Saint John the Evangelist, Goshen, Indiana

Saint John the Evangelist 

Goshen, Indiana

This church is situated on Indiana State Road 15/Main Street. This parish is one of the oldest in the diocese, but ironically the buildings on the campus are not older than the 1960's. The parish was a mission back in the 1860's and was a fairly small church. In the 1940's a small addition was added but by the late 50's the church was simply too small for the ever growing congregation

After Vatican II, the Very Reverend James Cis, gave two plans to the parish for a new church to be built. The first was a extravagant modern design, the second was a more conservative colonial design. These photos demonstrate the decision made toward the latter. It's ironic, the church was completed and dedicated in 1970, but retained many pre-Vatican II traditions, such as a communion rail, and large rectangular altar, (as the norm during the time was to build small squarish altars resembling coffee tables.)

The church is just off the Goshen Downtown, and has been a staple of the skyline for 50 years. It's so well known that in past years a local bookstore made trinkets of famous Goshen landmarks, only two were churches and one was of Saint John's

Since the 1990's the Hispanic and Latino population in Goshen has exploded to the point where half of the Masses at Saint John's are in Spanish and most of them are standing room only. Their addition has led to several visible reminders of their devotion. This statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe is only a fragment of the manifested devotion.

Another early 2000's introduction was the statue of the Pieta and the stations of the cross. 

The school building on the left was yet another addition to the parochial school campus in the early 2000's. The original school dates back to the late 1800's, and an addition was added in the 60's, but the original building was demolished to make way for the current structure

In the late 70's a few years after the construction of the church, a grotto to Our Lady was built with the help of several parishioners for manual labor. A time capsule was encased in the grotto by a placard with a poem written by another parishioner

The interior is definitely Colonial, yet it while Colonial churches tend to be Protestant, this is clearly Catholic. It makes for some interesting architectural choices. Unfortunately an 1990's renovation saw the cutting down of the altar and removal of the communion rail.

The first is the massive altar stage. A necessary element in post Vatican II churches but an anomaly in Colonial churches. The stand on which the tabernacle sits also has an altar stone, technically making it an altar

The second interesting decision made was the the use of plain glass rather than stained glass. While some Colonial churches have stained glass, they do not compare with the rich visual tapestry of stained glass found in a Gothic or Romanesque Catholic church. Simply put, there is no such thing as Colonial stained glass in the Catholic Church, and if there is, it is a rarity/

This rose window, obscurely placed in the choir loft, was a remnant of the former church

Unfortunately the statuary is not consistent. On the statues of the patron of the parish and the Sacred Heart flanking the tabernacle, as well as the stations, they are a wooden, monochromatic color. On the other hand, the statues of the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph on either side of the sanctuary, as well as the altar crucifix, are painted statues 

In most North American churches, the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph have side altars that flank the sanctuary. (Sometimes Saint Joseph is swapped for the Sacred Heart in Polish churches.) 

 

Saint Gaspar del Buffalo 

Rome City, Indiana

This parish sits on State Road 9 between Wolcottville and Rome City. The church was constructed in the 1950's. Originally there was a school, but sometime part of the school building was annexed into the church. The church was once cruciform, but now sits in an awkward right angle shape, but with the altar left unturned.

The church sits in the midst of the sprawling ubiquitous Indiana cornfields . The well kept landscaping keeps the church appearing tidy. The school to the left, church in the middle, and rectory to the right. 

The overhang over the entrance was a later edition to the church, likely in the 90's or 2000's. The church is fairly small, only able to seat at most 100 or 150 people inside

Saint Gaspar del Buffalo was born in 1786, and in 1808 was ordained a priest in Italy. In 1815 Gaspar founded the Congregation of the Precious Blood. Later the sister order, the Sisters of the Precious would staff schools across middle Indiana and Ohio, as well as other states and countries. By the 1950's the order was a massive powerhouse that simply fizzled in size after the 60's. Now many of the convents have been sold and converted, and the head seminary near Maria Stein, Ohio has been made into a retirement home for priests and religious.

The church's stained glass is an attempt at modernist tradition. This was a concept of design that developed in Germany in the late 1920's and reached American churches by the early 1950's. By the 60's all churches built at that time had varying degrees of modernist influence. This church has thin, slender stained glass windows found in older style churches, but only in modern churches are they floor to ceiling.

A pleasant surprise was this pipe organ to the right of the sanctuary. An even bigger surprise was the fact that the pipes are not simply a façade of pretty decorated pipes, these actually make noise. I don't think I've ever seen the organ to the side with actual pipes as well.

The sanctuary is very modernist, but hints ever so slightly to a pre-Vatican II past. The first hint is the priests seat to the far right, also known as a Sedilia. The center seat was for the Priest while the flanking seats were for the deacon and sub-deacon; both positions were abolished post Vatican II. The next hint is the centralized tabernacle against the back wall. This is a sign that the altar was once flush up against the back wall to offer ad orientum Masses. The sanctuary has obviously been renovated since 1970 (when the norms of Vatican II took effect)

The windows on the left were of the seven sacraments. If there is anything the modernist Catholic architecture is known for, it's polygons mixed into a stained glass window. I do have to end this post by saying that even though I am critical of modernist architecture, the people of this church couldn't have been more kinder by letting me in to take these photos. My thanks to the parishioners and pastor of Saint Gaspar del Buffalo Church.