Bulletin Letter for June 14, 2009
My Dear People,
Today we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi or, as it is now called in English, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The feast reminds us of our belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
I’d like to share some of the discussions behind the renovation/restoration of our Church. The architect made two recommendations that we did not accept.
The first was to carpet the gathering area that we use for coffee and donuts in the rear of the church. We did not accept that recommendation because all we could think of was how very dirty and stained it would become from coffee and food spills.
What was the architect thinking? His thought was that when people walked from the carpeted area of the gathering space onto the hardwood surface of the worship space they would hear the sound of their feet on the hardwood floor and instinctively slow down and walk more softly. They would know that they were leaving a gathering area in which one style of behavior was appropriate and entering worship space that called for a different behavior.
The other suggestions we did not accept was the suggestion of an arch with the crucifix suspended in the area of the communion rail. The opposition to this idea was very vocal in our community meetings.
What was he thinking? His thought was that it would be a visible reminder that the space behind the arch was the sacred space in which the Blessed Sacrament was reserved, a Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
I have a question. Were we right or was the architect right? I find that the answer to questions like this is usually, “Yes.” I have no regrets about our decisions. I’m sure the arch and crucifix would have been a sore point even today. I know the carpet would look ugly and horribly stained and abused. I also recognize that the architect was trying to achieve something very important that we have yet to achieve. Our space all flows together into one extended gathering place.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the freedom and ease and friendliness we have. But, as we celebrate the feast today, I also want to stimulate discussion. Are we missing some of the reverence that should be there for our worship space and for the space in which the Eucharist is reserved?
Love,
Fr. Larry
Today we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi or, as it is now called in English, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The feast reminds us of our belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
I’d like to share some of the discussions behind the renovation/restoration of our Church. The architect made two recommendations that we did not accept.
The first was to carpet the gathering area that we use for coffee and donuts in the rear of the church. We did not accept that recommendation because all we could think of was how very dirty and stained it would become from coffee and food spills.
What was the architect thinking? His thought was that when people walked from the carpeted area of the gathering space onto the hardwood surface of the worship space they would hear the sound of their feet on the hardwood floor and instinctively slow down and walk more softly. They would know that they were leaving a gathering area in which one style of behavior was appropriate and entering worship space that called for a different behavior.
The other suggestions we did not accept was the suggestion of an arch with the crucifix suspended in the area of the communion rail. The opposition to this idea was very vocal in our community meetings.
What was he thinking? His thought was that it would be a visible reminder that the space behind the arch was the sacred space in which the Blessed Sacrament was reserved, a Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
I have a question. Were we right or was the architect right? I find that the answer to questions like this is usually, “Yes.” I have no regrets about our decisions. I’m sure the arch and crucifix would have been a sore point even today. I know the carpet would look ugly and horribly stained and abused. I also recognize that the architect was trying to achieve something very important that we have yet to achieve. Our space all flows together into one extended gathering place.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the freedom and ease and friendliness we have. But, as we celebrate the feast today, I also want to stimulate discussion. Are we missing some of the reverence that should be there for our worship space and for the space in which the Eucharist is reserved?
Love,
Fr. Larry
Labels: Bulletin Letters
posted by Fr. Larry Voelker at
9:45 AM
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