Madonna De La Flora

As opposed to my own shaky photography, Mark Scott Abeln just keeps getting better at photo documentary of Church objects, icons, and architecture. Here Mark chronicles a Corpus Christ Procession in St. Louis, including this stunning shot of an Marian homage.

Take a look over there at Rome of the West, the visuals are brilliant.

DMac on St. Michael's, Leawood

From CMR

The new Church of Saint Micheal the Archangelin Leawood, Kansas will be dedicated on Saturday June 13, and many of its features have been chronicled here on CMR. The church is clearly part of the "New Classicism"movement which has been growing over the last 20 years or so, mostly in secular buildings. But one of the things that sets the new St. Michael church apart from other new churches is its decidedly eschatological orientation, that is, its look toward the end of time when the application of Christ's victory is complete. This notion of "turning toward" the Lord's Second Coming has traditionally been the justification for the eastward orientation of churches and the ad orientem position of the celebrant, and the source for what that Second Coming might look like has always been the Book of Revelation.
At the new St. Michael Church, the rear wall of the sanctuary is filled with a triumphal-arch like reredos in which will be placed three paintings, all by EverGreene Studios of New York (shown here in the studio in process and below before installation in two pieces--click for larger views).
The central piece is a 24 foot tall great image of Christ reigning on the throne surrounded by angels and saints described in Revelation chapter 4 and the river of the water of life flowing from the throne in chapter 22. The great eye of the Father who sees and knows all is shown sharing an intersecting halo with Christ who reigns in glory despite his wounds. The night sky reveals the heavens filled with glorified stars, praising God by obeying His will.
From below the throne flows the water symbolizing the Holy Spirit, the water of life (grace) which transforms the world. The water flows down inside the golden walls of the Heavenly Jerusalem, then upon the earth to transform it with grace. In the Leawood mural, the waters flow straight down behind St. Michael, the patron of the parish, than across the many saints, around the altar of reservation, to the sanctuary below. St. Michael is shown in the time after he has slayed the dragon, and he holds in his hands a scale representing the judgment of souls. (The saved soul "weighs" more than the damned). The parish chose the blesseds and saints for the mural, emphasizing the saints of the Americas and the 20th century like the Jesuit martyrs, KiriTekakwitha, Mother Cabrini, Mother Seton, Kathrine Drexel and Miguel Pro.
Interesting to note is two intersections of the heavenly world with the earthly. The "streets" of heaven in the mural have the same pattern of marbles as does the actual floor of the church, symbolizing that the earthly church building is indeed a sacrament of heaven. Second, a close look at the mural shows that among the buildings of heaven is a glorified version of Kansas City's Power and Light Building, a landmark of the downtown skyline. This building was added to remind worshippers that the end of time will not sweep us away to some Platonic other world on clouds, but will restore and renew the real, physical world.
In the small roundrels to either side of the central panel will be placed images of Old Testament figures: Elijah and Moses on the right and Abraham and Sarah on the left. Though they appear in separate openings, all three of the paintings share the same background, suggesting that the triumphal arch is not so much fixed to the wall as it is an opening to the heavenly realm.
Notice how different this sort of iconography is from the usual arrangement of "Mary on one side, Joseph on the other, and a crucifix in the middle." Here we see the Trinity, angels, saints, and creation being joined by the earthly worshippers to praise God and receive Christ-life in the sacraments. By looking at the heavenly glory as well as receiving the heavenly food, the process of divinization is emphasized as a full liturgical event.

Major New Release on Church Architecture

The Society of St. Barbara is delighted to announce the release of Catholic Church Architecture and the Sprit of the Liturgy, authored by our own contributor Prof. Denis McNamara.

Here Denis encourages "the reader to drink deeply from the wells of the tradition, to look with fresh eyes at things thought to be outdated or meaningless, and glean the principles which underlie the richness of the Catholic faith"

Distribution is expected in October of 2009. Pre-order is available now from Liturgy Training Press.Congratulations Denis McNamara on another outstanding work.

A Devotion to St. Jospeh; Patron Sant of The Home

Crain's Chicago Business has a marginally thought-out article on the use of St. Joseph icons in home sales. There is a practice of burying a statue of St. Joseph in the yard of houses that are for sale.

Crain's polls a few sources for their opinion

"It's tacky; crass marketing," huffs Sister Anne Joan Flannigan, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, which operates the store. "It's making the statue an idol, as if it is magical." (note from JBP...Sr. Anne is a wonderful person, but not very reflective here on the context of Devotion)

and

Todd Williamson, director of the Archdiocese of Chicago's Office for Divine Worship, says the church neither endorses nor prohibits the practice — or sale of kits at Catholic bookstores.

"There's no question that some people do that out of faith, others do it out of superstition or may not even know who St. Joseph is," he says.

