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Churches that point to God

Zoey Maraist | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Fr. Donald J. Planty, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington, speaks to a crowd of 100 about sacred architecture at St. James Church in Falls Church Aug. 22. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD

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Sainte-Chapelle in Paris is an example of luminosity in Catholic churches. ADOBESTOCK.COM

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As Father Donald J. Planty flipped
through photos of churches in the slideshow, he encouraged the audience to see
the beautiful places of worship as a foretaste of the beauty of heaven. The
pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington spoke to a crowd of 100 at
St. James Church in Falls Church about sacred architecture Aug. 22. The event,
sponsored by the young professionals group at St. James, was filled with people
of all ages. 

Beginning in the Old Testament, God
called his people to set aside a special place for worship — first the Tent of
Meeting, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, and later the temple built
by Solomon. Since Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 312, Christians
have been building churches around the world, said Father Planty. 

The Second Vatican Council document “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” says, “When
churches are to be built, let great care be taken that they be suitable for the
celebration of liturgical services and for the active participation of the
faithful.” Though those aims are paramount, sacred architecture is about more
than functionality, said Father Planty. 

“If the only purpose of sacred
architecture is to build a place where you celebrate the Mass, all you need to
do is to build a box, slap a cross on it and call it a church,” he said. Instead,
churches and the art inside are meant to point to God. 

Sacrosanctum
Concilium
” notes, “Holy Mother Church has therefore always been the friend
of the fine arts and has ever sought their noble help, with the special aim
that all things set apart for use in divine worship should be truly worthy,
becoming, and beautiful, signs and symbols of the supernatural world.”

Due to the time and place they were
built, Catholic churches around the world can look very different. Though
styles come and go, said Father Planty, beautiful churches all have certain
elements in common. 

The first is symmetry. “Heaven is
balanced. It’s not awkward and out of balance,” said Father Planty. That’s why
symmetrical shapes such as rectangles, crosses, circles and octagons classically
have been found in churches. 

Beautiful churches also have
verticality, said Father Planty, which raises the mind and body to God, as well
as luminosity. Churches typically are built with windows to let in light, a
reminder of the light of Christ. Father Planty discussed the famous Parisian chapel
Sainte Chapelle, which is nearly all stained glass. “It’s like being inside of
a jewel,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve been in a more beautiful interior space
anywhere in the world.”

Churches also are built with religious
imagery or iconography. The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 declared that
creating images of God or holy people was permitted. “All of our devotion to
sacred art is based on the Incarnation,” explained Father Planty. “From the
moment that the eternal son of the father becomes visible in and through our
humanity and could be perceived with the senses, then he and other holy persons
and things can be represented. The reason we put all these images up is because
by doing so, we are inspired by them,” he said. “We’re called to greater
holiness.”

The final element is permanence. “(A
church) is not something you can throw together out of drywall or sticks,” said
Father Planty. It should be built to last. He pointed to St. Ann Church in
Jerusalem, which was built in 1138, survived the Crusades and still stands
today.

St. Ann Church in Jerusalem, built in 1138, is an example
of permanence. Adobestock.com

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Father Planty said the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington was built with time-tested
masonry techniques. “Everything that supports it is stone and brick. There are
no steel girders supporting any of this. It’s solid,” he said. “This,
God-willing, will be standing in 2,000 years.” 

All these elements combine to form
heavenly churches that bring people closer to God. Father Planty closed with a
quote from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. “The only really effective apologia for
Christianity comes down to two arguments: namely the saints the church has
produced and the art which has grown in her womb.”

 

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