How St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is harnessing the allure of old-world design for modern-day ministry
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
Of the 46 years spent as a priest in the Dallas Diocese, Fr. Bruce Bradley has dedicated nearly 14 to serving St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Plano, Texas.
When he arrived in 2011, the parish had recently completed an education building across the street. The previous pastor promised that a new church would be built once that facility was finished, but time constraints got in the way.
“When I came, I was presented with plans for a rather modernistic style of new church,” Fr. Bradley recalls. “I was told by the staff, basically, that nobody really liked it. They asked, ‘Could we rethink this?’ And I said, ‘Certainly.’”
Fr. Bradley waited five years to “see where the economy would be and where the people would be” before committing to building the new church. When the time came to hold a town hall meeting about it in 2015, he expected a small turnout due to a tornado alert that day.
“But 200 people came!” he says. “And all of them wanted a church that looks like a church.”
With his marching orders in hand, Fr. Bradley and the building committee began to vet architects. They preferred to hire someone local.
Three firms were considered. In the end, Dallas-based HH Architects was enlisted to spearhead the massive $26-million project. It was a pleasant surprise for President & CEO Bruce Woody — especially because the church had contacted him, not the other way around.
“I was in the car driving when I got the call, and of course I was thrilled,” Woody recalls. “But I’ll be honest: I thought, We don’t have a shot at this.”
After all, St. Elizabeth would be the firm’s first Catholic project.
“It was out of the blue, but I know they’d been doing research on our facilities,” explains Gary Kirchoff, another principal and architect with the firm. This included several recent traditional ecclesiastical facilities — Episcopal and Methodist. Both were what Woody and Kirchoff call “high-traditional American gothic.” While touring these churches was instrumental for Fr. Bradley and the building committee, relationship was an even more important factor.
“We never discussed [Woody and Kirchoff’s] own religious affiliations, but I knew they were men of faith,” Fr. Bradley recalls. “I knew that if they understood what we wanted, what we were looking for, that it would all come together.
“They were very interested and committed to the project; I appreciated their willingness to learn and implement our ideas,” Fr. Bradley adds. “All along, I knew they were listening to what I was saying and what our needs would be.”
THOSE NEEDS, IN A WORD: ROMANESQUE
Again, pursuing a Romanesque style of architecture was a total divergence from the plan formed in 2001, which would have repeated the same utilitarian style of the older complex: a circa-1970s flat-roof structure with faceted stained-glass windows. “We hoped to produce something more inspiring and beautiful,” Bradley explains.
With a clear vision in mind, HH Architects developed a master plan of facilities in the classic Romanesque style of architecture, communicating back to the origins of the Catholic Church — with a bit of a twist: “This would be very traditional, but with a contemporary layout,” Kirchoff says.
One of the most prominent Romanesque design principles is evident in the shape of the sanctuary: a cruciform (i.e., shaped like a cross). Fortunately, the site on which the church is built lends itself well to this shape.
“Given that they have a very long, linear campus bounded by two streets — on the north and south — that really drove them to do a true classic Romanesque style,” Kirchoff explains.
In essence, this new orientation provided St. Elizabeth with a visual presence it didn’t have before.
“You would drive right past, even though it’s on a major artery in Plano; you wouldn’t even think about a church being there,” Woody adds. “I think a lot of people assumed it was a contemporary library or a community center.”
INTERIOR EXCELLENCE
The results are awe-inspiring.
A new 1,100-seat sanctuary is at the heart of the design, replacing the non-descript worship building that had outlived its functionality and, as Bradley points out, also required significant repairs — foundational fixes, air-conditioning upgrades, and more.
The new worship space is surrounded by classic arches, vaulted ceilings, reverent statuary, Stations of the Cross, and stained glass representing the Mysteries of God. The stained glass, statuary, and altar platform furnishings — including the ambo — were fabricated in Italy.
Bradley describes the space as “peaceful” and “calm,” as was the intention.
“We kept with various shades of white and a blue ceiling rather than lots of bright colors,” he explains. “The artwork doesn’t jump out at you; it surrounds and comforts you.”
