Every church building is a gathering place for worship, a resting place, a place of encounter with God. The church is home to sacramental activity and Christ’s redeeming work that takes place there in the liturgy, makes it sacred.
Every church building is a gathering place for the assembly, a resting place, a place of encounter with God, as well as a point of departure on the Church’s unfinished journey toward the reign of God.
Built of Living Stones 17.
The Rite of Dedication of a Church and the Dedication of an Altar are two of the most complex liturgies of the Church. They involve every kind of lay and ordained minister, every sign and symbol, and require scrupulous preparation and attention to detail. Water, chrism, incense, crucifix, candles, relics of the saints, word, gesture, song, music, procession, blessing, anointing; everything that we use to express sacredness, is used in these rites. Such complexity reflects the importance of our sacred space and its central feature; the place where the Christian community expresses its identity.
The precedent of having specially designated holy spaces dates to Exodus where God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground. Then on the completion of the tabernacle ‘the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle’ making it holy (Exodus 35-40). However, the temple was the exclusive dwelling of God whereas we now understand God to be everywhere in creation. Yet his presence in our places of worship remains unique.
From the earliest days of the church, Christians altered their surroundings to create a special place for worship. Dura Europos in Syria is the earliest example of a house that was modified to accommodate Christian Baptism and Eucharist. From the time of Constantine in the 4th century, buildings of great beauty and majesty have reflected the best (and sometimes the worst) work of artists and architects. From the Middle Ages, much church design prevented the faithful taking an active part in the liturgy. Walls, curtains, Rood screens, distant high altars against an ornate reredos all isolated the liturgical action from the laity.
Vatican II addressed how church design and furnishings could better facilitate active participation, for example having a free-standing altar at which the priest faces the people. But we are still on that journey. Nor can we can presume that everyone who comes to church understands the liturgy, the significance of the space they are in, and how to act in it. Some pastoral formation might help us all understand the sacredness of space and how to use it to give glory to God.
A constant theme in church documents has been instruction and formation of the faithful in order that their active participation will be full and authentic. A Catholic Church building isn’t merely a conveniently large space for regular gathering.
The Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar (DCA), the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Built of Living Stones, and Environment and Art in Catholic Worship each specifically state that the assembly should be instructed about why a church is dedicated and in the various parts of a church, their meaning and use.
The people are to be instructed about the various parts of the church and their use, the rite of dedication, and the chief liturgical symbols employed in it. Thus, led by suitable pastoral resources to a full understanding of the meaning of the dedication of a church through its rites and prayers, they will take an active, intelligent, and devout part in the sacred service. (DCA 2:20).
This is something we all need to know, dedication or not. We also need to inform visitors who come to baptisms, funerals and weddings, how to appreciate and show respect for the space they are in.
What is Sacred Space?
It is the place where the people of God gather. It is the house of God.
The church is home to sacramental activity and Christ’s redeeming work that takes place there in the liturgy, makes it sacred. When the Mystical Body of Christ gathers, we also make the space holy because by our baptism, we too are holy. Mgr. Francis Mannion says, ‘the holiness of the Christian assembly and the holiness of the liturgical building are not oppositional but harmonious and mutually constitutive; the church building is both domus Dei and a domus ecclesiae.’
It is the place where heaven meets earth.
If we really and genuinely believed that, I’m sure churches would be packed. Church doors are the portal from our everyday life to the earthly reality of the Heavenly Jerusalem. That is why they are so important. They shouldn’t be reserved for weddings and funerals because their size and grandeur are the first indication that we are entering sacred ground. Walking through the doors and seeing the altar in the distance is dramatic. Churches should be worthy ‘signs and symbols of heavenly realities’ because they represent the ‘immanence and transcendence of God,’ (GIRM 49-50). They help us feel sacred.
