Busy weekend, but don't fret--the Project still has time to throw you a little something.
Project reader Terry Callen, the intrepid soul who started the St. Gregory page on Facebook, has gone back to the Facebook well and created another page. This time it's the former St. Agatha, at 38th & Spring Garden in West Philadelphia.
The Gothic St. Agatha was consolidated in 1976 with neighboring St. James the Greater, at 38th & Chestnut, to form St. Agatha-St.James parish, housed in the latter's building. Yes, you couldn't come up with a more unwieldy name if you tried.
That St. James is one of the best churches Philly has to offer doesn't lessen the pain of losing St. Agatha, which looked fairly impressive in its own right. At least it's not going to waste--the whole place was converted into an apartment complex known as the Cloisters I & II. The idea of living in a converted church kind of gives us the willies--us, of all people--but hey, Godspeed to the people who do.
Not the most fitting fate for a beautiful old church, but the Project has seen far worse. Look for more coverage on both parishes this year.
A brief follow-up to Tuesday's post:
As promised, the Project followed up with Mr. Gregory Killam about his unfortunately named religious photographic odyssey, and asked if he would consider changing the name. You know, seeing as how we kind of already use it. Here was his response.
Consider it done. I hadn't meant to step on any toes. Would you like it if I referenced your site in my page to show people your point of view?
Done, indeed. Mr. Killiam's project (note lowercase "p") was immediately changed to "Religion Within a Radius," which actually strikes us as a very cool name, especially given his geographic constraints.
Immensely grateful, I in return posted the following:
No offense taken; it's impossible to know everything that's happening on the internet, and we appreciate your cooperation.
(BTW, the new name ROCKS. Nicely done.)
Feel free, too, to reference our site. As mentioned previously our goals are somewhat dissimilar, but we both find meaning in the religious architectural fabric of this city, and that's something to celebrate. We wish you the best in your own journey.
One piece of advice: be ready. Chronicling these buildings, and the people who inhabit them, changes you. Limit your preconceptions and leave yourself open to the experience, and you'll be handsomely rewarded.
Peace,
The Philadelphia Church Project
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Limit your preconceptions? Don't you go around judging churches based on those very same preconceptions? Since when is that one of your priorities?"
Let's just say that the Project has grown and matured over the past (almost) three years. While we still stand starkly in defense of ecclesiastical beauty and defiantly against ecclesiastical abominations, we also have learned to take a slightly more nuanced approach.
The Project is now more inclined to be more open to what a particular church brings to the table, rather than simply slamming it for featuring white plaster and wooden beams, or whatever else tends to annoy us about church architecture. That new-found restraint, along with a deeper appreciation and attention for community and congregation, allows us to present a more balanced portrait of the places we visit.
Don't worry, if a church is ugly, we'll still say so. But haughtiness can only take you so far, and we're well-served to remember a little humility.
Surprised? As I said, the process changes you. With any luck, it'll change Mr. Killam, too.
Image courtesy Gregory Killam
But never, though, did the Project think we'd find a doppelganger.
That is, a clone of sorts. Witness this gallery on deviantART, an artwork and photography community. Here is the explanation from the author, a Mr. Gregory Killam:
This is the PCP, or Philadelphia Church Project, set I'm working on. It's poorly named, and you'll see why if you look around long in here.
When I was joking once with a friend, I commented that Philly's an odd town. It has a church and a bar on every corner. But since I was stuck home after a truck hit me I was able to think about this.
Three months after the accident and I began to be able to make small excursions outside again. I'm making a photodocumentary of the churches, synagogues, and other religious buildings in my vicinity. The sheer number of them says something about Philadelphians, but I'll let you as the viewer decide what that is. I hope it lets you have a little insight about our city and the fascinating people that live here.
Well, that's something I never thought I'd see. First plaigarists, and now flat-out copyists? What is this world coming to?
Granted, I'm not trying to claim that we served as an inspiration, since the tone, focus and origin story imply otherwise. His is a much simpler photographic journey--one picture, one building, little text or depth. Some interesting stuff so far (see above), but mostly this is an endeavor without minimum quality requirements, as the image of a store-front "church" clearly proves.
Regardless, there can only be ONE Philadelphia Church Project, and you're looking at it. Accept NO imitations.
To that end, we have requested that Mr. Killam change the name. Since in his words it's "poorly named" anyway, it shouldn't be a problem. Everybody is free to do whatever photographic essays they deem fit. But when you take the Project's name, even unintentionally, well, that gets our blood a-boilin'.
More to follow, no doubt.
