Ham Lake Catholics write Scripture verses under sanctuary floor

Rob Zenk helps his daughter, Regina, as she writes a Scripture passage Jan. 9 on the sanctuary floor before marble tile is placed over it at St. Paul in Ham Lake. Zenk’s daughter, Maggie, is behind him. COURTESY CHURCH OF ST. PAUL

In a tradition that dates to the parish’s founding 41 years ago, members of St. Paul in Ham Lake were invited to write Scripture verses under the sanctuary floor before marble tile was laid down. The parish called the effort “Standing on the Word of God.”

“When our parish building was constructed in 1984, our founding pastor, Father Tim Nolan, invited all parishioners to write their favorite Scripture verses on the concrete before the carpet was installed,” said Father Jim Livingston, current pastor. “He wanted to emphasize that we are building our church on the firm foundation of Scripture. We repeated this in 2017, when new carpet was installed.”

This time around, the renovation included expanding the sanctuary and, in the coming year, installing a new altar, ambo and presider chairs, part of an effort to make the church more inviting. Father Livingston hopes the changes encourage people outside the parish community to experience the beauty of the Catholic faith.

Signing the sanctuary floor took place in January, and hundreds of people participated. Many had signed the floor in previous renovations. Some repeated the same Scripture verses.

And in honor of the church’s beloved founding pastor, who died in August 2021, Father Livingston buried Father Nolan’s crucifix under the area where the new altar will be located.

“It was a very prayerful atmosphere as people chose their Scriptures and areas to write,” said Deb Nelson, assistant to Father Livingston and communications manager at the parish. “At our parish, Bible reading has always been emphasized, and many bring their Bibles to Mass. The Scriptures were prayerfully chosen and written.”

“Many parishioners remembered exactly where they had written their chosen Scripture when the parish building was first constructed,” Father Livingston said.

“It was a time to rededicate our parish’s dependence on the word of God and to express our gratitude for the truth of his promises,” he explained. “It was an incredibly beautiful sight to see people of all ages participating.”

While many parishioners invited their grandchildren to add to their family’s original Scripture writing, the event also helped newer members feel like they were a part of the parish’s history.

Father Livingston chose a passage from the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verses 1-17, which recounts Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. Father Livingston wrote the verses in the center of the sanctuary, where the altar would be installed.

“It is a reminder of how, as a priest, I am called to complete and total service as an imitation of Christ’s life of service, even to the point of death,” Father Livingston said. “The Scripture describes Jesus’ self-giving and humbling act of love for his friends.”

On one side of the altar area, where the musicians play, Nelson and her husband, Brad, wrote a verse from the Gospel according to Luke: “They said to one another, ‘Were our hearts not burning within us when he was speaking to us on the road, while he was explaining the Scriptures to us?’”

“Music has been such an important part of our family,” Nelson said. “We know that Scripture has the power to change lives and hearts; we pray that God’s word will always make our faith come alive.”

The Nelsons wrote that same verse on the sanctuary floor in 1984, when they were newly married. They wrote it again in 2017 when the altar carpeting was replaced, and added the names of their growing family (including their first grandchild). They added even more names this year.

“We are grateful for a parish that has been so life-giving,” Nelson said. “It was a moving experience to be on our knees writing Scripture in the place that we have been nourished weekly in the Eucharist and where our children have received grace and life through the sacraments.”

Parishioner Gayle McMullen chose a passage from Acts 9: “The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit grew in numbers.”

“I wrote it in the middle section of the altar floor,” McMullen said. “I chose this verse because of my volunteer work with new member ministry. It has touched my heart to meet so many new people, who eagerly share their stories of what brought them to the Church of St. Paul, how they feel at home here and can feel the Holy Spirit’s presence.”
Fellow parishioner Jan Liebsch and her husband, Jonathan, wrote, “We love because God first loved us” (1 Jn 4:19), which was on a big banner the couple had at their wedding in 1978.

“We wrote it as close to the altar as we could because it speaks to us of the real meaning of love and community — and why we have a Church community in the first place,” Jan Liebsch said. “The whole salvation story is based on God reaching out to us in love.”

For the Liebsches, the Scripture writing event was powerful.

“It brought us back to remembering the way we were at the very start of our parish. Father Tim instilled in us that our community needs to have the firm foundation of faith underlying everything that we do,” Liebsch said. “When we go to Mass, we remember all those strong words of wisdom and feel the strength of community upwelling in us. I was very moved when I saw how well attended the event of Scripture writing was. Especially moving to me was seeing how many young parents patiently assisted their youngsters in writing a verse. That spoke volumes to me about how there is great hope in our future, because the faith is not only being ‘taught’ but also ‘caught.’ We feel so blessed to be part of an alive community that knows the word of God and is able to share it in a life-giving way.”