The main focal point should always be the altar. It is the symbol of Christ’s presence and the place of sacrifice. It should be fixed and made ideally of stone or marble. It shouldn’t be hidden by plants, flowers, framed pictures or other objects. (Neither is it the place for the crib.). Floral decorations should be separate. There should only be one altar in use (older buildings have side altars but they should be ‘dressed down’ so as to not compete with the main altar). One altar signifies the ‘one Christ and one Eucharist of the Church’ (GIRM 303).
What indicates Sacredness?
Candles and incense
There should be at least two candles (four or six on a Sunday or feast day) and one cross on or near the altar. If there is already a fixed crucifix, the processional cross should be used and then kept out of sight during Mass.
Incense is such a powerful symbol of prayer rising to heaven and of creating a sense of the sacred. There is that sense of drama that incense creates and helps transform us into an other-worldly place. Its use says more than a thousand words.
Music
‘The musical tradition of the Universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art.’ (CCC1156)
Music has the unique power to create an atmosphere, unite voices and express prayer. But it’s not a popularity show. In his wonderful book ‘The Spirit of the Liturgy’, Romano Guardini reminds us that in worshipping together, it is necessary to make some personal sacrifices for the good of being a community. So the homily might not always resonate, or the singing be perfect or the choice of music might not include what we like. But it’s not all about us. It’s about God. And it’s easy to forget that.
Let’s take a fresh look at what we should be singing and not focus on favourites. Suitable instrumental music before Mass and for covering quiet moments of action all serve to create an atmosphere or prayer.
Art
We aren’t alone in our worship of God. Everyone, heavenly, living and dead is involved. As every preface so dramatically states, we sing along in unceasing thanksgiving and praise with the heavenly chorus of angels and saints. Statues and images of the angels and saints help remind us that we are part of a wide Christian vision. It can be harder to give glory to God in a space with no artistic inspiration.
When the great medieval cathedrals were built, art served as a teaching tool. Stained glass images were how generations of worshippers learned the stories of the Bible and the life of Christ. There are still 300 or so Celtic crosses in Ireland, (the earlies dating from the 8th century), which did the same thing in educating through carved images. Their beauty still inspires today even though their original purpose is no longer needed. But to the modern literate world they serve to inspire and tempt the enquiring mind to find out more. Moden art can do the same. Churches need art.
Whatever images, statues, mosaics, vestments, chalices and monstrances, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, stained glass, stations of the cross that a church possesses, they must somehow transcend individual differences in taste, and speak a language of beauty and sacredness to the whole community.
Private space
When liturgies aren’t taking place, churches become a haven for individual spirituality. Side chapels, places for lighting a candle, for sitting in quiet reflection, saying a prayer, going to Confession are very important for our faith development. The light, smell and atmosphere of reverence should encourage private prayer. We also have sacred spaces in school and at home. These are places set aside from other activity, marked by a candle, inspiring art, Christian symbols and reflective music. We all need this space too.
Showing reverence
One of the biggest criticisms of liturgy after Vatican II has been the perceived loss of reverence in church. This is unfortunate and was not intended. There should still be silence before Mass to allow for individual preparation. We should still genuflect and bow to the Blessed Sacrament and the altar. Any preparation by musicians, servers, lectors etc. should not cause any distraction and that applies during liturgies too.
We have a responsibility for allowing each other to experience that sense of the sacred.
Questions to consider
Does our worshipping community understand how it becomes holy and makes space sacred when it gathers together?
Does our church feel sacred?
Can we declutter our sacred spaces to allow signs and symbols to speak clearly?
What else could be done to increase that sense of sacredness?
Do we use candles, incense and music effectively?
Does our church have items of artistic beauty that reflect the presence of God and inspire prayer?
Is the altar the focal point of the church?
Does our worshipping community help create a sense of the sacred with prayerful preparation before and after Mass?
Further Reading
Ten Theses on a Church Door. Francis Manion.
Sacred Space. House of God, Gate of Heaven. Ed. Philip North and John North.
The Liturgical Environment. What the Documents say. Mark G. Boyer.
God’s house is our house. Re-imagining the Environment for Worship. Richard S. Vosko.
