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Father Eric Ritter, pastor of St. Dominic Church, in the workshop of Brother Tom Suda, SM, who crafted the new altar and several other pieces for the sanctuary.
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SAN ANTONIO • Parishioners of St. Dominic Parish received an early Christmas present Dec. 19. After worshipping for almost 40 years in a building meant to serve as a temporary sanctuary, Archbishop José H. Gomez dedicated a new 19,000 square-feet limestone and oak church that can seat 800 and features a spacious plaza and statue. Nearly 30 priests were on hand to concelebrate the liturgy in the new $5.9 million sanctuary — visible throughout the neighborhood near Ingram and Callaghan roads — with Father Eric Ritter, pastor, Archbishop Gomez, and Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú. The dedication Mass marked the first time in about 20 years that a new church has been constructed inside Loop 410.
Near the beginning of the liturgy, Peggy Deming, chairperson of the St. Dominic Building Committee, called forward architect Mark Morkovsky, project architect, and Curtis Stoddard, contractor, to present a ceremonial “key to the church” to the archbishop.
In his homily, Archbishop Gomez said, “We give thanks to God for giving us this magnificent church and ask his grace to make good use of it, in his service and in the service of the people of God of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.”
He told the assembly that it has been a journey since Archbishop Robert E. Lucey gave approval for the celebration of the first Mass at the site in January 1969, and he noted the significance of the church being dedicated during the Advent season, a time to prepare for the coming of Jesus on Christmas day.
“We know that the word church refers to the people whom God calls and gathers together from every part of the earth,” the archbishop said, quoting from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “But from early times the name ‘church’ has also been given to the building in which the Christian community gathers to hear the word of God, to pray together, to celebrate the sacraments and to participate in the Eucharist.”
He continued, “The readings of the Mass remind us of the different aspects of Christian life that we have to try to practice coming to this building and going forth from it to be, as St. Peter says, ‘like living stones … a spiritual house’ in our ordinary life.”
The first reading of the Mass stated that worshippers come to church to hear the word of God. The second reading brought to listener’s attention the need to bring about the kingdom of God in the midst of society without losing sight of the goal of life, going to heaven.
“Finally,” said the archbishop, “St. Dominic’s must be a place of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. The Mass is a personal encounter with God. The three divine persons are present in the sacrifice of the altar.”
The archbishop explained that the new building should be a new opportunity to all to have a “new conversion,” to begin again in a journey of faith and love and to renew dedication to God and to others. “Our time is not a time to be passive or content with a mediocre faith,” Archbishop Gomez stressed. “It is a time to commit ourselves to know our faith better and to try to practice it to the full.”
The prelate emphasized that the dedication of the new church is a great opportunity for all to renew their parish life. “The parish must be our ‘spiritual family,’” described the archbishop. “It is a place where we gather as the people of God to hear the word of God, to participate in the sacramental life of the church, receiving the grace of God to strengthen our spirituality and to share the love of God with one another.”
In closing, Archbishop Gomez called on parishioners to ask God, through the intercession of Mary, for the grace to make sure that St. Dominic’s will always be a real spiritual family.
He prayed, “Let this be a place where we can find God and listen to him, a place where we can have a personal encounter with God, a place where we can learn and practice our faith through the love of God and love for others, a place where parishioners come together as a family to love one another and bring about the ‘civilization of love’ in our society.”
Groundbreaking for the new church was held June 21, 2008, and the foundation was poured on Jan. 30, 2009.
The final liturgy was celebrated in the old sanctuary, now set to be remodeled as a community center, on Dec. 15. Father Ritter invited representatives from several parish organizations to give reflections on their memories of the building, and other parishioners were invited to come to the ambo too and tell their personal stories of how they were inspired by the St. Dominic’s community. At the conclusion of the liturgy, Father Ritter, who has a degree in architectural engineering and assisted in the layout and design of the new church, led the parishioners to the new sanctuary with a procession led by the Blessed Sacrament. Attendees were invited to carry items from the old sanctuary into the new building in preparation for the Dec. 19 dedication.
Among the unique features of the new church, Brother Tom Suda, SM, designed and built the altar at his studio. The altar is made from oak and purple heart work with a mosaic rock designed by Manlio Cavallini.
The corpus was purchased in Guadalajara, Mexico, delivered to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and transported to San Antonio. Brother Suda placed the corpus on a cross he had built.
The tabernacle used in the former sanctuary was also beautified by Brother Suda, who encased it in a wooden cabinet and built an accompanying stand. Both the tabernacle and stand are made of the same material as the altar and other liturgical furnishings.
The Cavallini Company also transferred the stained glass windows, which were placed in the old church in 1994, to the new church. Manlio Cavallini and his sons are members of St. Dominic Parish.
“The number of people, from the founders to the many generations of parishioners who contributed their time, talents and treasures to make this dream come true is countless. Without their hard work and dedication, this day would not have been possible,” stated Father Ritter, pastor of the church for almost four years. “The many hours that people labored and sacrificed is a tribute to their faith and loyalty for our almighty God. With the help of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord, may we all grow stronger in faith and unity.”
Close to 500 St. Dominic Parish families made pledges through the “Together We Build” capital campaign, raising $2 million to fund construction of the new sanctuary.
HOW TO HELP
In order to fund and purchase other items needed for the sanctuary, the parish has begun a Worship Fund to obtain $185,000 in donations to help with the costs of stained glass windows, the porte cochere, audio system, baptismal font, hanging crucifix and stations of the cross.
For additional information, contact the St. Dominic Parish Office at 5919 Ingram Road, San Antonio, Texas 78228; (210) 435-6211, or visit the Web site, www.stdominicsa.org.