After years of planning, St. John the Evangelist Church in Severna Park is undergoing extensive renovations that will give the house of worship a completely new look and an opportunity to highlight its patron saint.
“It is very exciting,” said Adam Novotny, director of campus operations. “It is a big change. There is a lot of trust in the pastor.”
Father Erik Arnold, pastor, is quick to point out that he is not the first priest at St. John to consider renovations to the main interior. Other projects, however, took precedence, including a new gathering space added at the front of the church in 2000 and a community space/gymnasium added to the parish school.
“Why now? I guess the timing was good,” Father Arnold said. “The parish is in a place ready to take it on.”
Built in 1964 in a contemporary style, the church’s standout feature was its black ceiling that Novotny said was to evoke the catacombs. Another reason for the black ceiling, according to stories shared with Father Arnold, is the designer’s interest in Japanese culture, where the color of black is sacred.
“Overall, some people really grew fond of the ceiling, but a growing number of parishioners were in favor of introducing more light into the church,” Father Arnold said.
The building’s heating and air conditioning units were also failing, as were its lighting systems, which could only be turned on at the fuse box. To fix many of these systems, the ceiling had to come down and asbestos removed. The decision was made to do a complete redo.
“Now, we’re going in the opposite direction,” Novotny said. “Heavenly.”
A shallow dome installed over the sanctuary will feature a hand-painted mural of St. John’s vision of heavenly worship – the victorious Lamb of God surrounded by St. John, angels and elders. The art, a depiction of a passage in the Book of Revelation, will visually remind Massgoers that they join the angels and saints in the worship they offer Jesus in heaven – that heaven and earth are joined together every time Mass is celebrated.
Behind the altar, a painting of the crucifix will hang with paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist on each side.
“It is an opportunity to integrate sacred art into the church. We can highlight our patron saint,” Father Arnold said. “So much of the artwork and things we’re doing are very deliberately drawn from the Gospel of St. John and his letters.”
A step on the sanctuary was removed to allow “a better flow,” Novotny said, and a ramp was added behind the reredos. Former brick pillars near the altar will be made into round pillars. Stairs were also rounded.
“Everything was angular, all hard edges,” Novotny said. “We are introducing softer elements.”
All of the church’s pews were removed, with parishioners having the opportunity to purchase them. An antique, hand-painted, oil-on-tin Stations of the Cross set was purchased from a company in Pittsburgh to be introduced into the church, with the parish’s previous Stations of the Cross donated to a church in Ghana.
In the church’s shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the statue of Mary will sit more prominently. A verse from the Gospel of John, “Behold Your Mother” (Jn 19:27) will be painted above her.
A shrine to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be introduced in a side transept. Craftsmen at the Stuflesser wood carving studios in Italy are already working on a statue of the Sacred Heart for the sacred space.
The creation of the shrine carries special importance, as Pope Francis recently wrote a letter on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus commemorating the 350th anniversary of Jesus’ appearances to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
In a message to his parishioners, Father Erik Arnold, St. John’s pastor, noted that Jesus revealed his Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary and commissioned her to “spread devotion to his loving and merciful heart.”
“The heart of Jesus is especially revealed in the Gospel of John,” Father Arnold said, “making our new shrine a fitting and powerful focus for our prayer as a parish family.”
Novotny said Father Arnold worked hard to get everyone on board for the renovations by hosting meetings and involving parish members in design ideas.
“People are attached. This is their spiritual home. You have to be sensitive to that,” Novotny said. “The generosity of the parishioners, (shows) they have bought into the vision.”
The project, which costs about $5 million, began in the fall and is expected to be completed in August. During construction, the congregation has been meeting in the parish activities center.
“We could not do the renovation without that. It made it possible,” Father Arnold said, noting that the congregation had to use Severna Park High School for its Christmas Masses and will use it again for Easter.
“It is off to a beautiful start,” Father Arnold said.
Matthew Compton with Foundry Architects in Baltimore is the architect for the renovation project and the builder is A.R. Marani of Baltimore.
Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org
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