I’ve Heard About the Light
The Mother Clare Dunphy Memorial Chapel (MMC) is a masterpiece of light and design, where sacred architecture meets divine inspiration. With its shifting patterns of Southern Hemisphere light and a simplicity rooted in both tradition and modernity, the Chapel invites visitors to experience a sense of wonder and connection to the holy.
Step inside and let its timeless beauty speak to your heart.
Image: Chapel Interior
‘I’ve heard about the light,’ the architect said. ‘Can you show it to me?’ We crossed the road and came into this Chapel. He stood in the centre. Looking. Seeing. An eternity passed before he spoke. ‘If only,’ he said, ‘if only I could create a light like this in the new Cathedral. It would be wonderful.’
The speaker: Aldo Giurgola, AO, 2001, award winning architect.
His building: St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, 2003
Image: Our Lady Star of the Sea Stained-Glass Window
Light makes visible. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, but it was all in darkness.
Then God said, ‘Let there be light’ and God saw that the light was good.” (Genesis 1: 1, 3-4).
In sacred architecture it is the light that makes visible what would otherwise not be seen. Light is itself the most important of symbols, pointing to the great mystery that is God revealed in Jesus Christ. ‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (Jn. 9: 5)
Great buildings have always been great works of art. They enable us to go where words cannot take us.
Sacred buildings speak. People see.
The Mother Clare Dunphy Memorial Chapel is such a place. The light which dances through its golden windows is always moving. The hidden clear windows in the sanctuary leave the holiest parts a dazzling white.
The hard data of the building, although important, does not alone say it. It is what is invisible that gives the building life so that, all these years after its opening in 1938, it can still surprise us into wonder and remind us that we are in a holy of holies.
Windows
Image: Stained-glass window dedicated to Catherine McAuley
The eleven window designs are the work of Sr. Theophile (Annie) McCrone and perhaps too of her sister, Sr. de Chantal McCrone from Temora. Both went to OLMC to school and received a very solid 19th century education tailored for girls, including design, painting and needlecraft. But they were strong, determined country women and very gifted. Sr. Theophile’s designs are beautifully drawn and annotated. Taken together, the windows are like a book of the spirituality of the Congregation in the 1930s, a spirituality which changed little until the shifts in theology and devotions were heralded with Vatican II in the 1960s.
Image: Come Holy Spirit stained-glass window
Each window contains symbols which reach back into the early centuries of Christianity. Their meaning is not descriptive or found in a narrative. They point to, rather than offer, an explanation or a story. They invite meditation but do not coerce emotionally. Sometimes it is helpful and also interesting to understand the original meaning of the symbols. However, this is not necessary, for essentially these windows are vehicles for the light and the colour which shifts and dances as it is reflected in the interior.
The cruciform ground plan is traditional. Since early Christian times the Church building symbolized Christ – the apse is his head, the crossing and transepts his arms, the nave is the body, the narthex is the gathering place just inside the entry doors. The doors remind us that Christ is the Door.
Chapel Plan
Image: Floor Plan of Mother Mary Clare Dunphy Chapel
South Transept
Image: Statue of Our Lady of Mercy
Our Lady of Mercy
Devotion to Mary, Mother of the God of Mercy, has always been significant among the Sisters of Mercy. Our founder, Catherine McAuley opened her first House of Mercy in Dublin on the feast of Our Lady of Mercy in 1827. This statue is the work of Portuguese sculptor, Thedim, and was gifted anonymously in 1954.
Stations of the Cross
Common in most Catholic churches, the fourteen Stations of the Cross retrace Jesus’ journey from his trial to his crucifixion and burial. ‘Walking the Stations’ arose in the Middle Ages when it was no longer possible for pilgrims to go to Jerusalem to trace the actual journey.
Infant Jesus of Prague
This small statue shows the Infant Jesus clothed in luxurious fabrics wearing a golden crown and carrying a globe, symbolizing Christ’s sovereignty over the world.
It is said the original statue was taken from Spain to Czechoslovakia as a wedding present in 1556. In Ireland devotion to the ‘Child of Prague’ was popular in Penal times and was associated with weddings and providing for the material and spiritual needs of families.
Image: Statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague
The Nave
Image: The Nave as it was originally set out
Originally there were two banks of choir stalls, monastic style, on either side of the nave. The change to the present seating arrangement was a response to the Liturgical Renewal called for by Vatican II.
The Sanctuary
This is the most sacred part of the chapel, its simplicity and clear lines focusing attention on the liturgies celebrated there.
Image: The Sanctuary
The altar on the back wall is the original one used before Vatican II when the priest celebrated mass with his back to the congregation. It is in a simple style with classic lines.
The second altar, positioned in front of it, was installed after Vatican II so that the priest could face the people. At this time, English replaced Latin as the language of the Mass. If you look closely at the floor, you can see where the original sanctuary was extended.
Image: The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle, on the original altar, is covered by beautiful drapery which is changed depending on the liturgical season.
The presence of Jesus in the reserved sacrament is symbolized by the red light which burns constantly before the Tabernacle.
These two statues, on either side of the approach to the sanctuary, are typical of those found in all Irish churches during the 19th and 20th century.
The statue of Mary represents her eternal goodness as befitting the mother of Jesus.
The statue of Joseph, expresses his devotion to Mary and Jesus and his role as protector of the Holy Family.