Fr Z has a story lifted from the Catholic Herald about the revival of the "Dome of Home" by the Institute of Christ the King on the Wirral.
The story seems to be same with most of the Institute's churches, which are on the edge of a large conurbation, huge, beautiful, in need of a great deal of work but often until they get involved, closed. Their secret fom this story seems to be getting people involved. The landmark nature of their churches presumably means they receive a degree of local publicity, and especially as they have the "unique selling point" of the traditional liturgy.
There seems to be more going on than this, it seems as if it is part the Shrewsbury initiatives -like getting the Cure D'Ars heart to visit the diocese or starting the new bishop's episcopate by a Year of Prayer and Marian devotion. There seems to be a connection with this and ladies with "brasso" and mops, with raffles and secret donations, with repairing emboidered vestments and huge jewelled monstrances. I think it is something about capturing imagination and in a sense giving people ownership.
I have been reflecting on the dancing at Liverpool; that seems have been about limiting imagination and dumbing down as opposed to "raising the mind and heart" to a new vision.
3 comments:
bless you. i think people look for beauty and they are willing to repair it, cherish it and hand it on if they are given a chance. many of the EF churches are in areas of appalling ugliness.isn't it amazing that people in poor circs (aesthetically speaking) often have a great gift of faith and thus a recognition of beauty, truth and goodness.
This process was happening at Holy Name, Manchester but has been halted and Fr. Malthus and the community have left. I understand that the bishop would not ordain the community's students due to pressure from Salford clergy who objected to Holy Name's rise from the ashes.
In the North of Portugal I have visited many villages where the standard of living could only be described as squalid. You may have to walk through deep mud to get to the Church but if you ask to see inside the enthusiasm of the villagers to show it to you coupled with the obvious care they put into keeping the church looking splendid is really inspiring.
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