St. Gall Catholic Community

Posted by Lori Berry

It has been a privilege and a joy to be part of the St. Gall Renovation Team. The other members of our team are Lety Cleary, Greg Carlson, De Imelli, Irma Gutierrez, and Anne Goldy.

Let me start with two questions: Do you know what a baldachin is? Did you know that St. Gall has one? Until recently, my answer was probably the same as yours: “No, I don’t.” and “No, I didn’t.”

I learned what a baldachin is when I attended a talk with Deacon David at a recent Diocese of Reno conference. A baldachin is an architectural structure on the inside of a church that is basically a canopy over the altar and the area immediately around the altar. The purpose of a baldachin is to add emphasis or focus to the altar, the most important fixture of the Eucharist.

As I worked on the design and implementation of our renovation efforts, one of my objectives was to find a way to make the function and purpose of our baldachin more obvious. I decided to use color and art as a way to meet this objective. Although I found the challenges of this design stimulating and energizing, it was interacting with the painting contractor that most touched my heart.

It turns out that the owner of the painting company is a former Catholic. As I discussed with him the reasoning and implementation of my design, I could see in his eyes that his investment in this aspect of the job was more than just the passive interest of a professional painting contractor. My suspicion was confirmed when I learned that the contractor did all the extra work required to execute my design at no extra charge.

I pray not only that our efforts to renovate our church and sanctuary will enhance our Eucharistic celebrations, but also that the work itself might have touched and transformed the heart of a certain painting contractor.