For more in-formation call Chris Arm-strong at 561-3580.

CANTORSThe ministry of cantor isopen to anyone who iscomfortable and capable ofleading the congregationin sung prayer. One mustbe willing to commit toweekly rehearsals andweekend Mass schedule.For information call ScottUhernik at 561-3580.

BIBLE STUDY

Bible Study is offeredThursdays at noon and at7:00 p.m. The readingsfrom the upcoming Sun-day are read and dis-cussed at each session.For more information con-tact Chris Armstrong at561-3580.

BEREAVEMENT CARESPIRITUAL GROUP

This group, meets to of-fer support for those whohave experienced a lossof a loved one. The grouppresently is not meeting.

BEREAVEMENTCOMMITTEE

This committee providesconsolation and assistanceto those who mourn as theyjourney from grief to healing.Bereavement ministry mem-bers are available to help youthrough this difficult timeand provide whatever sup-port is needed. For more in-formation contact the parishoffice at 561-3580.

BAZAAR

Our Lady of the Meadows spon-sors a crafts bazaar each fall. Al-though it is limited to one week-end, behind the scenes volunteersare needed to help plan, set-up andwork the bazaar. The bazaar is Sat-urday, October 26 (9:00 a.m.-5:00p.m.) and Sunday, October 27 (8:30a.m.-1:00 p.m.) For more informa-tion, call the office at 561-3580.

ANOINTINGOF THE SICK

Callthe parish office

at 561-3580to make arrangements.

ADULT CHOIR

The adult choir consistsof high school age andolder singers who havetime to share their talentsduring the liturgies andcan commit to weekly re-hearsals. For more infor-mation call Scott Uhernikat 561-3580.

DCCWDiocesan Councilof Catholic Women

For more informationcall the parish office

at 561-3580.

HALL RENTALS

For more informationregarding renting

the parish hall (basement)or the parish center hallcontact Fran Consinero

at 561-3580.

10

YOUTH MINISTRY

For informationcontact

Chris Armstrongat 561-3580.

VOLUNTEERRECEPTIONISTS

The first person you come incontact with at the office isone of our volunteer recep-tionists. For more informa-tion, call the office and one ofour veteran volunteers willdirect your call.

WEEKEND MANAGERS

These ministers serveas keepers

of the buildings --opening and closing

the church and parish halls

when neededon weekends.

VACATIONBIBLE SCHOOL

This is an opportunityfor children to make newfriends and celebrate lifewith other children. Costis $10 per child and in-cludes snacks and crafts.

SERVERS

The ministry of serving at thealtar is to assist the presider(priest) at Mass, to leadprocession in and out of theworship area, to prepare andclear the altar table. Girls andboys, fourth grade and older,can be a servers. For moreinformation contact John orPam Komaroski at 560-9356.

SACRISTANS

A sacristan makes ready allthat is needed before andafter the celebration ofMass. A sacristan mustalso be a commissionedEucharistic Minister. Formore information contactCathy Maloney at 545-6955.

RECONCILIATION(Penance, Confession)

For first time Reconciliationcall Chris Armstrong

at 561-3580.

ReconciliationSaturdays 4:00-4:35 p.m.

or by appointment.

RCIA- RCIC(RITE OF CHRISTIAN

INITIATION OF ADULTS& CHILDREN)

For more informationcontact

Chris Armstrongat 561-3580.

QUILTERS

The “Quilting Sisters”meet Tuesdays (9:30 a.m.-noon) in Room 7 Septem-ber-May. No experience isneeded. People are need-ed to sew, iron and tieknots. For more informa-tion contact Cass Pear-son at 543-7221.

PEACE & JUSTICE

The Peace and JusticeMinistry meets the secondWednesday of the month at7:00 p.m. in the Library. Formore information contactDebbie Carleo at 561-3731.

PARISHPASTORAL COUNCIL

The Parish Pastoral Coun-cil meets the third Tuesdayof the month at 7:00 p.m.in the Library. For more in-formation contact RuthBrandt at 250-0633.

PARISH LIFE

The purpose of this com-mittee is to promote parishcommunity beyond coffeeand donuts. For moreinformation contact BettyGiltner at 560-9802.

MARRIAGE

Call the Parish Officeat 561-3580

at least 12 monthsin advance

to make arrangements.

MAINTENANCE

The purpose of this com-mittee is to provide upkeepof existing facilities andmaintaining and/or improv-ing the grounds. This com-mittee meets the thirdWednesday of the month at5:30 p.m. To donate yourtime and talent contactBlase Giltner at 560-9802.

LECTORS

Proclaiming scripture is muchmore than being a good reader.It’s a challenge for the readerto proclaim in such a way thatall the people will listen atten-tively, and understand theword of God at work trans-forming us into the Body ofChrist. To become a lector con-tact Chris Armstrong at 561-3580.

LITURGY COMMITTEE

The Liturgy Committee overseespreparation of the entire liturgi-cal life of the parish. The com-mittee works through various li-turgical ministries to prepare lit-urgy, environment, ministers andmusic. Meetings are the thirdWednesday of the month. Forinformation call ChrisArmstrong at 561-3580.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUSCOUNCIL 12243

The business meeting isthe second Tuesday of themonth at 7:00 p.m. in theParish Center Hall. Newmembers welcome! Formore information contactJimmy DiIorio at 671-2393.

INSTRUMENTALISTS

Our Lady of the Meadows al-ways welcomes experiencedinstrumentalists who are willingto minister at seasonal liturgiesand the rehearsals needed forthose celebrations. Committedpianists and organists are alsoneeded for weekly rehearsalsand weekend liturgies. ContactScott Uhernik at 561-3580.