Project reader Tom Lochhead provides a welcome update on the precarious situation of St. Anne's parish school:
It has been announced that St. Anne School will remain open for the 2010 - 2011 school year. This is the result of raising approx. $ 65,000 during the year end fund drive.
Let the countdown for 2011 - 2012 begin.
Good news, indeed. But as Tom implies, it's only a temporary fix--the system itself still isn't inherently stable. The Project gives major props to the alumni and others for ponying up the needed cash, but are they prepared to do this year after year? Or does St. Anne have a more sustainable solution?
Probably not. And that makes the temporary respite bittersweet at best.
Drumroll please....
A new church! That's right, the Project's back in the field.
Actually, literally in the field.
St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Enjoy!
The title says it all! Unless Mondays make you horribly depressed, in which case...just forget I mentioned it.
Anyway, there's a surprise coming later this week. I won't tell you what it is--because then it wouldn't be a surprise, right?--but if you think hard enough, I'm sure you can figure it out.
In the meantime, keep on truckin'.
Project reader Tom Lochhead, one of our resident Visitation BVM experts, writes in to respond to a letter from another Visitation alum, first posted back in September.
Read Mr. Ciocco's comments and thought that you might like a picture of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Armed Forces which was built during Father Stapleton's pastorate (1932 - 1967). No definite date is mentioned in the parish history but probably during the WW II years. Also, there is a plaque on the outside of the church (captured in your pictures) that honors the fallen parish members from WW I.
This plaque, under the auspices of the Holy Name Society, was unveiled on Sunday, October 12, 1919. A Military Mass was celebrated and medals were distributed to the men of the parish who has served and to the families of the deceased. I've attached a few photos of my grandfather's medal. The front shows an American Eagle and Shield with United States Forces 1917-1918 inscribed on the front and Presented by the Church of the Visitation B.V.M. Philadelphia to Her Boys in the World War inscribed on the back.
Lastly, Rocky's house in Rocky I is located at 1818 East Tusculum Street. Rocky was definitely a Kensington resident.In case you forgot, here is the Project's picture of said plaque:
And, for your consideration, here are Mr. Lochhead's pictures:
An incredibly cherished relic, no doubt. Thanks for sharing it with us.
According to the front page article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer, "A Frayed Connection: Facing a New Schism," many of the churches in Northern Liberties, mostly of the Eastern-European and Orthodoxy variety, are struggling mightily to survive. One of those named is the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which the Project visited late in 2007.
The neighborhood's renaissance has generally been good news, but not for its religious institutions, which are suffering from changing demographics and a new populace that doesn't seem quite amenable to traditional religious institutions.
The Project Says: It's always good to see such coverage from non-religious media. A terrific piece of journalism all around, the article sharply paints the picture of what happens to neighborhood institutions, namely churches, when the populace changes and new residents don't share the same conviction, or don't come out in the same numbers.
We've seen it before numerous times, but our experiences have generally been limited to neighborhoods that become sparser and poorer. The case in Northern Liberties is provocative, to say the least, precisely because the neighborhood is so good, so popular, so trendy.
It brings to light an overlooked aspect of church survival, but perhaps the most important. More so than demographics and income, a neighborhood needs to share a connection with its religious institutions.
Part of that comes from the churches themselves, who need to find a way to connect with residents. And on that front, the article correctly points out that the churches haven't done a good job of that. NoLibs may be incessantly, even insufferably trendy, but hipsters can and will swallow anything. You just have to sell it to them. Not always an easy task, if you've traditionally catered to a particular ethnic community, but it's time to innovate or die. A shame, too, since some of those buildings are kind of lovely.
An interesting footnote: despite focusing mostly on the Orthodoxy, the article does briefly mention the Roman Catholic St. Peter the Apostle. Not struggling, of course, but the article implies that the parish's survival is due to its status as the home of the shrine of St. John Neumann. The comments by one of the priests, who maintained that St. Peter isn't really resonating with the neighborhood, support that.
The Project has long felt the same thing, and has opined several times that the church most certainly wouldn't still be around if not for the shrine. Even for seemingly successful parishes, the line is thinner than we realize.
Happy New Year from the Philadelphia Church Project!
When we celebrate our third (yeesh!) birthday next month, we'll get into more detail as to our plans for the year. In the meantime, let's just say this:
For 2010, the Project resolves to continue kicking @#$&, taking names, and being a voice for that which too often has no voice. You may not always agree with us or our methods, but we won't be ignored.
Here's to a prosperous, successful and irreverent year!
