I like it; I like it....
Before and after:
Of course, we all know that if this was 1971 and not 2021, the before would be the after and the after would be the before. Thus, we can earnestly say that in the 9th years of the current pontificate great progress has been made in terms of the reform of the reform in many, many dioceses.
Please note that the most important liturgical restoration is the restoration of the altar railing to this church. Marvelous.
Although it does appear that there are two altars, which I don’t like, from the vantage of the camera it doesn’t look like there are two. I think you can have a lovely rererdos without an attached altar. There is no need for two altars back to back.
Kudos to St. Leo the Great and the vision that has brought this forward and the willingness to spend money on it.
14 comments:
Agree, before wasn't bad. After is very nice. Per the attached, the reredos appears to have a mensa.
Beautiful fixtures, mural art. Congratulations to that parish!
https://www.studioiodesign.com/blog-content/2021/4/12/st-leo-the-great-church-rededicated-in-demopolis-alabama?fbclid=IwAR1iNvST6_jSLBdIhqaPFwAgimrBgfk0UFuKUprVfLzeS7dXX5FrzVlagXI
From the pix on the parish wensite it does not appear that the reredos is meant to function as an altar.
The church is quite small; the sanctuary is very, very small! It looks like the building seats, maybe, 120 or 130 people.
The refurbishment is a considerable improvement overall.
The pastor is Fr. Justin Ward, Vicar for Sacred Liturgy for the Diocese of Birmingham.
Just beautiful. Of course, the BEFORE is better than the modern parish here.
The folk in Demopolis would be offended to be called Birmingham, Demopolis is a lot closer to Meridian, MS, compared to north/central Birmingham, which is at least twice as far away.
I wonder how close they came to restoring it as it appeared before the iconoclasts stripped it. The building dates from 1905, even though only of mission status until 1936. So sez the historical marker out front on their website.
Heck, I'm glad to see any Catholic presence in Alabama, which is one of the least Catholic states in the USA. Two generations ago, the state's governor, John Patterson (who served right before the more familiar George Wallace), endorsed JFK, and in an interview years later, noting he had a lot of opposition for endorsing JFK: "I had tremendous opposition in Alabama from the Dixiecrats and the conservatives...and from the churches, the Baptist and Methodist churches in Alabama. They fought me bitterly on this question. They didn't want a Catholic for president. You know, I didn't really believe that they would feel that strongly against a fellow because of his religion, but I had a fuss with my own pastor at my own church here...It hurt me politically, no question about that."
The altar is too far forward and is only one step above the nave; it also lacks a footpace. This would make it difficult to celebrate other than versus populum. No-one would deliberately install two altars; the reredos has a shelf, not a mensa. What is that thing in the centre of the altar? It's definitely not a crucifix.
At least the ghastly carpet is gone.
I post a direct photo of the retro’s and clearly it could be used as an ad orientem altar. I think the thing on the middle of the free standing altar is a Bishop’s candle?
Reredos no retro , dang auto correct!
Again, compared to the local Frank Lloyd Wright inspired church, to include FLW Bulova clock stained glass emergency exits both sides as only stained glass past the fluorescent tube backlit sacred heart behind the tabernacle, with shabby worn red carpet covering the poured concrete floor, even the BEFORE looked mighty good in comparison. A LOVELY church.
Quite lovely. The renovation is a tacit repudiation of the wreckovation mania of the 1960s and 1970s. I noticed the priests are quite young and bodes well for the future
It would be better if the predella platform of the reredos had been extended to include the freestanding altar on the same level. The sight lines would also make the reredos and altar were a unison fitting.
Overall an improvement, thought I agree there should not be 2 altars, and I would have the candles on the side of the altar, like we usually see in churches. Wood can be utilized tastefully in churches. It is not a big church, but then again, you don't find many Catholics in Alabama outside of the major urban areas---and Demapolis definitely is not!
Anonymous at 5:33pm,
The Benedictine arrangement should be universally restored. Nothing says “Catholic sanctuary” better than this arrangement.
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