New St. Andrew steeple a sacred sign

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Lent was ushered in at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Algiers Feb. 25 with a Mass concelebrated by Father John Talamo, pastor, and Archbishop Gregory Aymond, followed by a blessing of the new, 36-foot-tall steeple atop the church.



“This steeple has been a dream of many for a long time,” Archbishop Aymond said at Mass. “It not only reminds us of the sacredness of the church (a place of God, a holy place), but it also reminds others who pass here, who we are, how we live our lives and why we come to worship here. … May this steeple always be a symbol of God’s presence in our midst.”


Giving the homily about Adam and Eve’s temptation in the garden and Jesus’ temptations by the devil during his 40 days of fasting in the desert, Archbishop Aymond asked those present to spend the 40 days of Lent examining themselves, recognizing temptations that cause them not to follow God’s will and to ask for God’s mercy in confession.

“Jesus understands how we feel when we are tempted by the evil spirit,” Archbishop Aymond said. “He knows the inner conflict that exists, that temptation brings. … Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, and we are invited to spend 40 days of Lent, not in the desert, but to look at our own temptations. … When we don’t do what God asks, it’s not God’s love that changes. … We may turn from him, but our loving Jesus never turns from us, even in the dark moments, the sinful and tempting moments in our lives. He never gives up on us.”


A decade of progress
Father Talamo said St. Andrew’s church and grounds was a blank canvas when he was appointed pastor 12 years ago. The church was built in 1972 initially as a gym, and he and parishioners decided to embark on a four-phase plan of beautification in the Gothic-style of many European churches.

“We wanted it to look like a church,” he said.

Phase I was the redesign of the church interior: a Gothic high altar (reredo), statue niches and organ pipe casing, chandeliers, a presider chair with two matching chairs and more.


“It should lift us up, lift us upward,” Father Talamo said. “That’s what Gothic architecture tends to do – point to heaven.”

“It’s beautiful,” said Gus Flattmann III of the church renovation. The first parish Mass was celebrated in his parents’ home in 1952, he said. “We love the statues.”

“And then we worked our way out front,” Father Talamo said, adding a nave, a totally new exterior facade with new exterior doors and a wide porch in Phase II.


Phase III was the steeple, designed by Greenleaf Architects. It took a year to design and manufacture in Texas, and three days to install onsite in 2022, Father Talamo said. The 36-foot tall, aluminum steeple rests on a steel foundation atop the roof and is illuminated at night. It was built to withstand 145 mph sustained winds and gives the church an impressive height of 66 feet.

“It’s a beautiful sight when you are on Eton Street (in front of the church),” said Bobby Desjardins, a parishioner since 1978.


Final phase taking shape
Father Talamo tackled the grounds outside of the church in Phase IV. A pond with a fountain, several concrete statues, a gazebo and additional fountains were installed, along with landscaping.

All phases of the renovation, totaling approximately $3.5 million, were paid for through the generosity of parishioners and successful spring galas and Fall Super Fests. Father Talamo said the parish maintenance staff kept costs down by doing most of the interior work.

Deacon Tommy Beyer, a 33-year parishioner whose three children attended St. Andrew School, sees St. Andrew as a beautiful community of people that cares for one another and has a dynamic leader who brings everyone together.

“Father Talamo has brought life to the parish,” said Deacon Beyer. “The new look of the church speaks to Father Talamo being a believer in solemn liturgy. All the modifications he made to the church make it more reverent and lead to better liturgy for the people to receive the word of God.”

The parish has reaped benefits from its renovation in more than just beautification.


“Since we’ve done all these renovations, the people have been coming out of the woodwork,” Father Talamo. Most noticeable is an increase of Catholic Vietnamese families. “The place is exploding in numbers,” from about 1,000 active families in 2012 to 2,500 families today.

The steeple with its cross signals the church as a special place of worship to God.


“That steeple is a sign of who we are, it has a cross on it that tells us who we are and what we do here,” Archbishop Aymond said. “We want that steeple to speak. We also want our own lives to speak to others, to tell them who we are and why we come to this building.”
“It is a beacon of Catholicism on the West Bank,” Father Talamo said. “It gives me great hope, no matter how difficult the times are. People are relying on God and worshipping. Like the old days, the church is nearly full.”

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