HOW CAN ANYONE, A BISHOP IN PARTICLAR, THINK THE SECOND CHAPEL INSPIRES FAITH AND IMAGES HEAVEN?
Bishop Fulton Sheen, private New York Chapel:
A French bishop's "spirit" of Vatican II new chapel. I would say the color violet is very appropriate or perhaps sackcloth and ashes. What do you think?
Sigh. I don't know where to start. These are grown men, one of which has achieved the fullness of his priesthood yet, they are 'celebrating' in an off center, abstract parallel universe chapel with hints of symbolism, no readily identifiable crucifix, Protestant style cross, temporary moveable furnishings, vestments that have a sack cloth / childish look, not fully vested con-celebrant, cross over chausable on Bishop, strange wall art that looks like it came from the scrap bin of a body shop.
Is this invalid, no. Might this inspire someone, perhaps. Are the furnishings noble and dignified, questionable from my vantage point. Are the vessels noble and dignified, yes though the chalice wouldn't be my style. Are about all present within the same demographic, yes. Will this inspire vocations, when compared to Bp. Fulton Sheen's chapel, I doubt it. Key for millenials: Is this authentic, in my humble opinion, no.
I have been to more than a few of these modern chapels for daily Mass. For that purpose I can't say that they bothered me ,if that counts. The Mass was better than the photographs. They were primarily used for Masses that had a small number of parishioners. The chapel rooms were set up to create a smaller more intimate space, and also because the smaller space was easier to heat during the winter. The most bothersome part of this chapel is that there is not a corpus on that cross. I also think there are better ways of creating a clean modern chapel while still honoring tradition.
That chapel is bare bones to the point of scandal. It's not even practical. He can't even fit an altar missal on the top of that thing.
I would love to see the personal residence of this bishop. I would bet that it is fitted with every luxury available. That bishop isn't eating off of paper plates and plastic forks.
No offence or blasphemy intended, but all ad populum celebrations, particularly this one with the orans positions of the celebrant, do remind me of a magician about to pull out a rabbit from somewhere for audience amazement. It is beyond comprehension that anyone would think today that ad populum is a way to worship God. But then, the age of the priests and most of the congregation tells the story.
The Bishop is Bishop Yves Jean Marie Arsène Boivineau, Diocese of Annecy, France. The phots are from the blessing of the chapel at the Diocesan pastoral center.
I am surprised that no one noticed there is no crucifix to be found, just the 1970's plain cross. The new GIRM as well as Pope Benedict explicit required/requires a cross with the Corpus of the crucified and dead Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. If the photos were in black and white, you would think these are 1970 photos, not recent ones from a just completed chapel.
I've always wondered where the claim that European Churches tend to lack kneelers comes from (maybe it's more true of France? But i've seen churches with kneelers there). I've spent much time in Poland and Italy and am pretty sure that most churches I attended had kneelers.
I don't really like this chapel but I'm somewhat sympathetic. In France I imagine that the church is constantly fighting the view that it is a relic of a bygone era so I think that using modern architecture might be a way to respond to that.
"In France I imagine that the church is constantly fighting the view that it is a relic of a bygone era so I think that using modern architecture might be a way to respond to that."
The 1960's are now the "bygone era," so the continued use of architecture inspired by that era is no longer "modern." As far as I can tell, though, France is basically stuck in May 1968 culturally and politically, so perhaps using architecture then in vogue is appropriate.
18 comments:
Sigh. I don't know where to start. These are grown men, one of which has achieved the fullness of his priesthood yet, they are 'celebrating' in an off center, abstract parallel universe chapel with hints of symbolism, no readily identifiable crucifix, Protestant style cross, temporary moveable furnishings, vestments that have a sack cloth / childish look, not fully vested con-celebrant, cross over chausable on Bishop, strange wall art that looks like it came from the scrap bin of a body shop.
Is this invalid, no. Might this inspire someone, perhaps. Are the furnishings noble and dignified, questionable from my vantage point. Are the vessels noble and dignified, yes though the chalice wouldn't be my style. Are about all present within the same demographic, yes. Will this inspire vocations, when compared to Bp. Fulton Sheen's chapel, I doubt it. Key for millenials: Is this authentic, in my humble opinion, no.
The most appropriate thing about the retro- 70's room, ( I won't call it modern because it is not) is the smoldering looking woodwork on the table.
I have been to more than a few of these modern chapels for daily Mass. For that purpose I can't say that they bothered me ,if that counts. The Mass was better than the photographs. They were primarily used for Masses that had a small number of parishioners. The chapel rooms were set up to create a smaller more intimate space, and also because the smaller space was easier to heat during the winter. The most bothersome part of this chapel is that there is not a corpus on that cross. I also think there are better ways of creating a clean modern chapel while still honoring tradition.
That chapel is bare bones to the point of scandal. It's not even practical. He can't even fit an altar missal on the top of that thing.
I would love to see the personal residence of this bishop. I would bet that it is fitted with every luxury available. That bishop isn't eating off of paper plates and plastic forks.
No offence or blasphemy intended, but all ad populum celebrations, particularly this one with the orans positions of the celebrant, do remind me of a magician about to pull out a rabbit from somewhere for audience amazement. It is beyond comprehension that anyone would think today that ad populum is a way to worship God. But then, the age of the priests and most of the congregation tells the story.
The Bishop is Bishop Yves Jean Marie Arsène Boivineau, Diocese of Annecy, France. The phots are from the blessing of the chapel at the Diocesan pastoral center.
I am surprised that no one noticed there is no crucifix to be found, just the 1970's plain cross. The new GIRM as well as Pope Benedict explicit required/requires a cross with the Corpus of the crucified and dead Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. If the photos were in black and white, you would think these are 1970 photos, not recent ones from a just completed chapel.
That ciborium looks more like a chalice than the chalice does . .
"He can't even fit an altar missal on the top of that thing." Maybe he doesn't want to use an altar missal so he can an lib the whole Mass . . .
The image of the harrowing of hell includes crucifixion imagery.
The missing crucifix was mentioned several times.I recall the grade school nuns saying "if there ain't a body on that cross, It ain't Catholic!"
All this, every bit, is nothing but architectural and liturgical garbage that is based upon theological garbage.
This looks like a place they don't expect you to stay very long. Or kneel.
Most European Churches don't have kneelers.
I've always wondered where the claim that European Churches tend to lack kneelers comes from (maybe it's more true of France? But i've seen churches with kneelers there). I've spent much time in Poland and Italy and am pretty sure that most churches I attended had kneelers.
I don't really like this chapel but I'm somewhat sympathetic. In France I imagine that the church is constantly fighting the view that it is a relic of a bygone era so I think that using modern architecture might be a way to respond to that.
I'll bet that those European churches (built before a certain time) that lack kneelers still have (or had) Communion rails . .
"In France I imagine that the church is constantly fighting the view that it is a relic of a bygone era so I think that using modern architecture might be a way to respond to that."
The 1960's are now the "bygone era," so the continued use of architecture inspired by that era is no longer "modern." As far as I can tell, though, France is basically stuck in May 1968 culturally and politically, so perhaps using architecture then in vogue is appropriate.
One would want to ask what makes this chapel inspired by architecture of a bygone era, but....
Post a Comment