HOSPITALITY MINISTERS

Ministers of hospitality are en-trusted to foster a sense of wel-coming and belonging to thosegathered to experience God inthe celebration of the Eucharist.Individuals, couples and fami-lies are invited to become min-isters of hospitality. Call ChrisArmstrong at 561-3580 to sign up.

SOUP SUPPER &STATIONS OF THE CROSS

A soup and bread supperis held Fridays at 6:00p.m. through Lent fol-lowed by Stations of theCross at 7:00 p.m. Eachweek a different groupwill host the supper.

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opportunity for a real plan that could havephases and a timetable. Hospitality wouldbe Phase I; Worship, Phase II; Parish Halland Parking/Security/Landscaping wouldbe Phase III. The pastor and council ac-cepted Bob Miller’s offer.

In early 1998, the Pastoral Council in-vited Seattle-based architect Dr. Michael M.Dorcy to listen to their list of needs, dreamsand ideas. They invited him to meet withvarious parish groups and committees toglean their visions. Dorcy’s own back-ground included not only design and plan-ning, but also theology and anthropology.He investigated our worship/prayer life asa community. He also studied our humaninteraction and how we express that as aparish formally and informally in the courseof our scheduling. Adding these factors tohis precise look at building and land use,he reported back to the Council and sub-mitted preliminary designs within a month.Teaming with local architect Jim Gardner ofHGF Architects for project developmentand execution, a formal plan was created.At year’s end, Houston Construction of-fered to coordinate Phase I and its construc-tion. Ground breaking took place at our NewYear’s Eve Mass, December 31, 1998. Nowit is completed.

As we ended this Phase, a new Millen-nium was a mere days from dawning. Thepower of God continues to grow among us.We continue to look forward to blessingourselves and our children and their chil-dren with not only our faith, but also withour “love and joy.” We give thanks.

Elements of Style and DesignWhen planning our new addition, we

had a unique opportunity to adopt a de-sign style for the Church. Noting that thedominant presence of brick in the existingworship space is more reminiscent of the“Arts and Crafts” or later “Prairie Home”styles of the early Twentieth Century thananything else, brick and limestone, exposedtimbers, stone tile and natural colors werechosen and used in what might be called atruly American design style. The hip roofwith its weathered copper hue confirms thiseffect.

A TourWe approach our new addition in one

of two ways. From the south, by steps orease of ramp, we come upon an outdoorplaza with casual gathering space. Wall seat-

ing and stone benches are there for com-fort. An open fire pit is the first symbol ofwelcome for our faithful and their visitors.Four doors lead into the “Commons”. Oneof the doors will open automatically forthose who need or desire a little assistance.

From the west, we can enter the build-ing either by a few steps to the plaza or byway of a level courtyard, called “Joseph-ine’s Court”, past a statue of our parishpatron gathering children. The work of artby parishioner Ted Bueno is a beautifulgesture of welcome. Once again, an auto-matic door is there to assist anyone in need.

Upon entering the “Commons”, height,light, color and openness serve wonder-fully like open arms to anyone who comes.One of the most ancient symbols of wel-come, a hearth, greets everyone. An icon ofthe Virgin Mary adorns the east face of thefireplace. Immediately to the right upon en-tering is the Hospitality Service area.Equipped with coffee maker, this area canserve refreshments following wakes,evening prayers, evening funeral servicesand other events. During warmer weather,our post-Eucharist Fellowship on Sundaymornings will occur here allowing peopleto mingle inside or on the adjacent plaza.

To the left of the Hospitality Service isthe Sacristy, the place of preparation forsacred rituals. A century-old vesting cabi-net from the old Sacred Heart Orphanage isthe centerpiece of the sacristy. A large stor-age and vestment closet completes thisspace.

Further on the right, is a corridor thatleads to large restrooms with total need ac-cessibility, as well as infant changing tablesin both women’s and men’s restrooms. Arefrigerated drinking fountain convenientlyserves the community.

To the left of the “Commons”, west ofthe two-sided fireplace, is an all-purposespace call the “Marshalling Room”, dubbedso because it can serve for “marshalling”or “assembling” groups for special roles,such as wedding entourages, baptismal fami-lies, mourners, etc. On a weekly basis, the“Marshalling Room” serves to “collect” ourchildren for sharing God’s Word at all ourweekend liturgies.

To the southwest of the “Commons” isour “Memorial Tower”. Called the “Dove-cote” because it resembles the ancientspaces used for domesticating wild birds,the tower gathers our memories and our rel-

ics. Its ground was consecrated on HolyThursday, 1999, with Holy Oil mingled withsoil from the Holy Land and from the hor-rific concentration camps of Nazi Europe.Beneath its floor is a relic vault for collect-ing memories of our own loved ones as wellas whatever artifacts or stories of our past,present or future that the people of OLMwish to commit to posterity. The block win-dows contain stained glass etchings ofnames of parishioners and our beloved de-ceased for all to see and, perhaps, speak aprayer or two. The vigil candles are there asjust that--lights holding vigil while we areeither present or absent for those for whomwe pray.

Central to the Tower stands a cross. Itsdesign is reminiscent of the devices usedin many dovecotes of ancient Europe forgathering eggs from the nests. Our crosssymbolically gathers the spirits, memoriesand hopes of past and present together.The Cross can be removed and used forveneration every Good Friday.

This is our “Commons”. It is our placeof welcome, fellowship, “love and joy.” Allare welcome in this place.

Our Lady of the Meadowsis one parish with

526 Families1259 Members

In 40 years we have had1,288 Baptisms

1,720 First Communions279 Marriages613 Funerals

We have48 Eucharistic Ministers

11 Servers27 Lectors

37 Hospitality Ministers5 Sacristans

23 Receptionists

To see where youcould volunteer or minister

take a lookat the checkerboard pages

(Continued from page 9)

Place of welcome, fellowship, love and joy