prayers and art at st. thomas more1...6 st. thomas more university parish and student center prayers...

prayers and art at st. thomas more 1

prayers and art at st. thomas morest. thomas more university parish and student center2 3

MOur Father,

Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name;

Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen.


M


ContentsMap

Locations

Prologue

Introduction

Stations of the Cross

Altar and Sanctuary

Altar Murals

Sculptures

Music

Stained Glass

Prayer Gardens and Shrines

Architecture

Architectural Details

Design and Identity

Legacy

Book Notes

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The Altar1 Crucifix2 St. Simon Stock and St. Hilda of Whitby. 3 St. Thomas Becket and St. Aelred of Rievaulx4 St. Winifred and Cardinal St. John Henry Newman5 St. Margaret Clitherow Cardinal and St. John Fisher6 St. Anne Line and St. Edmund Campion7 St. Margaret Ward and St. Edmund Arrowsmith

Stations of the Cross2

1 Jesus is Condemned to Die.2 Jesus Carries His Cross.3 Jesus Falls the First Time.4 Jesus Meets His Mother.5 Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross6 Veronica Wipes Jesus’ Face7 Jesus Falls a Second Time8 Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem.9 Jesus Falls a Third Time. Jesus is Stripped. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross. Jesus Dies on the Cross. Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross. Jesus is Laid in the Tomb.

Santuary1 Altars2 Sacred Heart of Mary3 Jesus in the Tomb4 St. Scholastica5 St. Thomas Aquinas6 St. John Vianney7 St. Agnes8 St. Joseph9 St. Cecilia

Shrines and Prayer Gardens1 Our Lady of Life Shrine2 Our Lady of Grace Prayer Garden3 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Courtyard4 Holy Family | Ransom’s Garden 3Stained Glass1 Agnes Dei (east window)2 Mary, Mother of the Church (west window)

Entry Plaza1 St. Thomas More Sculpture

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St. Thomas MoreEntry Statue

Our Lady of Life is North at thecorner of Stinson and Jenkins

Ransom’s Gardenis South of the Chapel

St. ElizabethAnn SetonCourtyard

Our Lady of Grace PrayerGarden

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Locations


On November 7, 1926, a “graceful little Gothic building” that still stands at 717 West Boyd, was dedi-cated Mater Admirabilis (“Mother Most Admirable”) Chapel, a Catholic church to serve University of Oklahoma students, faculty, staff and their families. It was built to hold 175 souls.

Prologue


Mater Admirabilis Chapel

There are pigeons on the roof of the little chapelThat belongs to the Mother of God;White and purple and gray and dapple,They preen their feathers and promenade.

Come out, come out, O Mother of God, Come out, for the sun is bright And radiant in God’s own face, And the pigeons dance to do you grace; Come out into the light.

They wheel in the air and they turn in the lightAnd they walk in stately procession,While the Virgin near God’s altar whiteMakes her endless intercession.

Come out, come out, O Mother of God, Come out, for the sky is blue; Yes, bluer than your painted robe Is heaven’s dome above this globe, And the pigeons dance for you.

You a morning will come, so dewy and fairThat the Mater AdmirabilisWill leave her pale candles and her prayerTo watch the pigeons’ bliss.

Come out, come out, O Mother of Christ, Come out this very day, For the pigeons pirouette for you; On a golden roof, under heaven’s deep blue, They dance who cannot pray.

Altha Leah Bass

Sooner Magazine (1929)

In 1959, the chapel’s name was changed to St. Thom-as More Chapel by its newest pastor, convinced that a scholar and attorney to be a more fitting patron for a Catholic Church on a university campus. On Sep-tember 23, 1979, a new church and gathering place for Catholic students at the corner of Jenkins Avenue and Stinson Street was dedicated with a capacity for 435. The design, with its use of simple lines, unpre-tentious redwood and clerestories filling the space with natural light, was recognized as one of the best in Oklahoma by the American Association of Ar-chitects. Almost immediately, the parish saw that the building was not large enough for their growing faith community. After multiple attempts to raise the nec-essary funding, a new St. Thomas More Church, with a capacity of 750, was dedicated on December 21, 2019. This is the Prayer for St. Thomas More Parish, prayed at every Mass during the four years leading up to its completion:

Good and gracious GodArchitect of our lives and Master builder of our destinyLook with favor upon our parish family.Increase our faith. Show us your will for this holy groundThat we may create room in our heartsAnd in this placeFor all who seek to worship you. Amen.

Father James Aubrey Goins


Taken from a series of talks by Father James Goins, pastor, in 2020.

