A Visual Tour of ICC

A Walking Tour of Our Church

The Church entrance from the parking lot.As you walk in and through this new church building, it is our hope that you will see the reflection of the true church, the people of God that have formed the parish community of The Immaculate Conception. At the time of dedication, it was not a completed church. There are still finishing touches that will make our sacred space complete over time. The church community too, is unfinished, as we continue to grow in the love of our God and the expression of the Body of Christ visible in and through his people. The many hours and talents given and shared by members of the parish are reflected in this worship space. As you walk through it’s entrance, narthex and nave, we hope you will be reminded of the past, rejoice this present moment, and pray for those who will celebrate and use this structure in the future, all to the glory of God, who has truly blessed us. Take time to ponder, prayer and reflect here. Move about our community home of prayer and know that you are welcomed. When you leave, bring the peace of Christ, under the protection and intercession of Mary Immaculate with you to your own home. May this place be an extension of your dwelling, and your home an extension of this House of the Lord.

The Front Entrance

The grand stairs that grace the entrance of the Church are reminiscent of the entrance to the Basilica of Lourdes, where Mary first identified herself to St. Bernadette as "The Immaculate Conception." They also are reminiscent of the arms of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, that extend to welcome everyone. In the center of the stairs is an image of Mary, the patroness of our parish. The doors of our Church face due east, a old tradition in the Church, that it should face east to greet the rising sun, symbolic of the true Rising Son of God. Passing through the doors of the Church, you enter the symbolic gift of heaven, and are welcomed to "taste on earth the gifts of the world to come".

The Foyer and Narthex

The foyer (or narthex) of the church is the gathering space of the family of God. Here we greet our neighbors, renew the bonds of the family of God and prepare to enter the sacred space of prayer and worship. Symbolic of this family which gathers, the narthex houses a near life size statue of the Holy Family. We are God’s chosen people, adopted in baptism and bearers of a great inheritance, the gift of Eternal Life. The Narthex also serves as our Cry-Room for those times when the youngest members of our community are experiencing a difficult day. Parents are able to move to this space for the time necessary, and then return to the Nave when appropriate.

The Nave of the Church

The nave, or worship space of the church, houses the Body of Christ when celebrating the gift of the Word Proclaimed and the Eucharist Shared. It is a place of personal and community prayer. This space, filled with places of devotion, is our home until we come to our eternal home in heaven.

As you enter the Nave thought the center doors, you are greeted by two angels holding the water fonts. Angels are the messenger of God, and in this place, bring the Good News reminder that through the waters of baptism, we have been received into the Gift of Salvation and the family of God.

The Reconciliation Room/Family Chapel

To the left of the Center Isle, you will find the Reconciliation Chapel. This space, devoted to the celebration of the Lord’s sacrament of healing, offers each penitent the option of face to face or an anonymous moment of Sacramental Grace. When the need arises, this space may also be used as a family space at funerals or before weddings.

The Stations of the Cross.

On the walls surrounding the church are a series of Stations of the Cross that are approximately 125 years old at the time of our dedication. They come from a Church that no longer was host to a community of faith in Wisconsin. We are privileged to have been able to obtain this beautifully restored set of Stations that lead so many others in a pilgrimage of faith, a pilgrimage that we now continue. The order of "The Stations" begin at the front of the church, just left of the Sanctuary and continues around the church. By walking these fourteen Stations, a person can make a symbolic pilgrimage, following in the footsteps of Christ as he journeyed through his passion and death on Calvary. This practice of "doing the Stations of the Cross" began during the time of the Crusades, when travel to the Holy Land was too dangerous.

The Consecration Candles

As you continue your walk through the Nave, you will come upon 4 candles and crosses that mark the locations where, during the dedication, the church building was anointed by the Bishop with Chrism, in the way each of us is anointed in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Devotional Shrines

As you continue your walk around the Nave you will come upon several devotional shrines where you can participate in the tradition of lighting a vigil candle for intercessory prayer. That tradition requests that all who enter the church, pray for the need represented by the burning candle in the absence of the one who lights it. These devotional shrines that grace the four corners of the the church include:

• The Immaculate Conception
• Saint Therese of Lisieux
• Saint Anthony of Padua
• Saint Jude
• The Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Saint Patrick

In addition to these devotional spaces, on the interior walls, above the entrance to the Nave, watching over the whole community gathered, are the Statues of Saints Peter (who holds the keys to the kingdom) and Paul (who holds the sword), the Apostles who strengthened the faith of the infant Church and help us on our way to salvation.

The Sanctuary

Our sanctuary is graced with a new cross suspended between the altar and the gathered community. The corpus comes from the famous woodcarvers of Oberamagau, Germany, and was purchased during the Passion Play pilgrimage in the year 2000. The cross was fashioned and constructed by the same company that created the trusses that support the roof structure of the church.

Above the altar is a beautiful stained glass window of Mary, The Immaculate Conception, the patroness of our parish community. This window was specially designed and produced for our new church by the Heimer Company in New Jersey. The window was installed for the dedication celebration.

On either side of the sanctuary are the Statues of Mary, the Mother of the Church, and St Joseph, the protector of the Church.

The Baptistry Chapel

To the left of the sanctuary is our Baptismal Chapel which will one day house our new baptismal font. Our current baptismal font, which served our parish in the original church building, is currently in the Chapel. With time a two-level flowing baptismal fountain will replace this original font. The preparations for the new font were built into the construction to receive the font when it becomes available.

The Eucharistic Chapel

To the right of the sanctuary is the Eucharistic Chapel of Reservation. Just as in the time of Moses, when they would enter the tent that housed the Arc of the Covenant, the Chapel becomes a place where the New Covenant in the Body and Blood of Christ is reserved. Visible to the whole community, the Tabernacle is placed in the Chapel for those time of personal and private prayer, which is distinct from the communal gathering of the faithful as we pray during the celebration of Eucharist. The Eucharistic Chapel is available to anyone at anytime for this time of quiet personal prayer. Above the entrance to the Eucharistic Chapel hangs a fully restored Sanctuary lamp. It burns as a sign of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Sanctuary lamp was obtained from a church that no longer housed a faith community in Canada and dates back approximately 100 years.

Our Vesting and Work Sacristies

In the building of our church, we provided for both a Vesting and Work Sacristy. The work sacristy is located behind the sanctuary, it not only houses the sacred vessels and texts used in the celebration of our sacraments, but it provides a preparation space for the various celebrations of the Word and Eucharist. The Vesting Sacristy is located off the Narthex and is used as a preparation space prior to our weekend and major celebrations.