El Dorado’s St. John the Evangelist Parish enters new era

The dedication of an altar and renovated sanctuary – such as was done on Saturday, Feb. 21 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in El Dorado – is no mere maintenance project, reflected Diocese of Wichita Bishop Carl A. Kemme during that evening’s homily. 

“This is really a work of the gospel,” he said. “When we enter sacred places and use consecrated things, the gospel is lived and proclaimed.”

As St. John parishioners gather in that holy space for decades to come, Bishop Kemme reflected, the graces they receive will help them draw others to the Lord. “Speak courageously and humbly about what we can offer people . . . so they can share what we share,” he said. “They can experience what we experience: the love of God that’s so powerfully present every time we celebrate the Mass, whenever prayers are offered here, and sacraments are received.”

Proper worship is a Christian disciple’s top priority, the bishop affirmed. “It is undoubtedly the most important thing we do, far more important than feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick,” he said. “Beautiful as those works of justice and charity are, worship is our highest duty.”

Bishop Kemme also urged attendees to emulate their apostolic patron. “How proud he must be in this church dedicated to his honor and intercession, knowing that what he did in the First Century, you continue to do now in the 21st Century, proclaiming the gospel, in season and out of season, to all who will listen to all who will hear us, to all who will witness this gift of our faith,” he said.

In his brief remarks shortly before the final blessing, St. John the Evangelist Pastor Fr. John Lanzrath indicated that the parish’s patron had been more than an invisible observer in the renovation. 

When he asked the congregation to tell the bishop who had served as the honorary chair of the parish’s capital campaign, the collective voices of the congregation answered back at once: “St. John the Evangelist.” 

“I think he did pretty well,” Fr. Lanzrath said.

In the moments immediately after Mass, Fr. Lanzrath expressed appreciation for how the project drew parishioners together. “We really listened to find out what the needs were – trying to help with lighting and accessibility while also making it beautiful,” Fr. Lanzrath said. 

He added that although the sanctuary looked very different, it also had retained many of the previous elements, including the crucifix, stained glass windows, Stations of the Cross, and pews. “It looks so different, but has many of the same elements,” Fr. Lanzrath said. “We tried to mix the new in a way that also reflected the integrity of the old.”