Art in a church serves two purposes. The first is to glorify God with beauty and color and craft but the art in a Catholic church is also for the purpose of teaching the faithful. When we visit Catholic churches, we often see the illustration of Biblical sto-ries and scenes from lives of the saints. At St. Thomas More, much of our art is centered on the life of Christ as seen through our Stations of the Cross that surround this sacred space. We chose the saints and martyrs depicted over the altar to show a “cloud of witnesses” that our English patron, Thomas More, would have known or venerated and to give context, through their stories, to the church that birthed his fervor. We chose great heroes of faith to show that saints are not faraway figures but humans that we can relate to in our daily lives and to teach young Catholic college students that the saintly life is both desirable and possible. Our church is a depiction of the English church that produced our patron saint and our goal is to highlight the saints that produced the great glory of the English Catholic Church. With the statuary on the altar, we wanted to present images of saints who are in particular com-munion with our ministry here on the University of

Introduction


Oklahoma campus. When facing the altar, from left to right, we first see St. Scholastica, a very learned wom-an and abbess, patron saint of students, test-takers and the weather, a reference to ou’s standing as a leader in the study of meteorology and the National Weather Center located only about a mile from our church. Next, St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest thinkers in church history, recognized as the patron saint of academics, a saint for all Catholic students and a shin-ing light for the belief, the bedrock Catholic belief, that the life of reason, the life of learning, the life of study, will lead you to God; this Catholic confidence that science and the social sciences and the arts and philosophy, that all of these learning spheres will lead your soul to God. To the right of the high altar stands St. John Vianney, patron of seminarians and priests, a reminder to the young men in the parish of the call-ing to the priesthood and a reminder to me, as your parish priest, of the holiness of my duties to you. I hope that his image and his memory, his presence will guide many young men to think about and to discern priesthood. Finally, one of our first acquisitions for the new church, St. Agnes, who according to tradition is the patron saint of betrothed couples. Couples who are preparing for the sacrament of marriage are urged to pray for the intercession of St. Agnes. The signature piece of our building project, the statue of St. Thomas More “in the dock” that stands at the main entrance, reminds us that “no temporal pow-er has authority over the church.” The bronze sculp-ture of St. Elizabeth Seton, the first saint to be born in what would become the United States of America and the patron saint of Catholic education, graces our newest prayer garden.

The First Station Jesus is Condemned to Die.

The Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross.

Stations of the CrossThe Stations of the Cross were rescued from a re-cently closed Catholic church in Connecticut and are estimated to be over 100 years old. Although they were in remarkable condition upon arriving in Nor-man, we are grateful to artist and ou professor Sohail Shehada for restoring them to their original beauty. The cabinets holding each Station were designed by Krittenbrink Architecture.


The Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time.

The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother.

The Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross.

The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes Jesus’ Face.

The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time.

The Eighth Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem.

The Ninth Station: Jesus Falls the Third Time.

The Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped.

The Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross.

The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross.

The Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross.

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb.


Altars and SanctuaryNathan Deal, 2020

The high altar and free standing altar are both con-structed out of red oak using about ninety-nine percent traditional wood joints with very few metal fasteners (nails or screws). Each of the curved pieces you see were created by bent lamination. The capitals, finials, the prayer, and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus were all carved by hand. The tables on both altars are marble from Spain, rojo (red) Alicante (a province in Spain). Five crosses are etched in each slab, one in each corner and one in the center. These crosses symbolize the five wounds of Christ and the ultimate sacrifice He gave for our salvation. In the free stand-ing altar are the relics of Blessed Stanley Rother and St. James. The high altar contains the relics of St. Ma-ria Goretti and Pope Pius X. The history of the relics being used in the altars stems from the tradition from the early church during their persecution by Rome. The Christians would meet in the crypts of Rome in secret to celebrate Mass. They would use the tombs of those venerated by the early church as their altars and that tradition is carried through today. This is one of the reasons the priests kisses the altar, in recognition of the saints who have gone before us.


On the front of the free standing altar is an image of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. If you look closely, you will notice that the heart is rugged and rough. I chose to leave the heart in this condition because of a prayerful carving session I had. The death of Christ was the most brutal method known to the Romans, it tore Christ apart and bruised him and flayed him. Because of this brutality, it became the most powerful symbol in the world of God’s love for us. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is likewise beaten and imperfect to remind us that true love requires sacrifice. On the back of the free standing altar, I wanted to do a special gift for Fr. Jim and asked what image he would like to have that only those who serve behind the altar can see. He respond-ed with a prayer that is used by all priests quietly during the Eucharistic prayer of the Mass. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit through your death gave life to the world, free me by this, your most holy Body and Blood, from all my sins and from every evil; keep me always faithful to your commandments, and never let me be parted from you. From a distance, the high altar looks beautiful and flawless, however the closer you get, the more imperfections you will be able to find. On the high altar you will see statues of saints, candles with illuminating light, and most importantly the taber-nacle with Christ reposed in the center. What I have discovered through my prayers is that the high altar is symbolic of the human person. Our lives may look presentable from a distance, worthy of envy, but as we


allow people to come closer, we are allowing them to see our imperfections and our brokenness. If we are a people of faith, we will be a people that have allowed Christ to enter the doors of our hearts, to imitate Christ and the Saints of the Church. We will become candles that can help illuminate the path for others to heaven. If we live our lives according to that which is good, true, and beautiful, we imitate the direction and heights of the high altar, which point towards the heavens and the God who loves us. Those who perceive in themselves this kind of divine spark which is the artistic vocation—a poet, writer, sculptor, architect, musician, actor, and so on —feel at the same time the obligation not to waste this talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbor and of humanity as a whole.

