Our Catholic Churches
Beauty is a powerful thing. It must be the primary goal of sacred architecture. January 24, 2012 By , Architecht
Pope Benedict XVI suggests that: “Beauty, then, is an attribute of God himself and his revelation. The profound connection between beauty and liturgy should make us attentive to every work of art placed at the service of the celebration” (Sacramentum Caritatis).
A "sense of the sacred,” is something which seems to be lost today in many Catholic churches. Normally, we go to church to worship Him, to participate in the liturgy. We go there not only for Holy Mass, but to confess our sins, to be baptized, to get married, and for our funeral Masses. These are the most private, personal acts a person can perform throughout his life. But even when there’s no liturgy going on, we go there to pray before His living Presence in the tabernacle.
Certainly, something vital has been lost in Catholic church architecture today, so much so that many of the faithful wonder, “What happened to the glory?” Hand-in-hand with the loss of the sacred is the loss of the sense of beauty. So many new and renovated churches are just plain ugly and barren. Some border on the grotesque. It is not a question of style. What has been lost is not a classical or gothic architectural style, but a total vision of the church edifice as a sacred space infused with beauty. (Above taken from Henry Hardinge Menzies, Architecht)
A traditional Catholic Church the way they used to be.
Catholic Churches the way they are built now.
The above church could just as well be a waiting room at a bus terminal.
What is there about this church that causes us to raise our hearts, minds and souls to heaven?
Stained Glass Windows
Yesterday
Today
Stained glass windows were used to teach the uneducated, those who were unable to read the Bible for themselves. They featured stories from the Bible or various saints.
What will our stained glass windows teach people today?
Pope Benedict XVI recently stated there is a lack of the sacred in our churches today.
Pope Benedict XVI recently stated there is a lack of the sacred in our churches today.
When we look around us today in our churches we wonder why these changes were so important. The changes do absolutely nothing to increase our faith or to even keep it. When we study Modernism in the history of our faith, we see that the primary goal is to do away with God as we know Him. Instead put all the attention on Man (who is God to the Modernist). This explains a lot about the changes in our churches.
If there is no God in Heaven, and no Jesus Christ, the Son of God, there is only Man, then remove the Tabernacle to a corner where no one will even notice it. After all, the Tabernacle is merely a cabinet where bread is stored and eventually no one will remember why we used to genuflect before it. When we receive just bread, then there is no reason why everyone can't handle it. If we are just receiving bread then there is no need to kneel. So remove the altar rails and have everyone receive in the hand standing up. Besides which, Modernist like to teach that we (being gods) are equal to Christ so we can receive the Eucharist standing up as equals.
If there is no God, no Christ, then there is no need to have statues, paintings or beautiful stained glass windows to remind us of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and other saints. There is no need for hymns that praise God, Mary, The Sacred Heart, or The Holy Ghost. Any country western song will do. After all it's just entertainment now while we gather together to share a meal and worship each other.
In the Catholic Mass, when the priest says the words of consecration we, as Catholics, believe that Jesus Christ is then actually present on the altar, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. If this is true, then why do we turn our back on Him to shake hands with the people all around us? Do you really believe that if we could actually see Jesus in all His Glory standing right there before us, we would turn around and pay attention to our neighbor? I believe we would all fall on our knees, beg His forgiveness and worship Him. We would forget that there is anyone else in the church. Why was the sign of peace introduced in the Novus Ordo right after the Consecration? If we want to wish peace to our neighbors, why not before Mass begins or after it ends? It would be much less disruptive. Why? Because it is the Modernist's idea to have us pay less attention to Christ, and more attention to Man. Get the picture?
The Sign of Peace
Once the Modernists got really rolling they decided to get everyone into the act. Bring more lay people up on to the sanctuary. Have lay folks perform the Readings during the Mass. Have lay people bring up the "gifts" to the altar. Have lay people confect Holy Communion while the priest sits in the President's chair.
"Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion" were allowed for "Extraordinary" reasons. And the title "Eucharistic Ministers" is not correct. If there is only one priest and the parish is celebrating its 100th anniversary and seven hundred people are expected to attend, that is an extraordinary event. Of course, the pastor could request retired priests in the neighborhood to come and help out with Communion. And they would love to. But, no, don't hurt the people's feelings by allowing priests to give Communion.
I recently attended a Mass at a church in another state and was horrified at what I saw. At Communion time, 13 women stood in the sanctuary holding glass chalices and glass bowls for the Hosts. The church only accommodated about 200 to 250 people. Even if everyone went up to the altar to receive, the priest could easily handle that small crowd. No, he had to have 13 little helpers, while he sat and watched. Plus the fact that it is against all the rules to use glass containers to hold the Precious Blood and the Body of Christ less they should crack or break. Yet here were 13 women holding a matching set of chalices and bowls in light blue glass.
In addition to removing all the statues, the Stations of the Cross are also removed. They don't want us to be constantly reminded of Christ's Passion. And they also removed any large cruicifixes that were in the church and replaced them with statues of the Risen Christ. Another way to get our mind off the Son of God dying for us. (Do your children or grandchildren know what the Stations of the Cross are?)
They don't want us saying the Rosary, prayers to the Saints or Angels, Novenas for special favors from the Saints. (Do your children own a rosary? Do they ever say the rosary?)
