The original design of the Church of the Holy Spirit, which first opened on Palm Sunday, April 7, 1968, was very sparse – an interior comprised of brick, concrete, and exposed steel.
While pews were present in the chapel area, removable individual chairs were used in the remainder of the central worship area (nave), allowing its use as a multi-purpose space. Subsequent renovations, including interior construction and rededication of the Church in 1987, and addition of the Father Frederick Bush Parish Center in 1990, brought the church and campus to its current design.
When viewed from the outside, the overall structure of the Church complex can be seen to progress in both width and height when going from the meeting rooms to the nave (from west to east). According to Father Joseph Lynch, first pastor of Church of the Holy Spirit, “The building progresses from west to east toward the rising sun, which is the symbol of Christ. The building up and out signifies the building up of the body of Christ into the community of God.”
With this orientation, windows at the top of the east wall illuminate the nave with light from the rising sun, with a parallel set of windows at the top of the west wall. Today, colored blocks in these windows recall the stained glass traditionally placed in a church. Skylights in both the Chapel area as well as over the Baptismal font provide additional natural light.