PENNSAUKEN -Bishop Joseph Galante dedicated the new steeple atop St. Stephen Church here
following Mass on Nov. 7.
On the same day the bishop administered the
sacrament of confirmation.
Msgr. Dominic Bottino said the new metal and
stained glass steeple is "the crowning achievement"
of the parish's five-year renovation project. All the
parish buildings, including the school, have recently
been renovated through the work and donations of
the parishioners, he said.
"The steeple is contemporary in design, meant to
fit the style of the church which was built in 1978,"
said Msgr. Bottino.
He noted that some parishioners have commented that the three mast-shaped fins of the steeple
make the structure resemble a boat. The image was
not intentional but it is appropriate, he said. The
early Christian Fathers, for example, likened the
church to a ship in which the faithful found safety
and were borne to salvation.
The steeple, including the cross, is 18 feet tall. It
was designed by stained glass artist Paul Friend,
whose studio is in Cherry Hill.
The "swooping up" effect of the steeple fins was
meant to complement the architecture of the church,
which has an octagonal shape and a flat roof. "We
didn't want anything overpowering or too small,"
said Friend.
The stained glass embedded in the fins is made of
dichroic glass, which is valued for its ability to
reflect intense light without producing glare. Also,
because of thin layers of metal oxides that coat
the glass, the colors seem to change as a person's
angle of view changes. The previous wooded steeple had become damaged and was taken down
two years ago. The cross from the old steeple is now mounted on a gazebo on the parish grounds.
(Courtesy of the November 12, 2004 issue of the Catholic Star Herald.)
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