Getting rid of the choir loft was another interesting change. Throw out that beautiful old organ. Have young people sit or stand in the sanctuary (there's that sanctuary again) and play the piano, guitar or trumpet and swing and sway while they're singing. Again, it's more like entertainment then adoration. And don't forget to install zillions of loud speakers all over the church so everyone's ears will be assaulted and they won't even be able to pray. A great way to get our attention from God to the people again.
Our Catholic church and our faith have been attacked by Modernists who have been condemned over and over again by several Popes in the past. Nevertheless, they still operate within the Catholic church and in our seminaries and universities. Our children are attending Catholic colleges and universities and coming back to us as athiests. Our CCD teachers are not allowed to teach the real faith to our children.
Our priests and pastors speak to us of helping the poor, praying together as a family, and pretty much social issues but hardly ever speak to us about the importance of the sacraments, going to confession before receiving Holy Communion, praying to Mary or the saints. They never speak of sin, heaven, purgatory or hell and they never mention Satan.
Parents are no longer required to choose a saint's name for the child at Baptism. There are no longer any lines of people waiting to go to Confession before Mass. Yet everyone gets up and receives Communion.
Our current Pope Benedict XVI is trying to silence the entertaining music during Mass and revive sacred music and Gregorian Chant which is so much more fitting during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Our Bishops seem to take forever in correcting all the abuses in the Mass occurring in many churches who have dancing girls on the altar or clown Masses.
"Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion" were allowed for "Extraordinary" reasons. And the title "Eucharistic Ministers" is not correct. If there is only one priest and the parish is celebrating its 100th anniversary and seven hundred people are expected to attend, that is an extraordinary event. Of course, the pastor could request retired priests in the neighborhood to come and help out with Communion. And they would love to. But, no, don't hurt the people's feelings by allowing priests to give Communion.
I recently attended a Mass at a church in another state and was horrified at what I saw. At Communion time, 13 women stood in the sanctuary holding glass chalices and glass bowls for the Hosts. The church only accommodated about 200 to 250 people. Even if everyone went up to the altar to receive, the priest could easily handle that small crowd. No, he had to have 13 little helpers, while he sat and watched. Plus the fact that it is against all the rules to use glass containers to hold the Precious Blood and the Body of Christ less they should crack or break. Yet here were 13 women holding a matching set of chalices and bowls in light blue glass.
In addition to removing all the statues, the Stations of the Cross are also removed. They don't want us to be constantly reminded of Christ's Passion. And they also removed any large cruicifixes that were in the church and replaced them with statues of the Risen Christ. Another way to get our mind off the Son of God dying for us. (Do your children or grandchildren know what the Stations of the Cross are?)
They don't want us saying the Rosary, prayers to the Saints or Angels, Novenas for special favors from the Saints. (Do your children own a rosary? Do they ever say the rosary?)
Getting rid of the choir loft was another interesting change. Throw out that beautiful old organ. Have young people sit or stand in the sanctuary (there's that sanctuary again) and play the piano, guitar or trumpet and swing and sway while they're singing. Again, it's more like entertainment then adoration. And don't forget to install zillions of loud speakers all over the church so everyone's ears will be assaulted and they won't even be able to pray. A great way to get our attention from God to the people again.
Silence modern music in church, says Pope
The Pope has demanded an end to electric guitars and modern music in church and a return to traditional choirs.
The Catholic Church has been experimenting with new ways of holding Mass to try to attract more people. The recital of Mass set to guitars has grown in popularity in Italy; in Spain it has been set to flamenco music; and in the United States the Electric Prunes produced a "psychedelic" album called Mass in F Minor.
However, the use of guitars and tambourines has irritated the Pope, who loves classical music. "It is possible to modernise holy music," the Pope said, at a concert conducted by Domenico Bartolucci the director of music at the Sistine Chapel. "But it should not happen outside the traditional path of Gregorian chants or sacred polyphonic choral music."
His comments prompted the newspaper La Stampa to compare him with Pope Pius X, who denounced faddish classical and baroque compositions and reinstated Gregorian chants in 1903.
The Pope's supporters argue that the music played during Mass is a vital part of the communion between worshippers and God, and that medieval church music, with the liturgy, creates the correct ambience for perceiving God's mystery.
Our Catholic church and our faith have been attacked by Modernists who have been condemned over and over again by several Popes in the past. Nevertheless, they still operate within the Catholic church and in our seminaries and universities. Our children are attending Catholic colleges and universities and coming back to us as athiests. Our CCD teachers are not allowed to teach the real faith to our children.
Our priests and pastors speak to us of helping the poor, praying together as a family, and pretty much social issues but hardly ever speak to us about the importance of the sacraments, going to confession before receiving Holy Communion, praying to Mary or the saints. They never speak of sin, heaven, purgatory or hell and they never mention Satan.
Parents are no longer required to choose a saint's name for the child at Baptism. There are no longer any lines of people waiting to go to Confession before Mass. Yet everyone gets up and receives Communion.
Our current Pope Benedict XVI is trying to silence the entertaining music during Mass and revive sacred music and Gregorian Chant which is so much more fitting during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Our Bishops seem to take forever in correcting all the abuses in the Mass occurring in many churches who have dancing girls on the altar or clown Masses.
The Modernists have sowed their seeds and their ideas are flourishing today. But there are some Catholics who are becoming more acquainted with their history and recognize the damage that is being done.
Luke 18:8 "Will there be any faith when the Son of Man returns?"
It is up to you and I and every other Catholic to pray and to keep watch and recognize the evil that is trying to take over our Church and talk or write to our Bishops about it.