Nathan Deal, artisan and owner of Against the Grain Art, designed, built and did the carvings on

both the high altar and free-standing altar. Nathan is a member of the parish and was also the first

focus missionary from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.


St. Simon StockHolding the scapular which he is said to have received from Our Lady of Carmel.

O beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine,Splendor of Heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, Still ever remaining a Pure Virgin, assist me in this necessity. O Star of the sea, help and protect me! Show me that Thou art my Mother.O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!Mother and Ornament of Carmel, Pray for us!Virgin, Flower of Carmel, Pray for us!Patroness of all who wear the Scapular, Pray for us!Hope of all who die wearing the Scapular, Pray for us!St. Joseph, Friend of the Sacred Heart, Pray for us!St. Joseph, Chaste Spouse of Mary, Pray for us!St. Joseph, Our Patron, Pray for us!O sweet Heart of Mary, Be our salvation! Amen.

St. Simon Stock

St. Hilda of WhitbyAbbess, advisor to kings and patron of learning, culture and poets.

Called to a conflict and a clash of cultures,Where insults flew whilst synod was in session,You had the gift to find the gift in others,A woman’s wisdom, deftness and discretion.You made a space and place for poetryWhen outcast Caedmon, crouching in the byre,Was called by grace into communityAnd local language joined the Latin choir. Abbess we need your help, we need your wisdom,Your strong recourse to reconciliation,Your power tempered by God’s hidden kingdom,Your exercise of true imagination.Pray for our synods now, princess of peace,That every fettered gift may find release.Malcolm Guite

St. Thomas BecketKilled by order of Henry II in the 11th century, a foreshadowing of the relationship between Thomas More and King Henry VIII. He died by the sword, which he is holding, a common image for martyrs to be holding an item representing how they died.

My Lord,I find it difficult to talk to you.What can I say? I, who have turned away from you so often with indifference.I have been a stranger to prayer, under serving of your friendship and your love.I’ve been without honor and feel unworthy.I am a weak and shallow creature, clever only in the worldly arts, seeking my comfort and pleasure. I gave my love, such as it was, elsewhere, putting service to my earthly king before my duty to you. Please Lord, teach me how to serve you with all my heart, To know at last what it really is to love, to adore.So that I may worthily administer your kingdom here on earth and find my true honor in observing your divine will. Please Lord, make me worthy.From the play, Becket, by Jean Anouilh

St. Aelred of Rievaulx Cistercian monk, historian and noted writer on charity and also Christian friendship.

Grant to your people, Almighty God, a spirit of mutual affection, that following the example of your servant Aelred, we might know the love of Christ in loving one another, and might rejoice in the gift of your eternal good-ness; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.From the Lectionary of the Episcopal Church


St. WinifredThe great Welsh saint who is often invoked against pestilence.

O blessed Winifred,pure virgin and glorious martyr,so especially chosen, so divinely gracedand so wonderfully restored from death to life!Hope of all that fly unto youwith full confidence and humility!We, though, unworthy, yet your devoted pilgrims,make our petitions to you.Sanctuary of piety, look upon us with patient eyes;receive our prayers, accept our offerings,and present our supplications at the throne of mercy,that through thy powerful intercessionsGod may be pleased to bless our pilgrimage,and to grant our requests and desires;through Christ our Lord.Amen.From the Novena to St. Winifred

Cardinal St. John Henry NewmanOur most recently canonized saint; a man of ideas and a prolific author and scholar. Shown holding a book and wearing red vestments, red symbolizing a cardinal’s will-ingness to shed blood for his faith.

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.St. John Henry Newman, The Mission of My Life

St. Margaret Clitherow Was caught hiding priests in her house, is holding a board representing the door to her home that was placed on her and covered in stones that crushed her to death.

The Church is that one wherein the true word of God is preached, which Christ left to His Apostles, which the same Church hath always observed, the doctors preached, and Martyrs and confessors witnessed. This is the Church I believe to be true.” St. Margaret Clitherow

Cardinal St. John FisherA contemporary of Thomas More’s and martyred just one week prior to St. Thomas More. Also argued against the divorce of Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII. Beheaded and his head was placed on a spike like the one he is seen holding.

Lord, according to Your promise that the Gospel should be preached throughout the whole world, raise up men fit for such work. The Apostles were but soft and yielding clay till they were baked hard by the fire of the Holy Ghost.

So, good Lord, do now in like manner again with Thy Church militant; change and make the soft and slippery earth into hard stone; set in Thy Church strong and mighty pillars that may suffer and endure great labours, watching, poverty, thirst, hunger, cold and heat; which also shall not fear the threatening of princes, persecution, neither death but always persuade and think with themselves to suffer with a good will, slanders, shame, and all kinds of torments, for the glory and laud of Thy Holy Name. By this manner, good Lord, the truth of Thy Gospel shall be preached throughout all the world.

