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Show r - ), # 10 church is a building for the housing of an altar and of a congregation. In the present case, this is done by setting the altar in one corner of a square, with the main door directly opposite. Around this door we place an entryway, balanced in design by the sacristy at the al~ar end of the square. Connecting both the entry-way and the sacristy are two cloisters, thus bringing the total design back to a square. From the beginning it was · decided to have the walls of native stone "-- "rock" it is called out here. Thus we have walls eight feet high set in a free flagstone pattern -- they told me at Pratt, where I studied architecture, that this couldn't be done! The floors, too, are of the same beautiful flagstone pattern. The _entry-way can be used for after-Mass coffee, or for other non-worship meetings; the sacristy is of adequate size and can double very nicely as a chapel for week-day small gatherings and Mass. The cloisters •. too, can serve for gathering places in moderate weather, well sheltered from the hot sun. The church will have good light, but thanks to the cloisters there will be no glare from the sun, even in mid-Summer. I feel that this type of building is ideai, not only for small congregations, but is especially appropriate to the Southwest with its Spanish he~itage -- .the round arches recall just such a heritage, and serve the practical purpose of a wind-breaker; no matter how hard it's blowing outside, once inside the fiercest gale is fel~ only as a gentle breeze. I should congratulate the designers of St. Mary of the Moonlight Church for getting down to the essence of what a church building is for--to house altar and congregation-and this the church at Hat Rock does beautifully. I feel honored and privileged to have had my bit in the erection of St. Ma~y of the Moonlight Church. Thank you, Bill. And just space for a word or two about each of us herel Brother Juniper, at time of writing, is in hospital, but we hope he will be back with us by the time the printer has done his job; Joan is at the moment busy with mop and bucket, but finds time to teach and exhort the Faithful; Helen is the free-taxi driver extraordinary and we depend on her to get pat i ents to hospital, to church, and after driving out goats and horses to tend our gardens. Father is, he says, better than he de-serves to be, and we all send our blessings to you in the Name of our Blessed Saviour and of the Spirit Whom as at this time He sent to us. P.S. VERY IMPORTANT for those who want to know on what day and hour we plan to have the first service in the new church. Send us, right now, a stamped and addressed post card, which we will return to you with the day and hour stamped on it. |