Both of these opinions strike me as uncharitable at best and sacrilegious under scrutiny. A devotion to St. Joseph should certainly be welcomed by all Catholics and any respectful person who reflects on the history and traditions of Christianity. Surely there are multiple paths to find Christ, none of which should be dismissed as "idol worship" or "superstition". What better way to learn more about St. Joseph than to start with a devotion to Mary's husband?

A good friend of mine from Dwight, Illinois told me the history of the Keeley Institute, an alcohol treatment center that "cured" alcoholics by injecting them with gold dust (perhaps curing them by killing them first). As he stated, a devotion to St. Martin of Tours was certainly a more likely cure than the accepted scientific wisdom at the time.

I'll paraphrase Chesterton's Aquinas on the projection that St. Peter stands at the Gates of Heaven with a list of who is in and who is out. Aquinas said (something like) "Your belief can do no harm and serves the logic of the heavenly kingdom".

I think we have too few devotions today and should welcome more devotions to any and all of the Saints to assist us in our day to day lives.

Douglas Park Auditorium

I drove by this beautiful building in Douglas Park yesterday. The neighborhood is not for the feint of heart, but has some benign neglect showing here and there.

The Douglas Park Auditorium is described as

A multipurpose Jewish institutional building that housed the Workmen's Circle, Jewish labor unions, and the Yiddish Theater. This building was later renamed Labor Lyceum. Today the building is the location of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith.

The Church did not look very busy, but it was a Friday. Architect anyone? I'll wager Marshall and Fox.

Moving Post Offices: Easy Quiz

2 Points if you can tell us where (much of) the Old Chicago Post Office Building is now located. It is a major landmark, but not a Post Office anymore.

A Bargain at Any Price

One of the side effects of an housing crisis (of sorts) is that houses stay on the market longer. Here are a few that I have walked through in the last 6 months or so on Sunday strolls with my kids.

The first one is at 232 Essex in Kenilworth. Georgian, with a dramatic entrance (and some huge crest over the entry portal like the hall to a Order of Malta Palace)

The grand entry way looked imposing. My daughter asked if princesses walked down those stairs, which is most likely true.

The bathroom had an interesting ceiling, with some type of plastic material that I had never seen before. It was an art-deco type.

The sunny library looked excellent for a spring nap. The ceiling again was above and beyond the typical.

Here is more info from the broker

New Classicism in Chicago

Here's a terrific house under construction in Chicago.

The Architect is Hammond Beeby Ainge, but that is about all the information we have on it.

Good looking place. Anyone have more details?

Basilica of Dreams: St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville, Iowa

WP Kinsella based his novel "Field of Dreams" in Dyersville, Iowa, a fitting place for building a historic structure that would bring out the best in devotional interest. Kinsella wrote about a shrine to baseball, but in reality, Dyersville is the home a truly remarkable structure, the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier. I was lucky enough to get to visit SFx this weekend, and came away impressed.

Built in 1888 by German (along with Luxemborgian) immigrants, this may be the smallest town in the US with a Basilica, as it was named by Pius XII in 1956. Seating capacity is 1200 (including the choir loft). I was informed that 850 people were at mass on Saturday at 4PM vigil, which was an average crowd (for a parish holding 5 Masses). A little math, that makes 4,250 people per weekend in a town of 4,000. Give or take 10% tourists, and this is a well-uitlized parish.

Excellent architecture historical profile here

There is humorous stained glass of St. Francis Xavier and the "Indians", in Iroquois looking garb. This is a must see Church, explemplifying the best in Catholic Architecture and preservation of the sacred.

The Basilica is about 20 miles west of Dubuque, which also has it's share of fine churches, and 40 miles from Galena, which is an architectural gem.

Dyersville is a small city with an active Catholic Community, with a tremendous churchgoing population, as well as a Catholic High School (Beckman) and Grade School (SFx).

A round of applause to the Community of St. Francis Xavier!

Voting Out the Vandals: Wilmette vs. Village Trustee

Some of my neighbors are campaigning against one of the Village Trustees who mangled the Mallinckrodt Convent project here in Wilmette. I don't like to take political positions on local issues at St. Barbara's but I will make an exception against the desecration of the sacred. Here is a pretty good run down

Four candidates have filed for three openings in the April 7th election to the Wilmette Village Board. The good fortune that this election is contested emanates from the move to re-elect one of the most controversial and destructive members of the board: Lali Watt.

Remember the Mallinckrodt (debacle)? Wilmette kool-aid drinkers back in 2001 swallowed Lali Watt’s community organizing arguments and voted to pay $24 million for a 17-acre park the village didn’t need. There were the Catholic voters who were promised retention of the historical chapel at Mallinckrodt College (since demolished); the soccer parents who were promised lighted fields (never happened), and the senior citizens who were promised a thriving senior housing complex - which has been in foreclosure since last September, owes $19 million on its loans and reports half of the units unsold. And lest we forget, there were the greenies who voted to save the trees. Remember waking up one morning to the front lawn on Ridge that was a muddy wasteland cleared of ancient trees? Yes, it was Trustee Lali Watt we have to thank for the secret deal with the Mallinckrodt developers (before the election) to clear cut all those beloved trees.

