Mailbag 28: Shared Architecture

Know what we haven't had in a while? Hate mail!

Hit it, boys!

To Whom it may concern:

I was reading your write up about St Andrews [I may go to a concert there, this is why I was reading about it] and I came across a line in your write up that I take offence [mildly] to.

You wouldn't be the first.

"Catholics borrowing a building from the Protestants? How ridiculous!" Excuse me? Since we are all supposed to be one in Christ, I find that statement to be out of order. I would think that since we are all supposed to be one in HIS body, there would never be any qualms about sharing and or reusing.

Architecturally, not the case.

The two have taken very different approaches to design over the years, making Roman Catholic reuse usually untenable. Furthermore, Roman Catholic parishes in days of yore used to be social powerhouses, who took pride in building their own monuments from scratch. Not as much pride in using someone else's handiwork.

That's not to say it wasn't done, but those are the reasons why you almost never, ever saw it. St. Andrew and St. Stanislaus are the lone examples thus far.

I do feel that perhaps in the future, you be a bit more careful what you post on the web for the general public to read. I personally think it's things like this that can cause much misunderstanding and trust even if no offence was ever meant.

God Bless,

Terry

You may not like how we express ourselves, but that doesn't negate the facts. Our irreverence is always grounded in reality.

Besides, if people want take their cues on religious relations from what some idiot posts on the web, their views are going to be screwed up no matter what I write.

(Not that I'm necessarily an idiot, mind you.)

St. Martin de Porres Goes Independent

Well, the school part is, at least.

St. Martin de Porres School has announced that it will go completely independent. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will provide some curriculum and benefits assistance, but that's it. The school will be run entirely by its board, the Friends of St. Martin de Porres School, who will be solely responsible for its finances and its future.

Get more information below--and thanks to Project reader Elizabeth Hildebrandt for passing this along.

Benefactors take over Philadelphia Catholic school

Partnership in Philadelphia could be model for inner-city Catholic schools

The Project: An interesting move to be sure, and in some ways an unprecedented one. There isn't extensive detail as to the "why" behind the move, but I think Archdiocese fatigue is a pretty big factor these days. Witness this quote from the principal, Sister Nancy Fitzgerald:

"This has provided a growth and a transformation for the school and a real sense of stability," said Sister Nancy Fitzgerald, the principal. "When I register new families and I explain to them . . . that we are an independent Catholic school and that the archdiocese cannot close us, their eyes light up."

Perhaps more telling is the Archdiocese's own position on this.

Church officials, who have shuttered more than 30 cash-strapped schools in the archdiocese over the past five years, applauded the agreement. Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Senior said at Tuesday's ceremonial signing event that he hopes it can be replicated at other strained schools.

"(This) is a new model which the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is proud and pleased to support," Senior said.

Translation: we have no idea what we're doing, and we'd just rather someone else do it for us.

You can't really overstate the impact St. Martin de Porres has on its surrounding environs, so the Project is quite happy to see the school thriving--and, by extension, the parish itself. Since it won't have to support the school anymore, it can rededicate its funds and focus to the church and the parish--and its beautiful building.

That's most welcome news.

Mailbag 27: An Old Favorite

The Project's hostile attitude toward South Philadelphia makes it easy to forget that there's actually a few gems to be had. One of them is St. Gabriel, which we visited way back in the beginning of the Project, really liked, and then promptly never said another word about.



Hey, I can't help it if people keep emailing me about the same five churches over and over again.

Fortunately for St. Gabriel fans, Hidden City Philadelphia didn't forget. (Thanks to Bob MIller for passing this along.)

Inside the Shimmering Nave

Kind of a weirdly constructed piece, since it seems to talk about the large 1995 renovation in somewhat recent terms. (St. Gabe's has continued doing various projects since then, but 1995 was the big one.)

Nevertheless, it's good to see this oft-forgotten parish get some attention. And even nicer that Hidden City used our picture and even gave us credit for it. Take that, plagiarists!

Mr. Miller also gets props for one of the more unique suggestions I've received.

I know you very well might not take a suggestion, particularly one that is a. age wise outside of your usual parameters (too new) and b. outside of Philadelphia (near Doylestown). It is however a. Catholic and b. Polish. It would be the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa near Doylestown. Lots to see, there are some interesting parts of the shrine, even if the main church might be not to your usual tastes. There are some massive stained glass (floor to ceiling and at least 1/3 of the side walls) in the main church, mosaic stations of the cross, (original art work), massive altar piece, and a number of smaller chapels ranging from a plain country chapel in the cemetery to a replica of the Polish shrine in the homeland. There is also a lot of major sculpture in the cemetery. The website is not the best when it comes to working smoothly, part in Polish, part in English. Lots of pictures in the gallery. the best time to visit would be during one of their feast day events or the annual Polish Festival around labor day. You could wander and take pictures like the rest of the tourists, I mean pilgrims.

http://www.czestochowa.us/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/


Bah, I take pilgrimages to a whole new level. And yeah, maybe even those famed Polish architects had an off day now and again.

That said, well, we're capable of some strange things. Don't hold your breath waiting for this one, but you never know. After all, the only thing for sure about the Project is...nothing's for sure.

St. Bede Renovations Completed

Almost completely by accident, we move from one Most Blessed Sacrament (MBS) story to another. Sort of.

Courtesy the prim propagandists at the Catholic Standard & Times:

Archbishop Chaput rededicates, blesses renovated St. Bede Church

That's right! The transformation of St. Bede into a sort of faux-MBS--last reported on almost exactly a year ago--is complete.

The picture on St. Bede's website is intriguing, but the Project will most certainly need to take a trip to see exactly what's been done. Who better than someone who saw the furnishings in their original environment?

And just because I enjoy needling the Archdiocese at every opportunity, let's not forget this little tidbit.

Virtually everything of value in the church once graced West Philadelphia’s storied Most Blessed Sacrament Church, which was, in its heyday, the largest and probably the wealthiest parish in the city.

Not everything.

Built in an era when craftsmanship was valued and money was not the principal consideration, MBS settled for nothing but the best, and now the best of the best is at St. Bede.

There's a lesson here, if you care to heed it. Oh, and look up the definition of "irony." Go ahead, I'll wait.

Stay tuned. There's more on this to come.