Art work offers spiritual connection among merging church parishes

Merging parishes can be spiritually challenging as the congregation of the closing church, in some cases the only church some parishioners have ever attended, casts wary glances at their new home.

The  welcoming congregation must grapple with its own concerns, wondering how the dynamics of their house of worship will be altered by an incoming congregation of which they likely know little.

It’s a scenario Father Michael Alello knows well. In 2017, Father Alello, then the pastor at St. Thomas More Church in Baton Rouge, faced the dilemma of merging STM with St. Louis King of France, also in Baton Rouge.

And it just happened Father Alello was previously the pastor at SLKF.

“One of the goals early on when we merged was to find ways to honor and make those who were joining St. Thomas More to feel welcome,” Father Alello said. “All along we’ve been trying to find ways to incorporate pieces of the St. Louis community into the St. Thomas community.”

Father Alello began that process not long after the merger by placing a statue of St. Louis in one of the stunning gardens at STM that offer serenity  in the middle of a bustling urban area.

Father Alello also brought some of the liturgical banners and other smaller items from St. Louis to be used at STM.

“But there were other pieces of the puzzle that were large and we were unsure how we would utilize them,” he said, citing as examples the old stations of the cross and the resurrection crucifix that was the cornerstone of SLKF for years.

Father Alello found his answer etched in the schematics of the major renovation of the church at St. Thomas More. While planning the  renovation he intentionally prioritized finding a way to highlight some of those bigger pieces from St. Louis.

“That is what we worked to do for a long time,” he said. “

The result has been spectacular. 

“The biggest thing we did was the resurrected crucifix,” Father Alello said. “As you exit the church you will see it. It is a massive cross.”

‘It’s a beautiful way as people leave church to be reminded that from the front of the church you see the crucified Jesus and as you leave the church you see the resurrected Jesus,” he added. “I think  (both crucifixes) are beautiful reminders of that we are a paschal people who believe in the paschal resurrection.”

The stations of the cross, created by noted artist Frank Hayden, have been placed in a prominent place in the parish office.

“The stations can be enjoyed and bring life to our area,” Father Alello said. 

“It was challenging to get those things done but I’m really pleased with the way they turned out,” he added.

Father Alello said the merger has been a transformation of both communities. He noted that the importance of celebrating church goes beyond the building and that is ultimately a community of faith.

“Yet, when we can take pieces from a place that is no longer open and incorporate them into our current worship place, it gives us an  opportunity to celebrate that,” Father Alello said.
 

community of faith.

“Yet, when we can take pieces from a place that is no longer open and incorporate them into our current worship place, it gives us an  opportunity to celebrate that,” Father Alello said.

He said the reality of any merger involving churches is that some parishioners attending the church slated to be closed often do not live in those parish boundaries. He said that they might be attending that church because it was where they were raised or for other sentimental reasons.

“Which was very much the case for St. Louis,” he said. “We had some active individuals but they were not living in the area. That was the impetus for the merger.

“The actual parish, the actual population was not there anymore.”

He said because their former church community was disbursed, many of those same people are now attending Mass in the area where they are now living. He said each parish serves the people and the area around it.

“We are very pleased with not only the communal aspect of the church but the physical plant is in great shape,” he said. “We have such a strong community; it’s a great gift.”

As a pastor, Father Alello said the experience, although difficult at times, has been one of the real gifts while ministering at St. Thomas. He said to see the result has also been a gift.

“It’s never easy to close a parish or a school yet it is the reality of church life right now,” he said. “So we can choose to focus on all of the negatives or we can choose to focus on what is beautiful and what can bring forth from it. 

“The reality is we allow God to be what moves us, then something beautiful comes forth. The Spirit has been abundant from the beginning of the consolidation of the merger to today.”

He said to see the church that it has become today, to see a church that is full with vibrant ministries and people of faith that are nourished is the real gift.

“And I think that’s the ultimate goal,” he said. “When we have to make tough decisions, which we do, we have to ask where is God moving in this? 

“Instead of saying what are we missing, asking where is God moving us is the better question.”

He said the reality of any merger involving churches is that some parishioners attending the church slated to be closed often do not live in those parish boundaries. He said that they might be attending that church because it was where they were raised or for other sentimental reasons.

“Which was very much the case for St. Louis,” he said. “We had some active individuals but they were not living in the area. That was the impetus for the merger.

“The actual parish, the actual population was not there anymore.”

He said because their former church community was disbursed, many of those same people are now attending Mass in the area where they are now living. He said each parish serves the people and the area around it.

“We are very pleased with not only the communal aspect of the church but the physical plant is in great shape,” he said. “We have such a strong community; it’s a great gift.”

As a pastor, Father Alello said the experience, although difficult at times, has been one of the real gifts while ministering at St. Thomas. He said to see the result has also been a gift.

“It’s never easy to close a parish or a school yet it is the reality of church life right now,” he said. “So we can choose to focus on all of the negatives or we can choose to focus on what is beautiful and what can bring forth from it. 

“The reality is we allow God to be what moves us, then something beautiful comes forth. The Spirit has been abundant from the beginning of the consolidation of the merger to today.”

He said to see the church that it has become today, to see a church that is full with vibrant ministries and people of faith that are nourished is the real gift.

“And I think that’s the ultimate goal,” he said. “When we have to make tough decisions, which we do, we have to ask where is God moving in this? 

“Instead of saying what are we missing, asking where is God moving us is the better question.”