Therefore, merciful Lord, exercise Thy mercy, show it indeed upon Thy Church.Cardinal St. John Fisher, Prayer for Good Bishops


St. Anne Line Mainted a safe house for priests in London, for which she was eventually martyred.

“I am sentenced to die for harbouring a Catholic priest, and so far I am from repenting for having so done, that I wish, with all my soul, that where I have entertained one, I could have entertained a thousand.”St. Anne Line

St. Edmund CampionA Jesuit priest ordained in France who secretly returned to England after his ordination. Wrote and distributed pamphlets, like one he is holding, about the one true Catholic Church, and lost his life for it.

Father,throughout the ages you inspire heroic men and women to preach your gospeland proclaim the truth of your love.We pray that the example of St Edmund Campionmay encourage us to stand up for what it right;to hold to what is true;and to love even those who persecute us,for Christ’s sake. Amen.Adrian Porter, S.J..

St. Margaret WardWas caught helping a priest escape from prison and died by hanging and is seen here holding a rope.

O God, by whose gift strength is made perfect in weakness, grant to all who honor the glory of blessed Margaret that she, who drew from you the strength to triumph, may likewise always obtain from you the grace of victory for us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs for a Holy Woman Martyr

“For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to these women, who despised life in the world, and have reached the rewards of the kingdom and washed their robes in the blood of the lamb.”The Roman Missal: Entrance Antiphon for the

Mass for a Holy Woman Martyr

St. Edmund ArrowsmithMartyred almost a century after St. Thomas More, another heroic priest who died for serving Catholics and for his faith.

“Be witnesses with me that I die a constant Roman Catholic and for Christ’s sake; let my death be an encouragement to your going forward in the Catholic religion.”Edmund Arrowsmith, at the time of his execution

Note: Each of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales has their own feast day but they are recognized as a group every year on October 25.


Our Lady of Walsingham

St. Thomas More

Pray, O Holy Mother of God,for the conversion of England,restoration of the sick,consolation for the afflicted,repentance of sinners,peace to the departed.O Blessed Mary, Mother of God,Our Lady of Walsingham,intercede for us.

Amen.Patroness of England

Give us, Lord, a humble, quiet, peaceful, patient, tender and charitable mind, and in all our thoughts, words and deeds, a taste of the Holy Spirit.

Give us, Lord, a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, a love of you.Take from us all luke warmness in meditation, dullness in prayer.

Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, your tender compassion towards us.

The things that we pray for, good Lord, give us grace to labour for.Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.Prayer of St. Thomas More


St. George

St. Joseph

Faithful servant of God and invincible martyr, Saint George;favored by God with the gift of faith, and inflamed with an ardent love of Christ, thou didst fight valiantly against the dragon of pride, falsehood, and deceit.Neither pain nor torture, sword nor death could part thee from the love of Christ.I fervently implore thee for the sake of this love to help me by thy intercession to overcome the temptations that surround me, and to bear bravely the trials that oppress me, so that I may patiently carry the cross which is placed upon me; and let neither distress nor difficulties separate me from the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ.Valiant champion of the Faith, assist me in the combat against evil, that I may win the crown promised to them that persevere unto the end.

Amen.Patron of England

Joseph, by the work of your hands and the sweat of your brow,you supported Jesus and Mary,and had the Son of God as your fellow worker.Teach me to work as you did, with patience and perseverance, for God and for those whom God has given me to support.Teach me to see in my fellow workers the Christ who desires to be in them,that I may always be charitable and forbearing towards all.Grant me to look upon workwith the eyes of faith, so that I shall recognize in itmy share in God’s own creative activity and in Christ’s work of our redemption, and so take pride in it.When it is pleasant and productive, remind me to give thanks to God for it.And when it is burdensome, teach me to offer it to God,in reparation for my sins and the sins of the world.

Amen.From Devotions to Saint Joseph by Brian Moore, S.J.


Anima ChristiSoul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from the side of Christ, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus hear me; Within your wounds hide me; separated from you, let me never be; From the evil one protect me; At the hour of my death, call me; And close to you bid me; That with your saints, I may be praising you forever and ever.

Amen.Prayer attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola

The Burial of Jesus, 1850,

hand-carved wood,

obtained from a closed Catholic church in Belgium.


Psalm 115Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.Those who make them will be like them,and so will all who trust in them.All you Israelites, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.House of Aaron, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.You who fear him, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield.

The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron,He will bless those who fear the Lord— small and great alike.May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence;it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord.


Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,refuge of sinners,I beg of you by the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,and by the graces God has granted to you since your Immaculate Conception,the grace of never going astray again.

Mother, keep me, a sinner,constantly bathed in the light of your Immaculate Heart.

Amen.The Society of St. Vincient de Paul maintians as

special devotation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.


