The building layout emphasizes an arrival axis from Kildaire Farm Road that culminates at the lantern steeple with its cross, proclaiming to the community that this is a house of worship. The vehicular arrival terminates at a vehicle drop-off circle, while pedestrian arrival continues on the main axis, which subsequently aligns with a garden court, and then on to the altar table centered below the lantern. Recognizing that Saint Francis is a communion-oriented congregation, the altar table has been accorded liturgical and spatial prominence with its placement at the center of both the gathering of the people and the architectural volume of the church space. This is reinforced by the shaping of the space to create the spatial apex over the altar, where natural light is introduced through the lantern steeple. This is also the center of the two intersecting gable roof forms that create the cross-shaped nave space where the congregation gathers for worship. Each wing is composed with a center aisle proceeding from narthex to chancel, centered again on the communion table. Also reinforcing the centered space is the circular light ring that is suspended below the lantern within the volume of the nave over the altar table. The ring provides a flexible source of lighting for the liturgical focus elements on the chancel platform while reinforcing the prominence of the table.

The unified gathering of the people is further defined and reinforced by the circular enclosing wall of the church, which brings the textured white masonry of the exterior into the interior. In doing so, the enclosing wall passes outside from nave wing to nave wing, defining two intimate gardens that are thereby brought into the worship experience while buffering any potential views to the parking lot beyond.

As a tribute to Saint Francis, these gardens, and the corresponding views from the nave to the wooded preserve to the South of the church provide contact with nature that is either intimate and reflective or grand and majestic, changing with the seasons as well as the viewpoint.

The chancel is a generous platform, elevated for visibility to the large gathering, with flexibility of configuration for choir and worship leaders. The pulpit and baptismal font are arranged to complement the centered altar table in a cohesive composition. Each of these pieces of furniture are designed for their special purpose within a vocabulary of forms that relates to the surrounding architecture. Just as the intersecting wings of the nave are formed into dramatic cross shape inscribed by a circle, so the forms of nave windows and the pulpit and font use this geometry in variations of scale and articulation.

Interior photographs taken August 2, 1998

The warm stained oak finish of the liturgical furniture complements both the cool white enclosing wall of the space and the honey-colored laminated wood deck and arches of the nave. Warm white lantern lights suspended with the space add a further ability to adjust the mood of the environment for different liturgical needs. Finally, the color of the woods and garden are brought into the worship space through the use of green carpeting and fabric, creating a serene and simple environment for worship.

Wes McClure, FAIA, Architect.