Arch, Steeples, and Dome
Religious Symbols on a Journey of Faith
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It seems Providential to me that it was in the city of Saint Louis, in the shadow of one of the most unusual landmarks in our country, that a new frontier was opened for my community and for me. Now the Arch was not only the symbol of the Gateway to the West of our country, but a symbol of the windows of the Church opened to the world. It was in this place that I had the opportunity with five other sisters from my community of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to learn new ways of facilitating the implementation of some of the major changes called for by Vatican II. What was learned was useful not only in my own community, but as this story unfolds you will see how this experience touched many aspects of the larger Church. Because of this opportunity I think of Saint Louis as the "Promised Land" for renewal. This is because two "Wise Men" from the Gateway to the West had a vision, and a plan to realize it. Their story will follow the account of the mysterious way in which I arrived at the Arch.
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About the Book
Arch, Steeples, and Dome, Religious Symbols on a Journey of Faith is a reflective memoir where Marie Kevin Tighe leads the reader through the tremendous changes in the Church after the second Vatican Council regarding the principles of shared responsibility. It culminates with the Canonization of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, the foundress of the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN. "This journey," Sister Marie Kevin says, "Begins with the Arch; it was in Saint Louis, that I was given a deeper appreciation of our shared responsibility for the life of the Church." Like the complicated building of the arch, men and women have to work at understanding how to change and how much better we will become as a Church if we embrace the principles needed to work together effectively. This requires an understanding of the individual, the individual-in-community, and the community as a corporate person. It requires recognizing the community of faith as a human organization. We must have an understanding of trends, values, norms, climate and a process approach to change if we are going to become effectively the People of God in the spirit of Vatican II.
Beginning with the Church of her early childhood, steeples became for her symbols of our reaching for God and one another in the living of our Christian life. Finally, in her work in Rome the Dome of Saint Peter's Basilica became another religious symbol. Standing in the Square of Saint Peter's in the shadow of the Dome and in the midst of thousands of God's people, she was given a vivid reminder of the prayer of Jesus, "That they all may be ONE!"
This book will help people understand that the enactment of the goals of Vatican II do not just happen automatically. We need to learn to be the Church in a new way.
About the Author
Marie Kevin Tighe is a Sister of Providence. The youngest of seven children, she was born in New Albany, Indiana between the two world wars. She received her undergraduate degree from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master's degree in secondary administration from Indiana State University. Her second master's degree was in spirituality from Saint Louis University. As a seasoned educator, she loved working as teacher and principal with elementary and high school students. Later she held an administrative role on her Provincial Council. For four years she was coordinator of a team of six members of her community who worked from coast to coast introducing the principles and methods of corporate renewal. For the next four years, she was invited to be a member of the staff of the Center for Planned Change based in Saint Louis. During those years, she was sent to other communities and (arch)dioceses to teach the principles of shared responsibility and collaborative planning. Next she was invited to teach and to serve as spiritual director in a college seminary. Following this assignment she was asked to open an Office for Pastoral Councils for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In these Councils, she worked with leaders from all professions and walks of life, assisting them to embrace the principles that would enhance both their personal lives and their corporate mission. Her most recent work has been that of Promoter of the Cause for the Canonization of Mother Theodore Guerin. As Vice-Postulator she witnessed the Universal Church first hand, having had to visit Rome a number of times during the process. After the completion of this work, in 2007 she had the time to gather the richness of her life in this memoir.