St. Augustine Church tells saint stories with new sanctuary remodel
Pastor of St. Augustine, Msgr. Brian Mee stands in the new sanctuary of the church in Spokane on Aug. 30, 2022. (Inland Catholic Photo/Grant Whitty)
On the corner of 18th and Bernard, the bell tower of St. Augustine church rises from the dense trees of Spokane’s South Hill neighborhood. The church’s architecture tips the hat to Augustine of Hippo’s words, “O Beauty ever ancient, ever new,” as it combines traditional and modern designs beautifully. The words from this fourth-to-fifth-century bishop speak through the exterior and the church's interior.
In early summer, St. Augustine Parish began renovation of the sanctuary. The renovation had three objectives: safety, functionality and beauty.
Safety was of great concern due to an excess of steps that caused the altar, the presider’s chair and the ambo to be on different levels. The tile in the old sanctuary floor was dark green, making it challenging to distinguish elevation changes in the stairs. White marble tile, with black stone trim now covers the new sanctuary, addressing these concerns.
View of the sanctuary, looking east through the nave at St. Augustine Church on Aug. 30, 2022 (Inland Catholic Photo/Grant Whitty)
Second, the functionality or flow of the sanctuary was sought to be improved. The former sanctuary protruded into the nave, creating congestion during communion. Removing a partition wall behind the altar allowed the sanctuary to be pushed back. Reducing the number of levels also allowed for a better flow in the sanctuary. Now the presider chair and ambo are on one level, while the altar is situated on a dais in the sanctuary.
Lastly, a new marble altar and ambo, as well as a marble tabernacle altar, address the importance of beauty in this place of worship. Each piece boasts artistic qualities inscribed in marble.
“The church should be a Catechetical textbook,” Pastor of St. Augustine, Msgr. Mee said. “The art in a church should reveal something about our faith and, if possible, something about the church’s patron. We looked into ways to bring St. Augustine more into the art and design of the church.”
The ambo features symbolic releifs of the 4 Evangelists. The lion (Mark) and the ox (Luke) hold scrolls inscribed with the Latin phrase tolle lege. These are the words Augustine heard in prayer as he contemplated baptism. He heard the voice of a child singing, tolle lege, tolle lege— meaning “take up and read.” He took the Scriptures that had fallen open to Romans 13:13-14, read and felt immediate peace. He later went on to be baptized. At the ambo, where the inscription tolle lege is found, the Scriptures are taken up and read at every Mass.
The new ambo, with the inscription tolle lege at St. Augustine Church on Aug. 30, 2022 (Inland Catholic Photo/Grant Whitty)
The altar is made of white Carrera marble with a Portoro center panel, a black and gold marble. The Portoro marble bears in relief the emblem of St. Augustine, a heart on fire pierced by two arrows. In Augustine’s writings, he refers to the restless heart being pierced by the arrow of God’s love, and he asks God to fill our hearts with His generous fire.
The sanctuary renovation was completed last week - in time for the Feast of St. Augustine, on Aug. 28. “It is the hope that the new sanctuary will provide a place of beauty, serenity and prayer,” Msgr. Mee added. The church is open for personal prayer from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday through Friday. The faithful are encouraged to stop to participate in the sacraments and pray. More information—like Mass times—can be found on St. Augustine’s website.