St. ScholasticaO God, Who, to show the innocence of her life, didst cause the soul of Thy blessed Virgin Scholastica to ascend to Heaven in the form of a dove, grant, we beseech Thee, by her merits and prayers, that we may live so innocently as to deserve to arrive at eternal joys, through Jesus Christ, Thine only-begotten Son Our Lord, Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, God, forever and ever.

AmenFrom the Litany to St. Scholastica

St. Scholastica is the patron of students, test takers and weather.


St. Thomas AquinasCreator of all things,true source of light and wisdom,lofty origin of all being,graciously let a ray of Your brilliancepenetrate into the darkness of my understandingand take from me the double darknessin which I have been born,an obscurity of both sin and ignorance.Give me a sharp sense of understanding,a retentive memory,and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally.Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations,and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm.Point out the beginning,direct the progress,and help in completion;through Christ our Lord.

Amen.Prayer before Study, St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron of

academics and all Catholic students


St. John VianneyGod, please give to your Church todaymany more priests after your own heart.May they be worthy representatives of Christ the Good Shepherd.May they wholeheartedly devote themselves to prayer and penance;be examples of humility and poverty;shining models of holiness;tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;zealous dispensers of your grace in the sacraments.May their loving devotion to your Son Jesus in the Eucharistand to Mary his Motherbe the twin fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.

AmenPrayer for Priests, St. John Vianney

St. John Vianney is the patron of priests and seminarians


St. Agnes, although you were only a child, you believed that Jesus was always with you; help us to remember that he is also with us, and to remain true to his presence.

St. Agnes, you refused to give up your faith; help us to be proud of our faith, to love it, to be strong in it, and to give witness to it daily.

St. Agnes, patron saint of children, watch over the children of the world; keep them safe from harm; be with them in their hour of need; and always pray for them.

AmenSt. Agnes is the patron of betrothed couples.

St. Agnes


St. JosephHail, Guardian of the Redeemer,Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.To you God entrusted his only Son;in you Mary placed her trust;with you Christ became man.Blessed Joseph, to us too,show yourself a fatherand guide us in the path of life.Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,and defend us from every evil.

AmenPope Francis, 2020, Year of St. Joseph

St. Joseph is the patron of carpenters, laborers and fathers


St. CeciliaSaint Cecilia,Saint Cecilia, wise virgin,Saint Cecilia, whose heart burned with the fire of Divine love,Saint Cecilia, apostle by thy zeal and charity,Saint Cecilia, who converted thy spouse and procured for him the crown of Martyrdom,Saint Cecilia, who by thy pleadings moved the hearts of pagans, and brought them into the true Church,Saint Cecilia, who didst unceasingly see thy guardian Angel by thy side,Saint Cecilia, who didst mingle thy voice with the celestial harmonies of the virgins,Saint Cecilia, who by thy melodious accents elebrated the praises of Jesus,Saint Cecilia, illustrious Martyr of Jesus Christ,Saint Cecilia, who during three days didst suffer most excruciating torments,Saint Cecilia, consolation of the afflicted,Saint Cecilia, protectress of all who invoke thee,Saint Cecilia, patroness of holy canticles,Saint Cecilia, special patroness and advocate of all singers, musicians, authors, and students,

We salute thee, O Virgin, who didst give thy blood for the defense and faith of Jesus Christ.

AmenSt. Cecilia is patron of music and musicians


Music

Our liturgical and musical traditions have become a unique and integral part of the communal life at St. Thomas More. Inspired by the English Collegiate Church model, the choir consists of Staff Singers, Choral Scholars, and Lay Choristers who sing literature from the Gregorian and English schools of music. The musical tradition at St. Thomas More is one of the many links between the University and the Parish portions of our community, bring-ing both Catholic and non-Catholic members together to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and enjoy fellowship together. The E.M. Skinner pipe organ, originally built in 1923, is part of the architecture at St. Thomas More, complimenting the visual and aural aspects of our edifice. With a tonal quality inspired by the great romantic organ builders of England, craftsmanship carried out by innovative American builders, and a gothic wooden case, this 1,800-pipe handcrafted instrument is part of the very fabric of our church building. Liturgy is more than just a series of actions, it is something that involves all of the senses, so it is important to be aware of everything that we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste while experiencing the Divine. In our ritual practices we strive for what the Germans might call a Gesamtkunstwerk, or a Total Work of Art. After all, the Psalms instruct us to praise God with all of our skill.

Nolan Patrick Reilly, M.Mus. (ou)

Organist and Director of Music

St. Thomas More University Parish


Stained GlassTwo stained glass windows designed and crafted by Emil Frei and Associates, St. Louis, Missouri adorn the space. To the east, Agnus Dei, Lamb of God, the ancient Biblical symbol of Christ and his sacrifice. The cross and flag stand for Christ’s victory over sin and death. This symbol was the ordination imagery for Father Goins’ ordination in 1992.

Agnus Dei, quitollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, quitollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, quitollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace.

