Poverty is a virtue extolled by many, many Saints of the Church. However, this poverty only applied to their personal lives and circumstances. The worship of God deserved only the very best that people could provide: often they scrimped and saved to donate money to be spent on this worship. People gave of their best.Church architecture, décor, the altars, statues, Mass vessels, linens, vestments, music... all reflected the beauty of God, the Creator of all Beauty, and helped to raise the hearts and minds of the people to the worship of God.
It is sad that this idea has been lost by so many, and Mass is celebrated using the bare minimum in the name of "simplicity" leaving beautiful vestments and other accoutrements hidden away in cupboards (I am not talking about places and situations where the bare minimum is all that can be afforded.)
Anyway, one of the great things about blogging and the Internet is that it is possible to see so much of our beautiful Catholic heritage.
Carolina Canonball went to a Franciscan Monastery in DC for the weekend, and she's put up some pictures which are breathtaking. Check them out HERE (the Sanctuary), HERE (the Catacombs) and HERE (the grounds.)
3 comments:
I've always loved good architecture in churches. Of course, my parish is best described as St. William's of the 70's Doublewide.
You tell 'em, Mac.
I'm sick to death of ugly passing for 'fashionable' in church or otherwise.
We attend a good traditionally decorated church complete with stained glass windows in places and a sanctuary that looks like a sanctuary -with the tabernacle behind the altar.
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