Sad news from home

The Quincy Herald-Whig is carrying the sad story that Granview Church will begin using the facilities of the former St. John the Baptist Catholic Church - my home - this weekend for servies.

In honor of the day

In honor of the day

Sad news from home

My home parish church, St. John the Baptist, is being sold to a "non-denominational" ecclesial community.

Update: Grandview Church - who is buying the properties - have pictures up on their web site. So far, nothing on the parish web site and I've seen nothing in the bulletin. Very sad.

It may not be finalized with the Diocese but it sure seems finalized from Grandview's perspective.

The name of the new congregation is rather ironic, considering the current, and future, state of the church:

The view of an empty Catholic church isn't so grand, is it?

It was less than three years (?!) ago that I celebrated my first Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving in this church. This congregation, which in fifteen years' time produced three Diocesan priests, one Franciscan priest, and one Trappist monk, is now scattered to the corners of Quincy.

This makes no sense.

More on the auction

WGEM-TV has a video story about yesterday's auction.

Update: KHQA-TV also as a video story about yesterday's auction.

Back to the auction block

Various items from the former parishes of St. John the Baptist, St. Rose of Lima, St. Boniface and Immaculate Conception (St. Mary's) in Quincy are going to the auction block tomorrow morning. The four parishes were merged to form Blessed Sacrament parish.

Among the church-related items to go on the auction block are 15 stained-glass windows, assorted marble statues, church pews, limestone steps, 100-candle vigil-light stand, a piano and keyboard, candles, crucifixes and pictures.

That sounds to me like one more step the destruction of my home church.

I'm only glad I won't be around to see it.

The last of the prophets

It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins (Matthew 3:3-6).

The murals

These are the murals from St. John the Baptist. I'm sorry the quality of the pictures isn't better.

A less than glorious day

Today on this the Memorial of the martyrdom of the illustrious Saint John the Baptist, my heart aches as I think back on the beauty of my home parish church that has been so inconsiderately dismantled. Like so many others, I feel betrayed and experience, in some way, the agony of the disciples of John at his death. However, one key difference remains: the disciples were able to take John’s body and I am not able to recover the body of the church.

The more I think about what has happened, the more my heart aches within me as I know that my home is being destroyed. What hope I once had that the church would one day be returned to the worship of the Most High has now been dashed upon the rocks.

My fear is that the building will fall prey to vandals and the gorgeous windows that inspired the faith in so many people will be dotted with holes caused by rocks. I fear that the bushes and grass will be overgrown and the beauty of the façade will be marred through lack of loving care and concern. I fear that the roof will collapse in parts and the rain and the wind will weather the interior and fade and wash away the artwork that remains.

On the one hand, I hope that this will not happen. On the other hand, this would be far easier to bear than the church being turned into a bed and breakfast, a tavern, or any other such “profane, but not sordid use.”

More news on the sale

WGEM television now has a story about the sale and removal of the marble and statues, with a very sad video. I wish I hadn't watched the video...

And comments are beginning to come in at the KHQA story...

More on the sale

The Quincy Herald-Whig has an article on the sale and removal of the altars and statues at my home church of St. John the Baptist.

By David Adam
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Statues, altars, communion rails and other marble items have been removed from St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy and will be on their way to Minnesota today, leaving dust and plaster scattered on the floor of the 127-year-old building.

Other items, such as stained glass windows and church pews, are also for sale in the church at 10th and Cedar that celebrated its last Mass on June 26.

Monsignor Mike Kuse, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, did not say how much the items were being sold for, but admitted little profit is being made in the sale of the items. The goal, he said, is to put the items in other places of worship.

"It's not like you're making money on this stuff," he said. "The value is more in the hearts of people.

"If you were trying to import marble and you wanted to restore St. John to its original look, you wouldn't even have enough money to wink at it. But at the same token, unless you have a place to put it, what are you going to do with it?" [more]

Trouble brews

QUINCY, IL -- It's been a Quincy landmark for more than a century....and a church many Catholics hold dear to their hearts.

