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December 4, 2015We have now begun the season of Advent, in which we are called to focus again on our ultimate goal: the encounter with Christ. Advent is particularly a time of preparation, because the commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world at Christmas is strongly related to His second coming at the end of time. Through these four weeks of reflection, the Church is helping us to prepare our hearts unto the Lord.
For the people of St. Philip's, this Advent is a time of preparation for another reason: we are preparing to build a new church. A project of this magnitude requires a corresponding amount of preparation, and we have taken many steps along our journey this year: we have purchased a beautiful piece of land for our new home, we have celebrated the first Mass on that land, we have studied the Church's teachings to understand sacred architecture, we have asked you about your own hopes and dreams for the new campus, and we have hired an architect to begin the Master Planning Phase.
What is the Master Planning Phase?
The Master Planning Phase is the period during which the overall design and layout of the parish campus is determined. Authentic Catholic theology will inform all of the decisions made by McCrery Architects for our Master Plan, and your comments and suggestions continue to help us communicate to him our parish's unique needs and desires. The Master Plan will be complete sometime in the Spring of 2016.
How can we prepare at this time?
The number one thing we can do right now to prepare for our building project is to pray. At our first Mass on our new property, we introduced the official prayer for our building project. We hope all of you will unite your voices in this prayer, which we have included below:
Heavenly Father, Creator of all things, we ask your blessing on our efforts to build a new home for St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, a place for the Christian people to celebrate the mysteries of our salvation, and which will serve as a sign and symbol of heavenly things. Give us generous hearts and renew our souls, so that our new Church as well as our lives may reflect the doctrine, life and worship of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we may transmit to every generation all that the Catholic Church is and believes. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, and St. Philip, our parish patron, grant success to our endeavors, so that all we do may glorify your Name, and bear fruit in the salvation of souls. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
