Tour of St. Andrew the Apostle Church
(Click on any of the photos for a closer look)
Brother Mel Meyer of the Marianist Order near St. Louis, designed the interior of the new church, working on the fresh plaster to achieve the frescoes. Color was applied using clays from around the world.
Above the inside front entrance of the church, a cross, an anchor and a heart symbolize the three virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
Facing the sanctuary, the first wall panel to the right shows a fish in water, symbolic of Christ and the baptismal theme which is extended to the second panel. There the sun, lightning, thunder and wind depict the elements in the life of the Christian. The front of the organ pit carries waves of water as a background to the baptismal font.
The fourth panel, the east wall near the altar, shows the Holy Spirit descending on the universe with the moon on the right and the sun on the left. Next, the Root of Jesse symbolizes the growth of the parish from its “roots” of 30 years to the future through the new church. The sixth panel shows nature in the lilies, roses, leaves and light.
The back wall shows the 14 Stations of the Cross together in a meditative area. Above the confessionals, the Holy Trinity is the theme, as symbolized by the Eye of God, the dove, signifying the Holy Spirit and the Chalice and Host, as Christ. The swirling lines show the Trinity breathing life into man on the next panel with the window admitting the light of God’s creation.
On the next panel, St. Andrew the Apostle is seen with the fist net denoting Christ’s call to be a “fisher of men.” To the left of this are the two marriage rings interlocking in unity under a tree (family) with red circles portraying the life of children. The last panel near the door contains a steel shrine of the Madonna and Child where vigil lights are placed, with rocks at the base taken from outside the church building. The leaves on the wall are palms, symbolic of the purity of Mary.
The sanctuary pieces: the altar, credence table, baptismal font, Paschal candle holder and the lectern, are all made of frescoes with circular stone tops. The altar is supported by three cylinders, symbolizing the Trinity. The rooster on the baptismal font represents the “new dawn” brought by this sacrament.
The tabernacle is a simple wooden box covered with molten gold and figures fashioned from nails and steel casing tops. The number of spokes radiating from the tabernacle represents the twelve apostles, of whom, St. Andrew was the first. Over the altar, the chandelier “chimneys” are made from shell casings and a continuous chain fashioned from police snow chains. Brother Mel transformed these instruments of war into instruments of peace illustrating the passage from Isaiah, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares…”
The light of the window shines on the figure of the Resurrected Christ, which was made by Brother Mel at his studio and placed over the rough plaster signifying Christ coming from the tomb. The large macramé tapestry surrounding the Resurrected Christ took Brother Mel’s two sisters three weeks to fashion.
The pews from the former basement church were redesigned and refinished by many parishioners in the same spirit show by the early members who helped build the school. When the interior was finished, young and old helped carry the pews up to the new church after a week-end Mass.
The church was dedicated by Archbishop George Biskup on September 12, 1976 – exactly twenty-eight years after Archbishop Paul Schulte dedicated the first chapel in the St. Andrew school gymnasium.