As we step through the main doors into the vestibule entry, we are greeted by a statue of our patron saint, St. Patrick .  Dressed in green bishops vestments and miter, he is holding a shamrock in his right hand and a bishops staff or crosier in the other.  A snake is curled at his feet.  The interior trim is now a dignified and quiet dark stained oak.  To the left and right of the vestibule entry there are two smaller stained glass windows of two great holy men of living memory, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina and Pope John Paul II .  Set up under the loving gaze of these saintly men, are benches and tables that allow all our wonderful parish organizations to interact with our parishioners and celebrate the virtues of community, charity and service. 

Moving on through the interior glass doors, past St. Patrick, is the vestibule proper.  This is a space where worshipers can pause and prepare themselves before entering the church.  Looking to the left and right, we see solid oak doors leading to restrooms and service areas.  The door in the northeast corner leads to a room generally not open to the public.  This room, known as the “Sign-in Room,” is used by ministers, ushers and others who are responsible for the Mass and other services.  Two stained glass windows grace this room.  One of the windows depicts St. Elizabeth Ann Seton , while the other shows the Holy Bible, and the Sacred Host and Chalice - symbols of the Liturgies of the Word and Eucharist .  While not accessible from the inside, these windows can be seen from the outside.  Back in the narthex or vestibule, other items present themselves.  On a display table, is a model of a row boat (see below) with a message calling for unity and community working together in faith.  A small stand supports a notebook where anyone in need can enter prayer intentions.  Prayer is powerful, even more so when we raise our communal voices to our Lord in supplication.  Close by, we may see an easel supporting a placard which could honor the deserving, celebrate events, or just keep us in touch with the comings and goings of the parish.  At the side of the entry doors are small basins (fonts) of sacramental holy water with which the ancient ritual of dipping the fingers and forming the sign of the cross is performed to recall our baptism and cleanse our spirits as we enter a sacred space.  At the other end of the vestibule is the baptismal font (see above) brought over from the old church.  An adjacent holy water dispenser provides an easy way for people to take home blessed holy water.  Families may use this holy water as part of daily devotions.  It can be kept in a small holy water font by a door and used to bless our love ones by making a small sign of the cross on the forehead.  In many churches, the baptismal font or pool is located at the entrance to the church.  Baptismal symbols are prominently placed by the threshold of the church calling to mind our own first steps into the Lord’s universal church through our baptism.  Overhead a wood relief carving of the “Last Supper” shows the institution of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist that we celebrate each and every Mass as the “source and summit of Christian life.”

“A Parish is not like a bus
on which you pay your fare and
and then sit passively to be driven
by someone to your destination.
A Parish is like a rowboat:
there is a seat for everybody,
and by every seat there is an oar.”

The Message of the Rowboat

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