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Father David Garcia, pastor of San Fernando, presented an overview of renovations at the cathedral. Founded in 1731, San Fernando was the first church in Texas and is the oldest building in the United States.
He pointed out their renovation plan was intended to both preserve and restore the historic church, while modernizing certain aspects to make it work better with the liturgy. Changes have included moving the altar closer to the people, improving the choir set-up and adding light sources.
The back of the cathedral dates to the 1700s and has been restored as a colonial chapel of that time period, with three retablos. “We went to Mexico and got people who could paint these beautiful retablos that were very typical of Spanish colonial times,” said Father Garcia. “They’re absolutely spectacular.” The central one is 25 feet high and completely covered in 24-karat gold leaf. One retablo features an 18th century painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, purchased in New Mexico, while the other holds a statue of Our Lady of Candelaria, a gift from the Canary Islanders in Spain in 1984.
When the renovation committee began to assess the artwork in the church, they realized few women were depicted. Over the years, special statuary or paintings have been added to the cathedral, representing social and political changes taking place and the committee wanted future generations to recognize the significance of their choice in 2003 as indicating the advancement of women in society to the point where they now hold leadership positions in every field.
Chosen for installation was a painting of the three women at the tomb — the first evangelizers, Mary Magdalen, Mary the Mother of Jesus and Salome. It now hangs in the back of the cathedral and recently appeared as the front cover of the Easter issue of the Jesuits’ America magazine. Referring to this new artwork inside the cathedral and the Archdiocesan Women’s Commission’s planned courtyard statuary to honor the archbishop, Father Garcia noted, “I’m so happy that we’re going to be able now to take that attitude from inside the church and be able to bring it out here.”
The new Cathedral Centre, built to complement the cathedral by using similar materials in its construction, features a wall of doors opening onto a peaceful courtyard, reminiscent of a European sidewalk café. In fact, the cathedral operates a small café there, serving breakfast and lunch. The center also includes a museum telling the history of the faith in San Antonio, meeting rooms, classrooms, offices and a double sacristy for the cathedral, with a beautiful balcony for special occasions.
Currently under construction is a third phase of the renovation, the nearby Community Centre, which should be completed by the end of the year.
Here, the cathedral will partner with organizations that help the needy through healthcare, educational, social services and other areas. Father Garcia pointed out that many such organizations cannot afford downtown rent and said, “We are going to give them the opportunity to come and offer their services down here.” Plans include having two full-time nurses, a full-time social worker, plus literacy, citizenship, youth and senior programs. There will also be a large hall seating 550, classrooms and offices at this location. The priests’ residence will be located on the third floor.
The focus of the renovations at the cathedral, said Father Garcia, was “to affirm the role of San Fernando as the center of the city, the physical and spiritual center of the city.” (The center of the cathedral’s original dome, which collapsed in 1872, remains the geographical point from which all San Antonio distances are measured.)
Sister Janet Abbacchi, SSND, addressed the audience on behalf of the Archdiocesan Women’s Commission, pointing out the beautiful correlation between the archbishop’s name, Flores, (meaning “flowers”) and the title of the artwork in his honor, Our Lady of the Flowers. “This is an important moment for all of us,” she said, noting, “I’ve been in the diocese since 1968 and this is the first time I know of a tribute of such magnitude to be given to Archbishop Flores.” She added it had, so far, been kept a secret from him.
Sister Abbacchi praised the archbishop for all he has done in the archdiocese for women and children, noting his involvement with Seton Home, which assists young, unwed mothers, and the Battered Women’s Shelter, as well as his constant encouragement of education. He has included women in an active role in the church, an example being Sister Abbacchi herself, Synod coordinator for the archdiocese and former superintendent of schools.
She compared his actions as echoing those of the foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who believed that if women were educated, they would become positive catalysts in their own families.
Sister Abbacchi quoted from Mother Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger: “All the works of God proceed slowly and sometimes with pain; but then, their roots are the sturdier and their flowers the lovelier.” Referring to the sculpted tribute to the archbishop, she said, “I think we see on the train of Our Lady of the Flowers that all the flowers represent the many women, in all the different organizations that they are in, the different walks of life. They are all women in our tribute to him.”
Martha Brinkmann, former editor of Today’s Catholic, introduced the unveiling of a sketch of the bas-relief and presented a brief biography of the artist chosen for the project, Erik Christianson. Originally from Hawaii, he now resides in Bulverde. She read from a letter sent by him: “I have always been a believer in the powerful images of Our Lady! It is a wonderful and sacred representational embodiment of caring, nurturing and everlasting love.” He added, “I am very excited about this new project honoring Archbishop Patrick Flores and creating a sculpture for the San Fernando Cathedral.”
Christianson, who works exclusively in bronze because of its longevity, was previously commissioned to create the statue of Juan Seguin on horseback for the City of Seguin and sculptures of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Mexican American Cultural Center here in San Antonio, Mary Immaculate Parish in Dallas, St. Charles Borromeo Church in Missouri and St. Paul Catholic Church in Austin.
He has also received commissions from the Tejas U.S. Horse Calvary, the U.S. Naval and Air Force academies, the Dallas Mavericks and the Fort Hood Medical Center. He is currently working on the Texas A&M Bonfire Memorial, creating life-size, bas-relief portraits of the 12 students who lost their lives in that tragic accident. Brinkmann noted that Christianson is allowing the parents of these students to critique his work while in progress and accommodate any changes they feel are needed.
A sketch of Our Lady of the Flowers was then unveiled by Aileen Vilim and Chris Alderete, revealing Mary amid a profusion of flowers. Maureen Schneiderheinz, project treasurer, stated that $2,900 had been collected at that time, plus around $1,500 in pledges. Needed is $30,000. She noted donation packets were available at the entry table and encouraged persons to spread the word of this project to their organizations and friends.
Mary Havel, executive director of the San Fernando Historical Centre Foundation, asked individuals and groups to consider underwriting a specific portion of the bas-relief. The San Fernando museum will house a permanent display on Our Lady of the Flowers, with the names of donors of $100 or more to be placed in a permanent book located there.
Alderete noted they also hope to cast a small miniature of the bas-relief, to be sold in the museum to help fund upkeep of the original. “We need your support,” said Alderete, “and by coming together, we feel this is very doable, we can accomplish this.” The fund-raising campaign will continue through the summer, and they hope to present the archbishop with this tribute in July or August.
Contacted later, artist Christianson expressed his excitement regarding the project. “It’s very creative (the Our Lady of the Flowers project); it gives me a lot of freedom,” he said. He noted he plans to incorporate indigenous flowers into the piece, with perhaps a monarch butterfly or two surrounding Mary as she walks through a path of flowers. His sketch unveiled on May 6 was a preliminary approximation of the bas-relief, which will feature many more details when completed. He has been collaborating closely with the committee on the design, fine-tuning it through several sketches and suggestions by members. It will measure seven feet by five feet. |