A House of God for the Household of the Faith
At a moment in the Church’s history when ecumenism has become
clearly intrinsic to the Church’s sense of her mission in the
world, the decrees of the Council of Trent (1537-1542) are being
studied with new insight. This Council of the Counter-Reformation
was concerned not only about doctrine, especially our understanding
of grace, sin and merit in justification and sanctification, but
also about the liturgy. Many of those who became the first Protestant
Christians complained that the sacraments, especially the Mass,
were hidden from the people not only because of “wrong” teaching
but also because of architecture. Some drew the conclusion that
the sacraments themselves were the problem and did away with all
but baptism and, in a much altered sense, the Eucharist. Churches
became meeting houses, auditoriums for hearing Scripture and listening
to sermons.
The Council of Trent, while re-stating Catholic belief that the
seven sacraments are causes of grace, also recognized that the
criticisms had to be met. The Council called for pulpits so that
God’s holy word could be clearly proclaimed. Sermons on Sundays
became a regular part of the liturgy. The rood screens in gothic
churches, which, like the iconostasis in Eastern Churches, separated
the choir from the nave and placed the altar out of the people’s
sight, were reduced to communion rails. The altar in parish churches
was moved forward and brilliantly lit by natural light from windows
without stained glass. The images on the rood screen became background
to the altar and featured saints who defended the Catholic faith
through their teaching and, in many cases, their martyrdom. Pillars
blocking people’s view of the sanctuary were removed.
Out of all these concerns, a new architecture was born: the baroque.
It was sometimes called “Jesuit” architecture, because the Jesuits,
as a Counter-Reformation religious order, built all their churches
in baroque style and many early Jesuits were themselves architects
and painters. Its most famous proponent, however, was a layman,
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini.
At the annual meeting of the U.S. Catholic bishops a week ago,
I came to believe that we need a Bernini today to do for the liturgy
renewed by the Second Vatican Council what the original Bernini
did for the liturgy renewed by the Council of Trent. The bishops
discussed a draft of a document called Domus Dei (House of God).
It sets out principles for renovating older Churches and constructing
new Churches in light of the current liturgical prescriptions
of the Church. Much work has gone into the document, and it contains
very helpful material. I am not sure when it will be ready for
acceptance and publication, but it became evident to me in working
through it that we have not yet adequately imagined how all the
elements of the Church’s liturgy are to be united spatially. There
are too many foci--altar, chair, ambo, baptismal font, tabernacle,
crucifix, choir space. If they are not clearly related architecturally,
the church interior can look like a furniture warehouse or a middle-class
living room.
What we need is a new architectural style and school. The post-Tridentine
liturgy had clear foci: the altar of sacrifice with its reredos
or backdrop and tabernacle fixed in the center of the altar, the
pattern of spaces for the people and the priests, the devotional
altars to the saints, the elevated pulpit, the baptistery and
confessionals along the side aisles. The visual clarity reinforced
the new clarity of Catholic teaching from the Council of Trent.
In this clarity, new missionary movements sprang up, new religious
orders were founded, new devotions found their place in the ancient
faith, new “polyphonic” music was created, new art forms developed.
The liturgical renewal rooted in the document on the liturgy from
the Second Vatican Council has brought new clarity about the essentials
of our faith in the Eucharist as the “source and summit” of our
life in Christ. Everything we believe and do, including our work
for justice in the world, culminates in the celebration of the
Holy Eucharist. The renewed rites speak with this clarity, although
one could argue that they have also been used at times to carry
other agendas and this has led to occasional confusion.
One dimension of our life of faith that was neglected for several
years is public devotion. Besides the public liturgy of Mass and
the sacraments and the official blessings of the Church, there
is a devotional life which surrounds the mysteries of the faith
and stirs up our love for them. Among the most developed public
devotions are those to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, to the saints in the calendar or the patrons of religious
orders and societies and parishes. Such devotion is public, not
private, and it is not in competition with the Church’s official
liturgical life. The impact of the pilgrimage of the statue of
Our Lady of the New Millennium and of the relics of St. Therese
of Lisieux on the life of faith in the Archdiocese should give
us new insight into the importance of public devotion and its
necessary place in the life of faith.
The bishops are now trying to come to a better synthesis between
liturgy and devotion, a deeper understanding about principles
of translation from liturgical Latin and around the architectural
forms proper to our churches. We’re not there yet. Many experiments,
some successful and some less so, have marked the implementation
of the liturgical renewal. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, the
Office of Divine Worship has worked very hard for over thirty
years; and the liturgy is celebrated here with good understanding
and participation. But the Archdiocese too has more work to do.
As the Holy See gives us further liturgical instructions in a
new sacramentary, the moment is coming for renewed liturgical
catechesis. I have begun talking with Sheila McLaughlin, director
of the Office of Divine Worship, about how we will continue the
liturgical renewal in the Archdiocese. I am grateful to her and
to all who work with her.
Most of all, I am grateful to all who “worship the Father in spirit
and in truth” (John 4:23) in the Catholic Church. God bless you
all.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
