The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-04-01
HUNDREDS VISIT
new CHURCH SUNDAY
OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS A
HAPPY SURPRISE TO THE
GUESTS
INVESTMENT Of $4,000
REV. GRUENENWALD OF ST.
CLOUD MAKES ADDRESS
SUNDAY EVENING

The civic opening of the new
church of Our Lady of the Angels in
this city took place on Palm Sunday.
Invited by the pastor, the Reverend
John A. Fearon a constant stream of
visitors inspected the new church
Sunday afternoon. All had the op-
portunity of wandering through the
building at their leisure, and of
studying its various apartments.
In the evening at 7:3O an aud
fence of some six hundred people,
Catholic, non-Catholic, many of them
from the surrounding towns, attended
the formal civic program in the
church auditorium. The program
consisted of brief address by the
Rev. Joseph Willenbrink of Melrose,
who congratulated the city and the
parish on the completion of this new
house of worship; a lecture by the
Very Rev. Chas. L. Grunenwald OF
st. Cloud, and of several musica
numbers, among them solos by Franz
Kinsella, Vern Berggreen. Mrs
George Rorgmann and Armella Hol.
Ter. The program closed with the
singing of "Praise Yet the Father
by the church choir. Until a late
hour Sunday evening visitors contin-
ued to arrive.
In announcing the evenings pro-
gram the pastor, Father Fearon, ex-
pressed his thanks to the citizens at
large, pointing out how their mater
ial assistance, constant sympathy,
and encouragement of the building
project had done much to insure it's
realization.
In an intensely interesting address
of over an hours duration Father
Grunenwald, pointed out the fact that
a church is an asset to any COM
munity, inasmuch as in it are fos-
tered the fundamental principles of
justice, morality, virtue, patriotism
and social service. The speaker, then
went on to explain the architecture of
the church and the symbolism of the
building, style and furnishings. The
church is built in the form of the
early basilicas. The word basilica
means "the house of the king" and
some of the early churches were so
called because senators and emper-
ors placed their palaces at the SER
vice of the early church for the hold
ing of their religious rites. The
tower called the componils of the
church of Our Lady of the Angels is
in the rear. 1t is surmounted by
the Cross, to advise all and sundry
that Salvation is through the Cross
of Christ, that no true Christian need
ever be ashamed of this symbol of
redemption. Every church, the
speaker stated receives some spec
ial patronal saint; the patroness of
this new church is the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Queen of the Angels. A lun-
etta over the main entrance portrays
the Blessed Virgin surrounded by
angels. Statutes of the four evange-
lists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John, are set in inches over the
church's portal. Father Gruenenwald
explained how the twelve pillars of
the church, symolize the twelve apos-
ties, the pillars upon which, Christ
founded His church; the IL chande-
Tiers symbolizes the IL articles of the
Greed, the Light of Faith, which may
be "a more enlightened Faith or less,
depending upon ones interest in and
study of it. The seven round win
dows on each side in the clerestory
symbolizes the seven joys and the
seven dolors of the Blessed Virgin ;
the six pillars that form the ambu-
lotory in the sanctuary, and the back
ground of the altar, are symbolic of
the six sacrements that art tributary
to the seventh, the Blessed Eucharist
for which the altar has been built
Five stained glass windows execut-
ed in the Andreas Larsen studios in
he M, Tv,
each of these windows are three
medallians, each depicting one of
the mysteries of the rosary. The
speaker maintained that no finer win
dows could be found in this section
of the country, declaring that in
coloring and symbolism they rival the
beautiful stained glass windows in
the Cathedral of Chartres in France. -
Father Gruenenman explained the
purpose of the confessionals, statues
and Stations of the Cross, the Cath
Ole worship and practices. He ex-
planned, too, the materials of which
the Affairs, Communion railing and
Stations are made, subjects which
were discussed in detail in the Her
aid of last week. q
Father Greunenwald closed an in
structive and eloquent address by
congratulating the City and Parish on
their new church, proclaiming it to
be gem of ecclesiastical architect
ure. a
In the last analysis the new struc-
ture is a permanent monument of
the splendid work done in the parish
of the Church of Our Lady of the
Angels by the brilliant leader. Father
John Fearon. The Pensioners of
course, followed the lead of their be-
loved pastor and share with him the
glory of the splendid work accom-
plished.
The finished structure represents