On the west is Mary, Mother of the Church, Mater Ecclesiae, a title first used in the fifth century, holding an image of our own church safely in her arms. By decree of Pope Francis, the Memo-rial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, is to be celebrated every year on the Monday following Pentecost.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen.


Prayer Gardens and ShrinesThere can be something very special about praying and reflect-ing outside the walls of our homes and churches, in places where God can speak to us through the beauty of his creation and away from distractions. We are graced at St. Thomas More with several spaces set aside on our campus for prayer, reflection, or simply gathering with friends and fellow parishioners. Each piece of our outside statuary was selected and placed to provide a focus point for our prayers and petitions and to remind us of the holy presence of God.

Lord make Me an instrument of Your peaceWhere there is hatred let me sow love.Where there is injury, pardon.Where there is doubt, faith.Where there is despair, hope.Where there is darkness, light.Where there is sadness joy.O Divine master grant that I mayNot so much seek to be consoled as to consoleTo be understood, as to understand.To be loved. as to loveFor it’s in giving that we receiveAnd it’s in pardoning that we are pardonedAnd it’s in dying that we are born...To eternal life

Amen.Prayer attributed to St. Francis


Our Lady of LifeShrine and Garden

Our Lady of Life Prayer Shrine and Garden was Father Jim Goins’ first project upon his arrival at St. Thomas More in 2010. It is located just north of Stinson Street, directly across from the entrance to the Student Center in what was for many years an empty lot. “I knew it was important to add a Marian shrine to the St. Thomas More campus, a place that would be welcoming and peaceful to all passersby, whether Catholic or not.” Located along one of the busiest avenues in Norman, it is known to at-tract ou students and visitors of all faith traditions in addition to members of the parish. It is adorned with a statue of Mary with the Child Jesus. The circular paths of bricks are engraved with the names of the priests and sisters who have served at St. Thom-as More, along with the names of families, friends and loved ones who have gone on from this earthly life. The benches are also memorials to lives of faith. It is the site of many Rosaries prayed for many causes and most especially an end to abortion.

MemoraeRemember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate,despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.


Ransom’s Garden and Shrine to the Holy Family

The garden located east of the Louise Kay Education Center, south of the church, is named for Ransom Thomas Aquinas Hardesty, son of parishioners Aimee and Clint Hardesty, brother to Athan and Ambrose Hardesty. At age three, Ransom was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer and left us at age four. He is lovingly remembered as a “…a genuine force of nature… fearless and fierce but loving and kind and never cruel. Ransom lived his life with abandon and courage. His amazing spirit enabled him to sustain the intense pain of fighting his illness. His bravery and unwavering strength allowed him to press on when so many of us would have given up.” The statue of the Holy Family that is part of Ransom’s Garden is a popular gathering place for parishioners and especially for children, who can stand beside the young Jesus of Nazareth. There is also a small statue of a boy with a dog, honoring Ransom’s love for dogs, especially rescues. Ransom’s Garden, including the Holy Family statue, was dedi-cated on May 17, 2015, Ransom’s birthday.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,in you we contemplatethe splendour of true love, to you we turn with trust.Holy Family of Nazareth,grant that our families toomay be places of communion and prayer,authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches.Holy Family of Nazareth,may families never againexperience violence, rejection and division:may all who have been hurt or scandalizedfind ready comfort and healing.Holy Family of Nazareth, make us once more mindfulof the sacredness and inviolability of the family,and its beauty in God’s plan.Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer.

Amen.Pope Francis, 2013

Photo by Lochani Perara


Our Lady of Grace Prayer Garden

The area between the new church and old has been landscaped and adorned as the parish’s newest prayer space. It also offers a unique and beautiful view into the interior of the new church, especially at night. The stunning statue of Mary located here has a background of 23k gold mosaic tile and was one of the first installations after the completion of the new church.

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ubi est.[Where charity and love are, God is there.]

O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we placebefore you today, especially... (special intention).We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdensin this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.

Amen.


St. Elizabeth Ann Seton CourtyardThe bronze sculpture of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was commis-sioned especially for St. Thomas More University Parish byCharles and Mary Ellen Doyle and sculpted by artist Christo-pher Slatoff, Los Angeles, California. St. Elizabeth Seton wasthe first saint to be born in what would become the United States and is the patron saint of Catholic education. She isalso recognized as a “Vincentian” saint, as the order she estab-lished, the Sisters of Charity, the first religious communityof women in the United States, was modeled after the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The statue is without a pedestal so that children can gather with this patron saint of Catholic education and see for them-selves the verse the Bible she is holding is turned to:

“You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before oth-ers, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”Matthew 5:14

Holy Father,You called Elizabeth Ann Seton to educate your children.Inspire us, by her example, to find your will in the present moment.Through her prayers may we learn to teach others how to love like you.We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Teacher.

Amen.


St. Thomas More Entry Plaza

The signature sculpture of our new church, St. Thomas More in the Dock, was commissioned especially for St. Thomas More University Parish by Charles and Mary Ellen Doyle and sculpted by artist Christopher Slatoff, Los Angeles, California.