We received several phone calls this week from people up in arms about what's happening to St. John the Baptist Church of All Saints parish.

That church along with St. Mary's and St. Boniface merged to form what's now known as Blessed Sacrament.

Earlier this week, parishoners noticed a work crew carrying out precious artifacts from the building at 10th and Cedar.

Then word spread that the building was being gutted and torn down.

Now, there's a lot of uncertainty circulating about what's happening to St. John's.....and anger among those who grew up in that church.

KHQA's Rajah Maples took all of those questions, uncertainties and concerns straight to the top for some answers. [more]

In honor of the day

The destruction of home

I received the following devastating news this morning:

Construction equipment surrounds St. John's church this week. The statues, altars, and communion railing are being removed. I think the marble floor and pulpit are going also.

The Crossing [a nondenominational "church" geared toward entertainment] boasts that over 65% of their members are people who recently left the Catholic Church. If that is 500 people, my guess would be that one left because of the clergy scandal and 499 left because the diocese chose to close the people's church buildings and remove the art from parishes that thrived for 170 years.

If our enemies had done this, it would have been easier to bear.

I couldn't agree more.

Part of me wants to drive home right now and the other part knows that I could never bear to watch... Even from four hours away my heart aches and my tears water... My home is gone.

Last Mass news coverage

The Quincy Herald-Whig: "One last time: Final Mass at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church a 'joyful and sorrowful' experience"

The Quincy Herald-Whig: Pictures from the Mass (together with other news photos)

Mater Dolorosa

Mother of sorrow,

of love, mercy and grace,
turn your eyes

in pity on us.

Mother of Sorrows, pray for us!

-Detail of Our Lady's altar, St. John the Baptist church, Quincy, Illinois.

My great-uncle, the priest

Among the numerous priests to come from St. John the Baptist parish in Quincy is the Reverend Father Berard Zehnle, O.F.M., my great-uncle.

(We also have a couple of nuns in our family history as well, but I do not know very much about either of them.)

Given the name Andrew at birth, he and his brother August were the second set of twins to his parents, Ambrose and Mary (twins seem to run in the family; I am a twin myself, though my twin, Matthew, died shortly after birth).

Andrew and August were born in Quincy - the Gem City - on 3 January 1879. The twins were baptized at Immaculate Conception parish in Quincy just four days later.

His Excellency, the Most Reverend James Ryan, Bishop of Alton, confirmed the boys at St. John the Baptist parish on 10 June 1894.

Andrew was invested with the habit of the Order of Friars Minor on 25 July 1901 in Teutopolis, Illinois (just a few miles from where I now live). He made his simple profession on 29 July 1902 and his Solemn Profession on 17 August 1905 in the city of the Teutons.

Brother Berard received the tonsure and was ordained to the subdiaconate in St. Louis, Missouri on 29 June 1906. He was ordained the Sacred Order of Deacons on 28 June 1907 and to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ on 26 June 1908, both in St. Louis.

He died in Jordan, Minnesota on 28 May 1937. He is buried in Quincy.

In the parishes in which he served, Fr. Berard was known for his love of drama.

If you would be so kind, please say a prayer for him. Here are a few more pictures of Fr. Berard:

Fr. Berard is sitting down, but I do not know the priest standing next to him. Does anyone recognize this priest?

By their fruits you shall know them

...says our Lord. What follows is a list of the number of men and women who have answered the call of the Lord to the priesthood and consecrated life from St. John the Baptist parish.

11 Priests of various Dioceses and Religious Orders (including my great-uncle)
1 Trappist Monks
1 Christian Brothers
25 Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ
1 Sister of St. Benedict
3 School Sisters of Notre Dame
1 Sister of St. Francis
6 Springfield Dominicans
1 Sinsinawa Dominicans
3 Franciscan Sisters of the Poor

Not a bad track record if you ask me.