When the people of Corpus Christi Parish in Chambersburg entered their historic church earlier this week for the first time since June, they found themselves looking toward the Beatific Vision.
The church’s sixth-month interior renovations revealed a visual transformation above the altar with imagery that connects the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and one day seeing God face-to-face.
“It’s a reflection of the true beauty of the people of Corpus Christi Parish and centers the life of the parish so beautifully on the Eucharist, which leads us into the Beatific Vision of eternal life with the Lord,” Bishop Timothy Senior said during the celebration of Mass on the evening of December 8. He blessed the new crucifix that hangs above the altar and is the focal point of an apse mural of angels in worship and a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit.
The interior renovations – which also include hand-painted iconography, spectacular stenciling, refurbished pews, new flooring, and enhanced and upgraded lighting – mark the fourth and final phase of a capital campaign launched by former pastor, Father Luis Rodriguez, after a master plan study in 2015. Previous phases included changes to the parish property, a spacious new narthex and a renovated Adoration Chapel.
“We’ve taken the approach to doing things with meaning, both from an architectural point of view but also from loving the liturgy so much that we wanted the church to be a more helpful vehicle in our celebrations,” said Father Allan Wolfe, pastor since 2020.
The renovations in the sanctuary, particularly the crucifix and the mural, “serve to remind us that heaven and earth are united when we celebrate the Eucharist,” Father Wolfe told The Witness. “We have the Real Presence of Jesus in the tabernacle, the angels in praise and adoration, and the Holy Spirit. We’ve not seen God face to face yet, so this is us moving toward it, on a pilgrimage. We’re moving toward the Beatific Vision, and the Eucharist is the key to that.”
Throughout the church, intricate detailing and iconography draw the congregation into worship and liturgy. Red and gold stencils symbolize the wine that becomes the Precious Blood and the wheat of the host that becomes the Eucharist. Behind the altar are icons of the Alpha and the Omega, the chalice and host, and the Lamb of God. Blue and gold paint around the statues of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary draw attention to their marble shrines, and two new shrines to the Divine Mercy and Our Lady of Guadalupe behind the back row of pews are planned.
These renovations mark the third such undertaking to the church, which was dedicated in 1907. Brechbill & Helman Construction Company in Chambersburg was the general contractor, with Conrad Schmitt Studios out of Wisconsin providing artists for the paintings, murals and stencils.
Carrying Christ into the World
Returning to their church on December 8 after having celebrated Masses in the parish center since June 8, parishioners delighted in the renovations as Bishop Senior blessed the mural and crucifix above the altar and reminded them of the mission to carry Jesus into the world like Mary, celebrated that day for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Mary was given a unique grace from God and was free from the stain of sin in order to bear Jesus into the world, Bishop Senior said in his homily.
“We have been chosen to share the life of the Son, to live forever with Him. And we get there, grace by grace, reconciliation after reconciliation, and nourished at the table of the Lord where we receive the Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ, that forms us into the likeness of Christ more fully,” the bishop said.
“Your parish is under the patronage of that title for our Lord, and we know how precious a gift that is,” he told the congregation. “Our lives are centered on it. We are fed by the Body and Blood of Christ. When we think about it, we literally carry Him in that way. That happens in the big choices in our lives – our vocation to the married life, consecrated life, diaconate, priesthood; in our professional lives, our work…. But then again God also chooses us in little ways, little encounters, the day-to-day, in times with our family, in our workplace, in our community. In whatever context that may be, be conscious that we carry Christ and we have been chosen to bring His presence to others in a way that is similar to Mary.”
Father Wolfe echoed that gift in speaking about the church’s intentional renovations and the guiding concept of it being sacred ground.
“This is a place where we encounter the Lord in the Eucharist,” he said.
“The renovations are an example of the three transcendentals of God: truth, beauty and goodness. They draw people closer to God, even if they don’t realize it, and we become opened more fully to His presence,” Father Wolfe said.
Corpus Christi Church is one of seven pilgrimage sites in the Diocese during this Jubilee Year. The parish continues to welcome pilgrims through January 6; visit https://cburgcatholic.org/ or call 717-264-6317.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