I'll vote against anyone who tears up Chapels. This project was botched and in many respects unethical. Everyone associated with it should be held accountable, which for a Trustee, is via the ballot box.

Here's some of the Stained Glass salvaged for sale.

Dr. McNamara at ICKSP

Canon Matthew Talarico, Vice-Rector of the Institute of Christ the King is certainly one of the most pleasant guys in Cook County. At a recent function earlier this month he took me aside and said "there is someone you must meet" coming to the Shrine later this month for a presentation.

That someone, was none other than Dr. Denis McNamara from the Litrugical Institute at Mundelein Seminar coming to the Shrine for his brilliant presentation on architecural and the sacred Liturgy. I assured Canon Talarico that I was one of Denis biggest fans.

So today is the day, 3PM on the delightful South Side of Chicago at 6415 South Woodlawn Avenue. All are invited!

St. Thomas the Apostle

February 22, 2009
Originally uploaded by fotomattic

Very nice photo of St TtA in Hyde Park, architect was Barry Byrne.

With Larger Shot

More Photos from Holy Name

More photos from Holy Name Cathedral, from the 1949 book 100 Years: The History of the Church of the Holy Name.

Postcard from Holy Name

Here is another view of Holy Name Cathedral, this from the Curt Teich archives. I have a better scan of this somewhere, and will locate and post.

Thanks to Msgr for the link.

Holy Name Cathedral Vintage 1958

Here is a historic shot of Holy Name in 1958. I will try to find more.

Holy Name Update

I went to the Cathedral (Holy Name) yesterday. The fire was pretty much contained to one area of the roof. There were still a troop of firemen (smoking cigarettes and theorizing) who did a very fine job at not wrecking the Cathedral while putting the fire out. Fr. Matt Compton, formerly of my parish, and a Mundelein Seminarian studying with Denis McNamara was one of the heroes of the fire and has a new appreciation of St. Agatha the patron of protection against fire.

Here are a few snapshots.

Fire at Holy Name

Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago looks like a disaster. I will go take a look later today or tomorrow.

It is a sad day for the Church in Chicago.

Story Here

Bankruptcy comes to Loyola Project

Say its 2001 you were given an Old Girls school designed by Herman Gaul that the Village of Wilmette purchased for around $25 Million. Then you decided to try and turn the school into a set of high end condominiums. What are the odds you would be bankrupt now?

Given the history of these projects in Chicago, there is about a 100% chance that buying beautiful schools, then trying to turn them into residential units will make you bankrupt. Loyola Mallinckrodt is no exception, with bankruptcy, lawsuity, unhappy residents, and unpaid bills all around. The Sun-Times has it here in a detailed story.

I'll limit it to a top 5 of wretched behavior that got the project into such a fix

1) The stained glass windows were very good. Canonically, liturgical goods can not be sold. A rather questionable set of circumstances put them on the "market" for $100K, souring any thoughts of working with a property developer interested in preserving sacred objects.

2) The Village of Wilmette, in a Jacobin fury, decided that all Christian symbolism had to be removed from the building. Never mind that there are various historical preservation ordinances preventing the destruction of great architecture, the Jacobins destroy to preserve. Crosses, statues, Latin phrases...all banished from the collective memory.

3) In a fit to provide parking the developer tore out a grove of mature trees on the Ridge Ave side of the building. Part of the sales pitch in spending $25 Million to buy the property was to preserve the park like nature (albeit in a desecrated form) of the school grounds. Not only the devout, but also the nature-lovers also began getting miffed at the project.

4) The Village of Wilmette never fully represented the financial nature of the project. The building and the Chapel were provided free of charge to the developer, in exchange for a whopping $250,000 in projected fees to the village. So, for a net loss of $24.75 Million, the village got a park.

5) In a burst of Rezko-inspired corruption, various community activists in Wilmette forced the developer to assign parts of the building as "affordable" housing. Even if the developer was humming along it is hard to fathom why he should provide below market rate housing, or why a $300,000 condo is somehow affordable, for that matter.

The trouble with these projects is that there is no "next time". The stained glass and liturgical elements are spread all over the country. The finances are a disaster. The village has astronomical property tax rates and a $25 million hole for this property. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube here.

The papers may claim this project is a victim of the "credit crisis" but to me it seems only to be a near total void of common sense and respect for the architectural heritage of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Creative Minority Report: One for the Good Guys: Artist Alexander Stoddart named Queen's Sculptor

Creative Minority Report: One for the Good Guys: Artist Alexander Stoddart named Queen's Sculptor

St. John of God Interior

Here are some photos of the interior at St. John of God (as well as the exterior). These were taken in 2006.

There are more photos here