Lord, grant that I may be able in argument,Accurate in analysis,Strict in study,Candid with clients and honest with adversaries.Stand beside me in court, So that today I shall not, in order to win a point,Lose my soul.

Amen.Prayer by St. Thomas More


Architecture

From its inception, the new Saint Thomas More University Parish expressed a traditional form with a modern Gothic Revival composition. Its use of natural light harnesses all of nature’s glory by framing views of the exterior elements and taking advantage of punched openings that stretch throughout the space, first along the nave walls and wrapping entirely around the transepts, chancel and altar areas. The sunlight streams in through the clear story windows at different times of day allowing the parishioners a unique and different experience throughout the day and the seasons. The unique interior buttressing allows for a rhythm befitting a Gothic cathedral from the early 18th century. The building is best categorized as a Gothic Revival building with an elegant nod to the craftsmanship and precision of the 21st century. Liturgical elements adorn the space like hidden gems. From one angle you can see the majesty of the High Altar and its supporting elements including statues of saints and the like and from another you experience the splendor of the exteri-or environment through large Gothic transept windows. The building effortlessly blends and enhances the context with which it resides. The exterior of this modern Gothic building abruptly transitions from the existing building to the new. A clear delin-eation of the structures is bridged by a glass façade punctuated with a traditional bell tower element that broadcasts service times throughout the City of Norman, Oklahoma.

Mark Krittenbrink, aia and his family are longtime members of the parish.

Mark is President and Principal Architect, Krittenbrink Architecture.

We are grateful as well to Shawn Lorg, Vice President and Director of Design,

Krittenbrink Architecture, for his contributions to the project.


Almighty and ever living God, who didst strengthen thine apostle Thomas with sure and certain faith in thy Son’s res-urrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in thy sight; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.Prayer to St. Thomas the Apostle

St. Thomas is the patron of Architects


Architectural Themes & Details

The church is in a cruciform shape facing east, as is traditional. Facing east is in reference to the early Christian and Jewish practice of praying eastward toward Jerusalem. Most of the Roman Empire would have been to the west. Matthew 24:27 tells us that “because the coming of the Son of man will be like lightning striking in the east and flashing far into the west. We pray facing east to face the rising of the sun on each new day, and new life. “If we set our faces towards that which is good, true, and beautiful, su-premely God Himself, we ultimately set our backs to everything else” (Bishop Robert Barron). When the priest celebrates Mass ad orientem [to the orient] he is not facing away from the people but rather facing towards God, being a leader to his congregation in the direction we must go, heavenward. Our eyes are raised to the Marian ceiling, an ex-pansive blue sky blanketed with hand painted 8-point gold stars.

If the winds of temptation arise;If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary;If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary.

Amen.St Bernard of Clairvaux

Photo by Damin Spitzer


One of the purposes of Gothic architecture is to allow the visitor be transported into the heavenly reality. It achieves this feeling by the use of vertical lines that guide our eyes upward to the heavens. This is reinforced by much of the detail around the mu-rals and niches, which are painted but appear to be three-dimensional. The decorative background of the niches include the crown and the cross that reference Christ the King and also St. Thomas More’s coat of arms that featured three fighting roosters called moorcocks, a play on the family name, and a specific type of fighting rooster. The red marble on the altars and also inset in the baptismal font and the pedestals upon which the four statues in the sanctuary stand is from Spain, a symbolic nod to the Spanish church. When English priests were being hunted and persecuted, often tor-tured and executed, Spain sent priests to England to help bring Mass and the sacraments to the people of England. Spanish priests were instrumental in keep-ing the English Catholic Church alive. The clover-like shape seen throughout the church has four “leaves.” Four stair steps lead to the albo, or pulpit. This reminds us of the four gospels and the four directions we are called to take the Gospel message.


Design and Identity

Every element in the visual presentation of St. Thomas More is treated as an important opportunity to express the ideas and values of the Parish and of the Church to our members, students, and alumni. The goal of projecting a meaningful and high quali-ty image to our fellow Catholics in the Archdiocese and beyond, to our neighbors in the City of Norman, and to our frequent visitors is a critical component of the Arts in the Parish. The St. Thomas More logo is the most public symbol that the Parish projects. The design seeks to offer a contemporary logo that is totally composed of traditional Catholic symbols. It it is built out of the fundamental elements of the Parish identity: the Cross and St. Thomas More’s initials. The Cross doubles as the ‘T’ in Thomas. The M for More presents itself a swash letter form from the typeface Poetica, which visually references the beautiful calligraphy done in England for illuminated manu-scripts. The expressive stroke on the left side of the M seeks to make a statement as to the joy and confidence that the Parish projects as fully engaged members of the Christian and Roman Catholic community. Secondary elements include the red diamond symbolizes the martyrdom of St. Thomas More as well as making a small nod to the University of Oklahoma’s school colors. There is another tertiary, yet important element in the symbol. By crop-ping the M within the Cross the V shape at the center of the M is emphasized, tacitly, but importantly, creating a reference to the initials of the Virgin Mary.


