Close the Doors of Mercy!

Saint Louis Catholic is reporting that the confessional door stolen from St. Francis de Sales Oratory has been returned. After all that work they put into the replacement tarp...

Open the Doors of Mercy!

As an unfortunate followup to our earlier photo series on the St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, Missouri, we note that one of the hand-carved confessional doors has been stolen.

KMOV.com

If this were an average diocesan parish, the priest would probably shrug, place a tarp over the doorframe, and move on. Then again, if this were an average parish, nobody would have bothered to steal the door in the first place.

(Thanks to Saint Louis Catholic)

Walking through St. Francis de Sales Oratory: Odds and Ends

A few more items of note from St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis.

Jesus is ready for the Year of Mercy!

Good Shepherd window.

A view from the Infant of Prague transept.

An unused confessional booth sitting in the transept. Its brother booth rests in the other transept.

My Latin isn't good enough to know what this is all about.

A closer look.

Roofed pulpit.

The in-use confessionals are positioned rather awkwardly in the middle of the nave. There is another on the opposite side, and it can be grimly humorous to watch penitents walk back and forth between them during Mass as priests come and go according to their duties.

This and the following grotesques appear to be representations of the kinds of workmen who built this temple.

A wide view of the baptistery. Eight-sided, according to tradition.

A closer view shows a little more of the golden color in the mosaics.

One last farewell look at the oratory before I leave.

Definitely worth a visit, lace and all!

Walking through St. Francis de Sales Oratory: Altars & Saints

Continuing our tour through St. Francis de Sales Oratory, this time looking at the various altars and saint images. Click on the photos for higher resolutions.

The sanctuary and the main high altar.

The Mary altar, to the left of the sanctuary.

Another view of the Mary altar, with a view of the apparently random heraldic symbols.

The St. Joseph altar stands to the right of the sanctuary.

Wide view of the Joseph altar.

To the far left of the sanctuary stands the Infant of Prague, topped by an image of the Annunciation. During the Christmas season this area is turned into a crèche.

To the far right is the Mother of Perpetual Help, topped by an image of the Fall of Man.

Another view of the Perpetual Help transept, flanked by the Immaculate Heart statue and the Mother of Sorrows window. I don't know whose idea it was to insert so many disparate Marian devotions into one area—and all with unique styles.

The Holy Family gets its own space, a little past the Infant of Prague. At the bottom is the Death of Joseph.

Various saints are scattered around the oratory. There are far more stained glass windows than are pictured here, as most of them were too high or otherwise difficult to photograph.

The patron himself, positioned neatly next to a few appliances. That fan is the oratory's air conditioning in the summer months.

He looks very episcopal.

John Nepomuk shushing troublesome children.

Six of the Twelve Apostles. Note that James the Greater is standing on higher ground than James the Lesser.

Martin de Porres.

Rita of Cascia and Theodore flanking the Holy Cross.

John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary, very properly grouped together.

(to be continued)

Walking through St. Francis de Sales Oratory: The Exterior

My travels recently brought me through St. Louis, Missouri. While there I visited the famous St. Francis de Sales Oratory, one of the midwestern strongholds of The Institute of Christ the King. The following are photos taken around and within the oratory. Although I took no photos during Mass, be assured that the Institute's love of lace, dusty blues, and operatic dress was well on display.

The outdoor photos were taken from the south and east (front) sides of the building. Click the photos for a higher resolution.

The famous "leaning tower" from a distance.

The original church (built by German immigrants) was destroyed a year later by a tornado. It was not fully rebuilt until 1908.

Stonework on the south side.

The baptistery is visible even from the exterior.

Telephone lines run past the front of the church.

A rather whimsical depiction of St. Francis in green.

Indeed, that website has useful information about the history of the oratory and its needed repairs.

Another view of Our Lady of Fatima.

And another. The run-down neighborhood can be glimpsed in the background.

Even the planting pots have attractive carvings.

Main doors.

This plaque may have been the only thing that kept the building from demolition during its impoverished years.

A view from the pew.

More interior shots in the next post.

(to be continued)