Every appointment in the main sanctuary and the day chapel are reminders of the rich traditions that surround the Catholic faith. And, even though St. Padre Pio’s sanctuary is new, many of its contents are over 100 years old.
    One of its most spectacular donations came from the Sisters of the Incarnate Word at the University of the Incarnate Word. They donated a 100-year-old marble altar from the Motherhouse Chapel that was disassembled and reassembled in the sanctuary. “This is a masterpiece of liturgical architecture that will grace our temporary worship space, and later the shrine we intend to build as the financial means allow,” stated Msgr. Ragsdale.

    According to the parish’s liturgical consultant, Rolf Rohn, the value of the donated marble is within the neighborhood of $650,000. “We could have never been able to afford this expense,” said the monsignor.
    The multiple pieces of the main altar donated by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word had to be “glued” together. In the center portion of the altar is an open area encased in red granite with a light installed to allow people to see the relic of Padre Pio, which will be housed in that area. In the front middle section of the altar, there is a marble Lamb of God with a backdrop of a metal grate-like grill whereby light can be reflected allowing one to view the relic. The altar dimensions are 10 feet long and three feet wide. The altar cloth will hang off four inches on each side, allowing full view of the onyx columns.

    In addition, the sisters donated side altars to be used in the day chapel, along with the pulpit, ambo, credence table and two marble holy water fonts. The smaller marble altar was placed in the chapel used for daily Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Behind this small altar will be a marble archway to highlight it.
    “The main altar, day chapel altar and retablo, as well as the other marble appointments have stood the ‘test of time’ in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word Sisters,” Msgr. Ragsdale said. “So, our shrine is made up of the ‘oldest’ and the ‘newest,’ each of which makes our parish most unique. We can combine the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ allowing each to complement each other.”

    Other donors have provided the parish with a tabernacle, a gift donated by the children of the parish as a result of their weekly offerings; Stations of the Cross manufactured in Spain, candlesticks for the main altar and the altar of repose, the sanctuary light, the processional cross, three credence tables, and a large monstrance for Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and the holy water vat.
    The pastor is still looking for a donor for a baptismal font that will be placed at the back of the church in the middle aisle that will also serve as a holy water font.

    One of the in-house financial drives promoted in addition to a capital campaign is a “chair drive.” Because this worship space will one day be converted into a youth center with a gymnasium, parishioners have chosen to use chairs rather than pews.

    Msgr. Ragsdale noted that one of the most noticeable changes was the number of people who joined in singing due to the projection boards on the walls. “It is so much easier to just look up and not have to locate a songbook or flip pages,” he said. “I know it will take some time to get used to this new method, yet I feel in the long run it will be best for all of us.”

    The pastor praised parishioners who have waited and worked diligently to make the project come to fruition and have kept the prayerful motto of Padre Pio at the helm of the project: “Pray, hope and don’t worry!”
    He reminded them, “Well, we have prayed hard, never lost hope and tried our dandiest not to worry,” admitting, “There have been moments of ‘worry,’ but with the grace of the Lord we have done our best to persevere and never take our eyes off the goal we set at our first Mass on Sept. 23, 2001; to build a house of prayer to honor our Lord and invoke the blessings of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina!”