On Nov. 20 at 2 p.m., outside the main doors of recently renovated St. Emydius Church in Lynwood, Cardinal Roger Mahony declared, "Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a day of rejoicing: we have come together to dedicate this church by offering within it the sacrifice of Christ.

"May we open our hearts and minds to receive His word with faith. May our fellowship born in the one font of baptism and sustained at the one table of the Lord become the one temple of his Spirit, as we gather around his altar in love."

After Msgr. Emigdio Herrera, pastor of St. Emydius, opened the doors, the cardinal proclaimed, "Go within his gates giving thanks, enter his courts with songs of praise."

Then a procession lasting 20 minutes, beginning with a cross-bearer and ending with the parish community, entered the concrete and tile roof church, which was built in 1958.

Two days before the dedication, Msgr. Herrera, who oversaw the extensive renovation, gave The Tidings a walking tour of the new St. Emydius.

"I thought at the beginning, just painting the church would be enough," he recalled with a knowing half-grin. "But then I realized we had to change the ceiling because it was falling down. The roof was bad. And we had to replace all the electrical wiring and put in a new sound system. Plus, the lighting was old.

"I thought, you know, we have to renovate it. So we might as well fix it according to the new liturgical sense."

The pastor pointed out how the altar area was moved forward and expanded. The altar flooring is a pinkish, polished terrazzo. The old side sacristies are gone, as is the altar rail. In addition, the sides of the church near the altar have been expanded outward, with rows of wood-framed chairs and new pews facing inward.

The overall effect is startling. The once long, narrow adobe-style church is more open and welcoming, with its former isolated altar now being bordered on three sides by the congregation.

"Before, you had the sense that you were walking into a theater instead of walking into a Mass celebration," explained Msgr. Herrera. "And now we have that sense of togetherness. And people really feel some sense of openness with the wings on the side."

Other changes include an off-white honeycombed ceiling, which enhances the acoustics dramatically, according to the priest. An octagonal baptismal font incorporates marble columns and embossed figures from the former altar rail, as does the presider's chair, ambo and even candle stands. There are also four new confessionals.

But the ornate marble baldachino forming a canopy over the gold tabernacle is still there, along with the same side shrines and statues of Our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Anthony. The original 17 stained-glass windows also remain in place.

"I wanted to coordinate everything for one purpose - to give a better service to the people," Msgr. Herrera said. "Then also we wanted to keep the same sense of the old church. We did a lot, and, yet, we were able to keep the same structure."

Cost of the renovation came close to $2 million, according to the pastor. Parishioners raised $1 million, and the rest was borrowed.

"We had no big donors," he reported. "It has all been little contributions of the people and what we collected from our parish fiesta. That's why I feel really proud for the people. This is their own church."