Hand painted Sacred Heart image: circle image in breezeway came from just above the high alters in the old church. The corner stone used in this church is the original stone used the church which burned down in 1902. Coins and duplicate of the Sacred Heart History is buried in a time capsule under the cornerstone at the east entrance. The coins date from 1883 to 1902.
The Psalms begins on the east side and goes all the way around the west side
Inside, we see the baptismal font, which is situated by the door at the beginning of Divine Life. Then the processional font to the alter is a rational thing. The windows were hand made at Melton, W. Virginia. There are 1284 squares of 56 colors. They were designed by Bob Chis, of El Dorado Junior College. The glass gives the church and entirely different psychosocial atmosphere. By the time you reach the Baptismal Font, you’ve conditioned to a different world. Yellow is used as emotional apparel. It is centered around the Baptismal Font, and in the church it is a swirled Font of Life.
Our alter is of native rock, following the tradition of Noah, Abraham, and Jacob, who raised alters of native rock to honor God. It is small, as the focal point of the church is the mass, not the alter.
The words on the ceiling beams are from the Canticle of David, book of Kings. The lights were made by the men of the perish.
The canopy over the alter is a hangover from the middle ages, where a canopy always stood over the kings. We have one over our Kings.
Why no crucifix on the wall? We must understand the psychology of the focal point of our prayer. Christ is raised, dies no more. We worship the living Christ in our midst… in the people of God. He’s present in a different way after consecration. We worship in a spirit and truth. The Fathers of the Vatican Council Congregation of Rights suggested the use of a processional lovable cross to be carried in… the eternal to be presented in an undistorted way.
The choir is places so to be a community of worshippers. There the wall hangings were made in 1965. It won the Catholic Art Assoc. contest prize and was on tour. We have the Original; a copy hangs in Washington D.C. The hangings are portable, easily kept current. This avoids rigidity, we can use whatever gives most useful, graceful way of celebrating mass.
When the small old church burned in 1902, the people of Sacred Heart Parish in Eureka and their pastor, Father David O’Leary began rethinking what they wanted in their church. A “pup” cathedral or a meeting room where the people became the first perishes in the diocese to incorporate the intrinsic principles of the 1952 Vatican Council.
Their preliminary Considerations:
- The church must be planned as a sacred place
- Church must have utility for the people, the new liturgy, and be able to adapt to any evolving changes.
- The church must preserve the best of the old; must make a clear decision between the essentials and accidentals of the faith.
The resulting church combines Father O’ Leary love for the essential, the Panamanian Architect Migfonio Slider’s cultural background and the work and ideas of many Eurekans.
We see the church rising out of living rock, the same living rock of the area. The random style of the building duplicates the natural veins and outcropping of the queries. We chose this stone and style, because God made Greenwood County in this way, and it is only reasonable to use the good things of Greenwood County and the state of Kansas to honor him.
The outside of the church is a copy of an Aztec/ ball court which is a native simple form. The architect is Migdanio Sedler.
On the west wall in front of the rectory the plumed serpent Quetzalcoatl is formed in the rock. This plumed serpent, of Panama-Aztec original, is denoted in Genesis. This Genesis symbolism unifies all the building.
The water spouts denote two versions of Telac, the rain God, one of Aztec design and one of Olmec design. The Aztec God Equatel and the Roman god Baccus, the god of wine. These spouts were designed and formed by the local men of the parish.
Preliminary considerations: First idea of planning needed to decide what to build. A sacred place but must have utility for people, and new liturgy, and changes to come. Useful in a traditional way, and also useful in evolving ceremonials. Preserve the nest of the old. In doing, must make clear decisions between the essentials of our faith and the accidentals should be a Nobel simplicity. See the church rising out of rock, the same rock all over town. The native living rock of the area laid in random style because we see veins and out cropping’s around here of the rock looking like this part of our native. Since God made Greenwood County and made it in this way, it is only reasonable to use the good things of Greenwood County and the state of Kansas to honor him. Slate floor is durable, will last forever. The alter is made out of native rock; in the Old Testament, Noah, Abraham, and Jacob all raised alter of native, uncut rock.
Function of church organ is to support congregational singing, and was designed to give the Church a hard brilliant sound. The wassl, ceiling, and floor are hard and all an iregular surface, break up the reflected sound so no echo.
Windows were by Bob Chishom of Eldorado of the Eldorado Art department of the junior college. All hand blown glass, a natural handmade product, not machine made.
Notice the serpent on Wall on south of the church. It is the plumed serpent Quantazeltol. Native the heel, and read book of Genesis and see what happens to the immunity between the women and the serpent, and we see her crushing the serpent.
Symbolism of Sacred Heart Stain Glass Windows
Stained glass windows in Sacred Heart Church Eureka - walls on the east, north and west sides of the church consist of square, colored windows. There is a reason for each color.
North wall
- Yellow - Light of Christ received at baptism
- Blue - Waters of baptism
- Green - Color of hope and life
East wall
- Yellow - wheat and bread
- Purple - grapes and wine
- Red - sacrifice of Christ
- Clear - joy of Eucharist being celebrated
West wall
- Red - Confirmation
- Clear - joy of the sacraments of Holy Spirit Orders of Matrimony
- Purple - need for reconciliation/peace anointing of the sick
- Green - color of hope and life
"Fr. O’Leary, who designed these windows, explained all this to me some years ago." -Father Pelzer