For Woody, the vast volume of this room is noteworthy. “Upon entry from the narthex, it’s awe-inspiring,” he says. “At nearly 40 feet, the height of the ceilings is impressive, as is the length of the sanctuary.”
Also worthy of admiration: the sound quality — a unique challenge for most cruciform spaces, where echoes and ‘dead’ spots are common. Instead, by all accounts, the acoustics in the sanctuary are top-notch. The church even uses an electronic organ to its full effect in this space.
“When we need the high-reverb, we have it, in what otherwise becomes a very echo-y space,” Woody explains. “And when it’s for spoken word, or for singing a cappella, or for playing instrumental music, it can be tuned for 100-percent clarity.”
Primarily, this is achieved with amplifiers inserted discreetly in the walls.
“You can’t even see them,” Fr. Bradley points out. “I didn’t realize how effective it all was until I was giving communion on Easter morning with a completely packed church. I could still hear the music so very clearly from every direction.”
The barrel-vaulted ceiling in the sanctuary leads the eye to the Adoration Chapel located directly behind the Altar. Woody and Kirchoff call it “the jewel of the interior and exterior alike,” as it’s surrounded with tall, graceful arrow-slit windows filled with jewel-toned stained glass to illuminate the space with color and vibrance.
Housed in a 180-degree apse with a domed roof, the gold tabernacle is at the center of the space, literally and figuratively. “The idea is that everything in that apse needs to focus on the tabernacle and the crucifix straight above it,” Kirchoff explains. “This represents Christ resurrected and the tabernacle as the Body.”
We kept with various shades of white and a blue ceiling rather than a lot of bright colors. The artwork doesn’t jump out at you; it surrounds and comforts you.” — Fr. Bruce Bradley
In keeping with this symbolism, Fr. Bradley suggested that the nine spaces available for windows be filled with angels positioned at varying angles and at differing elevations, all appearing to look upon the tabernacle in adoration.
“They really are quite striking, very lovely,” he says. “And because the Chapel has a southern exposure, it gets light all day long. If we turned off all the lights in the church, it wouldn’t matter; that dome would still be bright.”
Moving to the back of the sanctuary, a full-immersion font — also serving as a baptistry — acts as a reflecting pool, its glass-like surface mirroring the ceiling and the length of the transept. The font is shaped like a sepulcher to speak to the mystery of Christ’s death.
An ultraviolet filter in the wall circulates and cleans the water. Worshippers bless themselves with the water before and after Mass.
“When people come into the sanctuary, it jumps out at them,” Fr. Bradley says. “The water feels refreshing and cool, and it’s an opportunity to recall your baptism and the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection that was offered to us.”
EXTERIOR IMPACT
Leaving the sanctuary, an associated large Narthex faces the main thoroughfare and becomes the formal entry. The Narthex and a connector gallery provide a link between the two existing parking lots and connect directly to the existing parish hall.
Along this connector gallery is a contemporary 300-seat daily Mass chapel with a dropped ceiling made of wood, reminiscent of a boat hull. As Fr. Bradley explains, this is to remind parishioners of Christ and the apostles on the Sea of Galilee.
“That was Gary Kirchhoff’s idea,” he points out. “I hand that to him.”
The walls consist of Texas limestone with tooling marks. As Kirchoff explains, this emulates the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
In this comparatively intimate space, many legacy items from the old church were transferred to full effect, including the altar, ambo, crucifix, tabernacle, and two statues. Even the glasswork behind the altar and Eucharistic tabernacle were part of the original church.
“We decided to preserve what we could as a memorial to the founding pastor, Msgr. Leon Duesman. He’s a friend of mine and very much supported this project, even though it meant we were tearing down his building,” Fr. Bradley explains. “And the ambo and the altar were made by a gentleman named Eugene Flynn. He was a carpenter and lived to be 97. He was alive when we were building the new church but passed away before he could see his [work] used in the new chapel.”
Also along the gallery are entry points into a courtyard with water features, statuary, greenery and the existing columbarium at its center. Enclosed with various walls and artwork, it serves as a lovely meditation space and invites people to visit the resting places of their loved ones more easily.
A unique statue of St. Francis of Assisi stands near the middle of the garden. He is sitting on a log with a wolf and other animals.
