Holy Family Church on Hilton Head Island was completed in 1988. You can read its history/story HERE.
The sculpture pictured above, was originally above the altar, not the crucifix. It is now located in the parish hall, the original church.
Holy Family is a victim of the 1980’s wild architecture and it has a twin, the Cathedral of Palm Beach, Florida.
Fr. McCaffrey the deceased eccentric pastor, borrowing on the trends of 1980’s Catholic architecture, added his own eccentricities to the church.
The organ was designed to be where it is and is a very fine pipe organ. The original colors were meant to mimic the nearby beach (two blocks up the road). The original carpeting in the nave and under the pews was blue to resemble the ocean. The sanctuary (altar area) had beige carpeting to mimic the beach. Then you have the barque of Peter above the altar where the now humongous crucifix is.
The ambo was meant to mimic the bow of a ship.
The tabernacle was to the extreme left of the altar as a private chapel.
The Church does need refreshment and refurbishment. The crucifix was an attempt at that. The tabernacle was placed directly behind the altar.
But it is what it is and there isn’t much that can be done to change it. It just needs refreshment and some re-enchantment. The church can seat comfortably 1,200 people. If standing, maybe 2,000. At the peak of summer tourism, it is packed.
5 comments:
It is an uninspiring space - I would go there only if I had no other option
Father Philip Hamilton was Pastor when the place was built. All I can say for it is that it was built to be substantial. The post VII trend had been to build future gymnasia rather than actual churches. Holy Family was at least a step toward recovery.
Yes, Fr. Hamilton not McCaffry. I was stationed at our Cathedral in Savannah during the time of construction and completing of Holy Family. I knew the then organist who became a consultant for the restoration of Most Holy Trinity’s historic Jardine Pipe organ in Augusta when I became pastor there in 1991.
I like Holy Family, but there are aspects of it that are maddening. I think it could be enhanced but it would cost a lot. The crucifix is beautiful and must have cost a pretty penny. But it is way too big!
Relative to my earlier comments, I can't tell if this posting is a challenge, or a criticism.
The above said, I looked at the linked "Walking Tour", and, unfortunately, my reaction is unchanged. The reason? If a pamphlet is needed to help the visitor understand what they are viewing, particularly in an ecclesiastical space, to me the fundamentals are both wrong and not capturing the faith and truths most learned as children.
The structure, absent the crucifix attached to the bar in the front is not readily recognizable as a church, let alone a Catholic church.
Perhaps I am wrong, however, I am unaware that sand is typically, if ever used as a motif in our churches. That doesn't mean that it cannot be but, without prompting, I doubt most would independently create the association between the wall material and the nearby beaches.
The campus could be considered eclectic. While campuses of all sorts evolve over time, the statuary and art added over time is dissonant. Better to plan and execute a cohesive plan. I know of a long deceased pastor of an Italian parish with many societies from many towns in Italy and Sicily who required all to execute their patronal statues in marble from the same quarry so the church wouldn't look like thrown together. That is planning - good planning.
Relative to the height of the building, the liturgical furnishings are grossly out of proportion, lost and very horizontal. The oversized cross, to me, is also an addition that is questionable. Man outrageously oversized for an interior setting. On a hillside, it would be understandable and appropriate.
The pipe organ. No doubt a fine instrument however, it's placement just smacks protestant to me. I'm too used to seeing this in protestant churches to want to accept it in a Catholic church. Liturgical art/statuary was sacrificed to showcase an instrument and in the sanctuary no less.
The ambo. If Fr. AJM had to instruct that it was intended to resemble the bow of a ship, it's a fail. Looking at other photos of the church online, I wouldn't have deduced this on my own, particularly with that additional ledge upon which the Fatima statue it appears to be is placed.
If I put on my Duncan Stroik cap, the solution that comes to mind is a ciborium over the altar. It would eat up some of the excessive dead space and it would be a liturgically accurate fixture. The wall behind the altar should be distinctive from the nave. Our lord is worthy of more than sand motif squares. Likewise the flooring/floor covering. The sanctuary should not merely be an extension of the ordinary but, set apart as extraordinary.
The adoration chapel has a more traditional appearance that is contrary to my understanding of the building as a whole.
At the end, this parish has what it has, to change any/all would be a significant undertaking as well as costly to the point of being unrealistic. I and others cannot be expected to contribute to right questionable planning and execution here and elsewhere. With the benefit of hindsight, better planning can be done to avoid such dissonance and to better utilize the funds of parishioners, benefactors and friends creating a temple that is both timeless and serves to remove us from the ordinary.
The aforementioned said, the church appears to be loved and cared for and from that perspective, I wish all there peace, health and happiness for many blessed years!
ByzRus,
I know Duncan Stroik and he could assist greatly in embuing a Catholic sensibility to this Church
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