The architecture of the church therefore plays an important role in fostering a full, active, and conscious participation in the sacred liturgy. When it comes to the architecture of a church there is very little in Church teaching to guide us. This accounts for the wide variety in church designsContinue Reading
“Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier.” In examining the specific directives of the Church when it comes to art, we should remember that art, like the music and architecture, is not just somethingContinue Reading
“music is not something added on as ‘extra.’ The music and hymns we sing in the Mass are all part of a holistic celebration.” When it comes to the Liturgy, what does the Church actually tell us about the role of music, and what guidelines does the ChurchContinue Reading
“Artists need the Church as much as the Church needs artists because it is in the Church that the Artists finds True Beauty and the meaning of their lives.” In November of 2009, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI addressed a gathering of artists from all over the world. In manyContinue Reading
“To all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts to the world.” Pope Saint John Paul II perhaps understood the sensibility of artists better than most pontiffs. He was, after all,Continue Reading
“The Church needs artists because the world needs artists to show it Beauty and to bring hope and joy into the world.” At the close of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pope Paul VI addressed the artists of the world. “We now address you, artists, who are taken up withContinue Reading
“All too often design competitions are created from the point of view of the sponsors without any regard to the work they are requiring of the artist.” The recent World Meeting of Families(WMOF) sparked considerable controversy over the design of the vestments that were worn by the clergy celebrating MassContinue Reading
Storyteller is perhaps one of the most obvious roles of the artist. But when it comes to painters it is also one of the most maligned. As a people we seem to take endless delight into putting people into ever more specific categories. It is not enough to be anContinue Reading
“A Christian always looks forward, not back. Our entire existence here on earth is a journey towards Christ.” Are we constantly looking forward to the future or backward to the past? A Woman Taken in Adultery The Holy Gospel According to Saint John gives us an account of a womanContinue Reading