“The legend is that he tamed a wolf in the village of Gubbio, and everybody was very grateful; the wolf even became a town pet,” Fr. Bradley says. “In this statue, St. Francis is just kind of looking at you as if he’s inviting you to sit down and talk to him. It’s very charming.”
Acting as a statement to the community, a large, vertical bell tower and adjoining narthex-hallway make the new church stand out and also provide easier access to the rest of the building. Highly visible to visitors coming from the east or west, the bell tower — often lit up at night — raises awareness of the church’s presence.
“The bell tower was part of the original design, but we weren’t sure we could afford it,” Fr. Bradley recalls. Even so, the bishop insisted that it be built.
It was the correct decision; generosity surrounding the project has been abundant.
The total cost of the new church was about $26 million, furnished. Of that, $18.5 million has already been paid through pledges and memorials. The remainder was a bank loan of $7.5 million — $1 million of which was paid last year — which leaves only $6.5 million remaining on a 15-year bank note.
“This shows the enthusiasm on the part of the parish community regarding this project,” Fr. Bradley notes.
BETTER FELLOWSHIP, BY DESIGN
Now, the entire St. Elizabeth complex is unified under one roof. This has an immensely positive impact on parish life and activities.
“We have a large daily Mass attendance. The covered hallways, the loggia in the narthex — all promote people to stay and talk to each other,” he explains. “This design also allows us to put up tables and displays for those people passing from the church to the narthex, or maybe to the parish hall for coffee on Sunday morning after Mass.”
As Woody explains, it’s akin to having a large hospitality space, or lobby, directly outside the main doors of the sanctuary that then turns and runs parallel to the main arterial street. “This way, people all the way down the road can see the beautiful Romanesque archways full of people,” he says. “It also provides a beautiful backdrop at night.”
KEEPING COSTS IN CHECK
Although $26 million is a generous project budget by any measure, Fr. Bradley and the building committee still needed to trust that the HH Architects team could provide the desired level of Romanesque-style detailing for that cost. With so many elements being custom-made in Italy, this could have posed a challenge; however, memorializing these elements went a long way in offsetting these expenses. Many church members even visited the studios in Florence where the items were being crafted and spent time with those artists.
“The beauty of the glassworks and marble statuary are not lost on the parish or those entering the building,” Fr. Bradley points out. “The people have been most generous in supporting the project and have a profound love of space, art, and the meaning of these sacred items.”
In the end, every piece of stained glass, statuary, the Stations, altar, ambo and tabernacle were memorialized and all costs to commission, transport and install them recouped.
Not surprisingly, then, Fr. Bradley says the reaction to the new church is overwhelmingly positive: “People especially appreciate the overall beauty and practicality of the new complex. Most say it produces a sense of peacefulness and serenity for them. They are delighted.”
TANGIBLE MINISTRY BENEFITS
This enthusiasm translates to church growth.
Fr. Bradley has noticed a notable increase in baptisms, in particular. Last year, 13 people were received into the church at the Easter Vigil, and a few of them were baptized. This year, 35 people were received and 10 were baptized.
To his surprise, young people are among some of the most ardent seekers.
“A lot of them are looking for something, so they’re coming here,” Fr. Bradley shares. “They’re finding a new place; they’re deciding how they want to conduct their lives spiritually — and the profile of the building doesn’t hurt.”
It’s not uncommon for visitors to come inside and take a look as they pass by. “People are visibly impressed by the structure,” Fr. Bradley says. “It’s a calm, peaceful atmosphere, and they like it.”
As a testament, St. Elizabeth’s wedding book is nearly full for the next two years.
“We did weddings before, but it was maybe one-third or one-quarter of that amount,” Fr. Bradley says. “We’re attracting people from other places that we weren’t anticipating.”
So much so, in fact, that the church has started to restrict weddings to Saturday afternoons and evenings to ensure that space is available for other events, including baptisms and funerals.
Today, St. Elizabeth is one of the largest Catholic parish in the Dallas Diocese — thanks in part, no doubt, to its striking church home.
“Overall, this facility is a legacy for the future,” Fr. Bradley concludes. “It’s a noble building.”
