Holy Cross Church Rumson

Modified Design Diagrams Submitted to Diocese

 
Modified design plans for our church construction were submitted to the Diocese last Friday.

Let us continue to pray!

Bishop O'Connell and Architect James McCrery at Holy Cross Parish Rumson

The bishop and James McCrery share a moment before our Sunday mass.

Church Design Back On Track

 
Our architect is already hard at work dreaming and improving the interior of the Church proposal to meet with the Bishop's approval. The design will retain the prayerful and intimate atmosphere which endeared it to so many. As soon as it's approved, we'll show it off!

 
 

I Know It's Been A While...

 

During Lent, and especially during this week, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide the outcome of our church project to produce a beautiful, prayerful, traditional church adequate for our needs now and into the future.

You know that I have been fasting and offering mass on Wednesdays for this intention and will continue to do so during this Lenten season - a time to draw closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Oremus.

Outside A Little Bit Country, Inside A Little Bit Rock and Roll

The exterior of our church has been called carpenter gothic, think points and spires, while the interior has barrel vaults and is painted in a style reminiscent of the Renaissance. It's been a challenge for our architects to marry the two styles in a beautiful and cohesive way, but they are busy at work on it.

What do you get when two barrel vaults intersect? No, it's not a riddle it will give you an idea of the ceiling where the transepts meet the nave. They're called groin vaults, (seriously), and one possibility is that they can be configured to give an interior dome to the church, that is from outside the church the roofline is flat, but within the church, there is a dome in the ceiling.

Here's a sketch-up drawing from Google which gives

an idea of the groin vault without an interior dome.

Pergola Guides and Welcomes

A pergola is an architectural feature forming a shaded walk or passageway of pillars that support cross beams and a sturdy open lattice, upon which woody vines are trained.

In Holy Cross' preliminary design concept, there is a graceful pergola which guides people from the parking lot to the plaza in front of the church - like a living arm, gesturing welcome to visitors and worshippers.

Timetable

On September 29th there are a series of meetings with the architect and school and parish leaders. Shortly after that we hope to present the concept drawings to a meeting first of the Building Committee who has been guiding the process all along, and then a general presentation to our parish community.

Parking Lot Puddles

As you may see, there are still at least two areas of significant puddling in the parking lot, including one

area in which repairs have been attempted several times. The contractor has been notified and a portion of our payment to him has been withheld until the necessary corrections are made.

If at first you don't succeed...

Prayerful, Traditional, Sacred and More!

Well, the first look at the beginning concept drawings for the revised church plans couldn't have been more anticipated and the results couldn't be more encouraging!

Our reconfigured church in the form of a Latin cross, retains the two windows on each west side of the choir loft as agreed upon with the Borough, but now preserves the same historic facade and set back and the identical bell tower on Ward Avenue.The plan calls for new and fewer driveways from Ward Avenue onto the property, reconfigured parking, less lot coverage, less building coverage, more parking capacity and increased seating capacity. It retains the present carriage house and rectory. 

An ellipse garden between church and carriage house, a courtyard garden between church and parking lot with pathways and a centrally located fountain welcome worshipers to the new main entrance on the west end of the church.  Two ADA restrooms on the main floor level will also serve as family restrooms, with the public restrooms located on a lower level of the west end of the church. If it sounds too good to be true...just wait, it's even better! Did I mention bride's room, meeting room, cry rooms, priest's vesting sacristy and work sacristy?

Several adjustments were suggested by Fr. Manning and staff members to these very early drawings. The next step is to develop three-dimensional drawings to present to the Building Committee for further discussion and suggestions. This may take two weeks, so be thinking of a meeting toward the end of September or beginning of October. Once we have general agreement on the design, we can move further along the planning stages.

I can't wait for the drawings which make our proposed church more easy to visualize and for you to see the early design phase drawings.  I think you'll love them! Please keep praying for us to find and follow God's will.

The vertical arm of a Latn cross is longer than the horizontal arm, while both arms of a Greek cross are of equal length.

And Finally the Icing on the Cake...Parking Spaces and Traffic Arrows

Workers use the quiet labor day Friday to paint traffic flow arrows and parking spaces. Once we got the green light to begin, everything went smoothly and efficiently: thank you to Kudos Construction and its president/parishioner Bill Black. 

Just a reminder that traffic is now EXIT ONLY alongside the gymatorium onto Rumson Road. Most times the exit will actually be closed because we need to prevent speeding motorists from using the route as a short-cut turn in lieu of the problematic intersection of Ward Ave and Rumson Road. 

Have a Safe and Restful Labor Day Weekend!