Awesome new church

St. William, Round Rock dedicates new church
Catholic Spirit, December 2006, Front Page
By Shelley MetcalfCatholic Spirit StaffThe noon sun shone brightly on Nov. 18 as more than 1,500 gathered and processed to the new church for St. William Parish in Round Rock. Before entering the 33,000 square-foot, Spanish-style structure, Bishop Gregory Aymond was presented with the financial statements, architectural plans and keys to the new church. The bishop quickly entrusted Father Joel McNeil, pastor of St. William Parish, with the keys and asked him to "open the doors of the church." The sun streamed in the windows and the delight at the beauty of the new church was immediately evident in the eyes of the hundreds who were gathered for the dedication. Bishop Aymond was greeted with a large round of applause when he asked the congregation if they liked their "new home." "Your presence here as the family of St. William Parish makes this indeed a special and very blessed day," Bishop Aymond said. "It is evident that this parish family is alive, growing and doing well by your enthusiastic response and your obvious love for this building and your parish home."The bishop singled out Father McNeil for his "strong priestly leadership, vision and care" as he led the parish through the sometimes long and tedious process of building the new church.The bishop also thanked the many parishioners who had been a part of the building of the new church."Today our hearts are filled with gratitude for all those who have used their gifts to provide this new church. This most beautiful structure has been put together by the work of your hands," the bishop told the large congregation.Bishop Aymond anointed the altar and deposited a relic of St. John Neumann under the altar. Then the bishop and Father McNeil blessed the walls of the church with sacred chrism."This building will be used from this day forward to build the faith," the bishop said. "When we gather here, we will remember those who have gone before us because they are a large part of our tradition and our belief in the communion of saints."St. William Parish was founded in 1916 by Mexican immigrants who had moved to Round Rock to work. The first church was built in 1940, and a second church was built in 1975, but was quickly outgrown and replaced in 1982. The new church, which was built in a cross shape, seats more than 1,500 and can be expanded to accommodate 1,000 more; the previous church seated only 600. The new church, located at 620 Round Rock West Drive, is just half a mile or so from the previous church that is located on McNeil Road and sits half a block west of I-35. It sits on 30 acres that will eventually, perhaps three to five years in the future, accommodate parish offices, religious education facilities and a day chapel. One of the most stunning aspects of the inside of the church is the reproduction of Raphael's masterpiece, "The Disputation over the Blessed Sacrament," which sits behind the altar. Leading one to the altar is the barrel-vaulted ceiling that is etched with gold stars. Eight stained glass windows depicting the life of Jesus illuminate the outside aisles. The windows were made in Germany in 1905 and purchased from an orphanage in Philadelphia, Penn.Today St. William Parish has more than 3,400 families from many different ethnicities. The parish began a capital campaign to raise money for the new facilities in April 2003. To date, the parish has raised more than $4.6 million.

Check out the picture of the church exterior that goes with the article http://www.austindiocese.org/newsletter_article_view.php?id=1052 and see http://saintwilliams.org/index.htm for images of the church interior. St. William's is the number one candidate to host Matt Kinney's ordination. Matt and I visited there on Monday. It is truly the most awesome newly built church that I've ever seen. The replica of "The Disputation" is glorious. More churches should go out of their way to get Dante into the sanctuary.