2003 ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
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Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
July/August 2003

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ST. WILLIAM OF YORK, CARMEL VALLEY

St. William of York parish describes itself in its website as an "urban community of faith." Serving the Carmel Valley area, it's nestled in a residential neighborhood.

The worship center, as they call it, follows a modernist trend in church architecture. Aside from a large white cross on the lawn, there is little to distinguish this building as a church rather than a library or community center.

The interior floor plan is square. In the left wall is an alcove with a white statue of Our Lady. The Stations of the Cross are fourteen tiny crosses bearing only Roman numerals. Padded chairs, without kneelers, fill the seating space. The sanctuary is a platform containing a portable oak altar and ambo. The Blessed Sacrament is housed in an oak tabernacle, situated in a chapel directly opposite the sacristy.

The rear wall of the sanctuary features a square alcove, above which is a traditional Crucifix. The alcove is a shrine to symbols of nature. On the left stands an artificial tree. On the right, a terraced arrangement of artificial flowers. At the bottom of the terrace is an overturned basket of apples. Between the tree and flowers is a mosaic tile sun, with a placid face and wind blown rays. A red linen cloth draped about the ensemble sets off the whole décor.

I attended the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Pentecost Sunday, June 8. The pastor, Father Nicholas Dempsey was away. The supply priest was Father Jack Stoeger from a retreat house in Santa Barbara. The parish choir sang the liturgical music, supported by organ, piano, guitar, oboe and violin. The processional hymn was "Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest." The sanctuary party was small: an altar boy and girl in albs with red cinctures, a lector in a dark suit, and Father Jack in a red chasuble. After the Sign of the Cross, Father Jack greeted us: "I'm Father Jack Bad Penny! I just keep coming back!" He led a penitential Kyrie. The choir then sang a festive Gloria, with the congregation joining in the refrain. The lector gave both readings: from Acts, the account of the Holy Spirit's descent upon the Church, and from 1 Corinthians, St Paul's declaration that we are all baptized in one Spirit to form one body in Christ. Between the readings, instead of the appointed psalm, choir and people sang the hymn "Come Lord Jesus, send us your Spirit." Following the Alleluia, Father Jack read the Gospel from John 20, in which Jesus sends the disciples in the peace and power of the Holy Spirit.

The theme of the sermon was "The process is the presence." Father Jack began by recalling how Bible stories have helped him know what God is like. He said he struggles to understand the work of the Holy Spirit. But he found insight in a business logo he saw which read, "The system is the solution." This led him to formulate his paradigm, "The process is the presence." The process of change, transformation, growth, moving toward perfection, is the presence of the Holy Spirit among us.

At the conclusion of the Offertory, a family brought up the gifts. The eucharistic prayer that Father Jack said was not one of the four authorized in the Ordo Missae, although the words of the Consecration were said as printed in the Missal. Father Jack explained to me that he sometimes mixes the wording of various prayers. Rather than showing the consecrated Host to the people, he lifted the paten. During the entire prayer, everyone remained standing.

The Our Father was sung to a melody in waltz time. Its sentimentality was enhanced by the piano and violin accompaniment. All joined hands, filling the center aisle to do so.

During the Agnus Dei, seven Eucharistic ministers, six women and one man, assumed places in the sanctuary with Father Jack. Each wore a gold pectoral cross. Four of them served the precious Blood from glass goblets.

The announcements included a couple, married ten years with two children, giving glowing testimony to the Marriage Encounter weekend.

The sanctuary party recessed to the singing of "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty." After the hymn, a big burst of applause was offered for the choir and musicians.

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