St. omas More

M

The typeface that accompanies the St. Thomas More logo is Bembo. Although Bembo is Italian in origin, it is historically the most important typeface in Catholic biblical printing. The typeface was designed in 1496 by Francesco Griffo and printed by Aldus Manutius. The name Bembo is from it’s patron, Cardi-nal Pietro Bembo who was the first to use it his writings. Bembo was at the very forefront of humanistic letter form design as Europe transitioned from the handwritten black-letter styles to letter forms that still are vital today. It would have undoubtedly been familiar to Thomas More. This book is set in Bembo with the authentic old-style numbers. The logo was designed in 2005 and has proven adaptable and resilient for a variety of applications. We can see that in several of the iterations in the right column of the adjacent page. Above is a version used for stm’s Discipleship Fairs and the version below it is an adaptation of celebrating the new Church by integrating it into a symbol of the new bell tower. An important application can be seen in the left column of the facing page as the logo is applied to banners that define the St. Thomas More campus that Father James Goins had installed in 2016. These echo the omnipresent banners of the University itself and they confidently define our presence at heart of the University of Oklahoma.

Adapted from a lecture by ou Professor Eric H. Anderson,

the designer of the logo, on Christian and Catholic Symbolism

given to the Catholic Student Association at the

University of Oklahoma in 2017.

Lord, teach me to be generous,to serve you as you deserve,to give and not to count the cost,to fight and not to heed the wounds,to toil and not to seek for rest,to labor and not to look for any reward,save that of knowing that I do your holy will.

Amen.Jesuit Prayer attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola


LegacyParishioners and visitors are invited to walk through the new church as well as the repurposed older sanctuary, now Heiple Hall, and take a moment to reflect on some of the sacred art that has graced the walls of St. Thomas More over the years. The provenance of many of these acquisitions is documented while others, such as the carved Stations of the Cross that hang in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, is not as certain. The parish has a significant collection of religious art that has been gifted to us or purchased with donated funds.


The reproduction of the San Damiano Cross that hangs in Heiple Hall has been a part of St. Thomas More since the 1990s The orig-inal cross hangs in the Basilica of St. Clare Church in Assisi, Italy. It is the one before which St. Francis was praying when he received the commission from the Lord to rebuild the Church. The San Damiano crucifix is carried through campus during the Way of the Cross, the annual Good Friday event led by members of the parish’s campus ministry program.

Most High glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart.

Give me right faith, sure hope and perfect charity.

Fill me with understanding and knowledge that I may fulfill your command.

Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis Before the Cross

San Damiano Crucifix


The altar in the south transept was the altar used in the previous sanctuary. It was crafted and built by parishioner Michael Tobin. The three icons contained in the altar were written by parishioner Brigid Brink in 2012 and donated to the parish.

In the presence of a good icon we move from contemplation to prayer. In fact it is said that a good icon is one that inspires prayer. Prayer requires asceticism. Prayerful asceticism becomes a healing process in which whatever has estranged us from God is transformed into becoming a means of communion with God. The mind, soul, heart, body and will of the person who prays becomes still, attentive, attuned, and peaceful, constantly receptive to the presence of God.

From Dormition of the Theotokos Monastary: A Monastic Journal. Author unknown.

Altar with Icons


One of the parish’s most treasured pieces is Rapture of Fra Angelico, painted specifically for our parish by Carol Beesley, M.F.A., Professor Emeritus of Art at The University of Oklaho-ma where she taught Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, Art History and Humanities for 24 years before moving to Santa Fe in 1997. Beesley is known for her love of color and bold images and this is one of the few of her works that includes the religious symbolism of her faith. It was donated to the parish in the early 1990s, making it one of the parish’s first acquisitions of original fine art.

Blessed John of Fiesole, popularly known as Blessed Fra Angeli-co, was a Dominican painter in the mid-fifteenth century known for the beauty of his paintings and the holiness of his priestly life and the way he preached Jesus Chris by his life, his words and his paintings. He is the patron saint of artists.

O God, in Your providenceYou inspired blessed Fra Angelico to portray the beauty and sweetness of heaven.

Blessed Angelico, pray for us! Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Rapture of Fra Angelico


Book NotesThis book was designed to celebrate the first anniversary of the dedication of the new St. Thomas More Church at 1535 Jenkins, Norman, Oklahoma.

Project Director: Jean-Claude RoegiersBook design: Eric AndersonPhotography Chris Porter(unless noted) Eric Anderson Project Members: Gail Anderson Nathan Deal Fr. James Goins Drew Kershen Lisa Schmidt

© Copyright St. Thomas More 2020, all rights reserved.

st. thomas more university parish and student center94

MSt. Thomas More University Parish & Student Center

1535 Jenkins Street

Norman, Oklahoma 73072

www.stm-ou.org

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