The new church is designed in continuity with the 2,000 year-old living tradition of the Catholic faith and in keeping with the principles which have been handed down, as well with a respect for the 131-year history of St. Martin of Tours in the vibrant context of Texas Catholicism. The church will be designed as an expression of what has been handed on to us as a parish and left as a legacy to those who will follow, not as a monument to one person or one idea, but to a vibrant living faith.
No church should be a museum to simply preserve the old, nor should it merely be based on a particular stylistic preference. The Catholic architectural tradition is based on ancient systems of order, proportions, and symbolic language to visibly communicate God’s nature, his design for the universe, and his plan for our salvation. When this tradition is intentionally and authentically drawn from, adapted to a specific context, and built upon, it is expressed in a unique way that finds a home in any culture.
What the Church calls the principal liturgical furnishings (altar, ambo, tabernacle, chair,
baptismal font) will be required and are the most important elements in the church,
along with the Stations of the Cross, statues of Mary, St. Joseph, St. Patrick and St.
Martin of Tours, and items such as candlesticks, an organ and a piano. Stained glass will
be added at additional cost.
Currently the Phase 2 design targets a comfortable, average Sunday capacity of around 750 seats. Pews offer greater flexibility than chairs in how much space remains between people. The rule of thumb is that at around 75-80% full, the church will feel full, which means Masses of around 550 and up. For special liturgies, the max capacity according to the building code for standing-room crowds with overflow seating will be around 950. These numbers help us balance the need to accommodate the rapid growth of Forney with a need to retain some intimacy as our parish body gets larger. This is about the largest church our present property can support, and it is possible that in the future additional Mass times can be added as well.
The Phase I plan is the maximum build-out that was considered among other options that offered expansion capability and will have 500 seats. The Phase I construction design has provisions for adding the Phase 2 transepts and altar area to the nave.
The main parts of a church building parallel the parts of the Old Testament temples of Jerusalem, because through Jesus Christ our Catholic liturgy fulfills the temple worship of the Jewish people. In the Mass we experience a foretaste of the new heavenly Jerusalem described in the book of Revelation that is anticipated and sacramentalized (making an invisible reality visible) by church buildings. We can understand a Catholic church building as the Christian temple, which symbolizes the Body of Christ the Church, which Scripture says is “built of living stones”.
The narthex (gathering space) serves as a transition from secular to sacred, symbolically and sacramentally stepping into heaven. The nave (main body of the church) is named after the hull of a ship, recalling the pilgrimage in faith under the protection of Christ and guidance of his Church. The transepts (the arms of the cross) help remind us that the liturgy makes us the Body and Bride of Christ and anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven when we are joined to God forever. The sanctuary (the elevated platform that houses the altar, ambo, and presider’s chair), symbolizes heaven, so the ministers are robed in white, and this area is distinct from the nave because there still exists a separation between heaven and earth that is bridged by Christ, the eternal Word of God made flesh who offers himself to us in the Eucharist. He tore the veil of the temple symbolizing our access to God through him, but only at the end of time will this division be removed. Finally, the apse is the place of reservation with the tabernacle behind the sanctuary, symbolizing the Holy of Holies of the old temple, where the Ark of the Covenant was housed that served as the dwelling place of God, fulfilled in the Incarnation of Christ and his true presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
Cruciform refers to a church in the shape of a cross, a widespread practice in the Church for centuries. This form makes visible the invisible reality that we are the Body of Christ – an identity which is found in the Mass through offering ourselves as a living sacrifice of praise with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross made present at the altar through the power of the Holy Spirit. We assemble at Mass taking up our cross to be crucified with Christ!
The steeple will serve as a beacon, calling to mind the image of the Church as a city on a hill. It will include a spire topped with a Celtic cross and a belfry to house an electronic carillon. When church bells are blessed during a church dedication, the prayer asks of God that whenever the bells are rung that the Enemy and all evil spirits will flee, that the faithful will hear the call to assemble in faith and be strengthened, and that the clouds will resound as legions of angels stand watch over the assembly.
The rose window is a declaration of what happens inside the church in the liturgy: all things are restored to Christ, through whom they were brought into being. Jesus is at the center of creation because he is the Word through whom all things were spoken into existence – everything from angels, humans, animals and plants, the mountains and seas flow from him. Despite the fallen state of the world due to sin, Christ is again restoring everything to its original order and purpose. The geometry of the window plays on the outward direction (creation) and the inward direction (restoration) of these divine actions that are made present in the liturgy.
Yes, similar to our current 1927 church, the new plans include a choir loft above the narthex, which makes efficient use of the area above and offers space for two meeting rooms. At the rear of the nave, the choir is better equipped in this location to participate liturgically and support the singing assembly, sacramentalizing the song of heaven without presenting visual distraction.
Help make this new church for our parish a reality!