Mosaic of St. Lawrence completes parish renovation project

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein blesses a tile mosaic of St. Lawrence on Feb. 15 in the new entrance of Father Conen Hall at St. Lawrence Parish as part of his pastoral visit to the Indianapolis North Deanery parish. St. Lawrence School art teacher Allison Altherr, project volunteer Anna Marie Burrell and other parishioners helped the students with the project. Archbishop Buechlein was also the main celebrant at a Mass before the blessing ceremony. (Photos by Mary Ann Wyand)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Hundreds of hands helped create the tile mosaic of St. Lawrence that graces the entrance of the newly renovated and expanded Father Conen Hall at St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis.

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein blessed the almost finished mural—which was made by St. Lawrence School students—in the parish center after the 10 a.m. Mass on Feb. 15.

“The fact that the children in the parish made the mosaic of St. Lawrence, which will be the main art piece in the new lobby, is very special,” said Father John Beitans, the pastor.

“The silver lining in our [church narthex] fire [on Nov. 2, 2007] was that we have done more work on the church than we had expected,” he said. “We finished God’s house first then moved on to [renovate] the gymnasium and cafeteria.”

Architect Michael Eagan of Entheos Architects in Indianapolis and the Meyer Najim construction company in Indianapolis recently completed the addition to the parish center, which features an elevator for access to the gymnasium and cafeteria as well as handicap-accessible restrooms.

“It is such a joy and an honor to have you here at St. Lawrence Church on the occasion of your pastoral visit,” Father Beitans told the archbishop at the start of Mass. “We’re very proud of the renovation of our church and our new addition [to the parish center], of the work we’ve done, and we’re proud to have you here to see it.”

In his homily, Archbishop Buechlein noted that Catholics in central and southern Indiana will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis during 2009.

“When I think about the challenges we face in carrying on the mission of Christ in our local Church on this anniversary of our archdiocese, I think a lot about our holy founders,” he said. “As I reflect on the healing ministry of Jesus, as expressed in the Gospel we just heard, I think of our founders, who it seems to me epitomize the ministry of Jesus.

“… I think it’s important for our faith communities to reflect on the fact that the vast majority of us Catholics enjoy worship and the availability of the sacraments, religious education and other aspects of parish life, and we do that in facilities we didn’t build,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “… We were probably reared in parishes where the facilities and services were handed down from past generations. We enjoy the fruit of the blood, sweat, tears and money of past generations, and we have a responsiblilty to hand on to future generations the fruit of our generosity.

“We acknowledge that everything we have comes from the hand of God and belongs to him,” the archbishop said.

“… We thank God for the blessings we have received through our founding ancestors. And I extend a special invitation to our youth and to our young adults to take up the challenge of carrying the ministry of Jesus into the future, especially as priests and as consecrated religious.”

After the Mass, Betty Popp, principal of St. Lawrence School, said the colorful mural of the patron saint reflects “a lot of effort by our art teacher, Allison Altherr, volunteers and all of the children. Every child in our school had a hand in putting it together.

“It’s not quite finished yet, but it’s beautiful,” she said. “They’re going to put a frame around it that has a representation of the grill that St. Lawrence was martyred on, and then the grouting will complete it.”

Popp said the official unveiling of the finished mural will take place during the parish’s annual Father Beechem Foundation Dinner on March 21, which helps fund student scholarships and teacher projects.

“The best benefit is we are now handicap-accessible with the elevator,” she said, “so everyone is able to access the renovated cafeteria downstairs and go up to the gymnasium.” †