Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Colorado parish dedicates ‘beautiful’ new church

Colorado parish dedicates ‘beautiful’ new church

Last updated on: March 29, 2013 at 8:02 am by CNA Daily News

Colorado parish dedicates ‘beautiful’ new church 2013-03-29T08:02:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Denver, Colo., Mar 29, 2013 / 02:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a parish of the Denver Archdiocese, recently dedicated its new church building which local Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila has described as “beautiful.”

“The beauty of it… speaks to the gift of our faith, and that this is a place where the Lord is truly present and dwells,” the archbishop told CNA shortly after the dedication Mass on March 23.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is located in Littleton, a suburb of Denver, and is a personal parish of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, a society which celebrates the extraordinary form of the Roman liturgy as it existed prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

At the beginning of the dedication, the Litany of Saints was prayed and Archbishop Aquila sprinkled the church with holy water. Parish pastor, Father James Jackson then celebrated a Solemn High Mass.

“It was the first high Mass that I've been to in the extraordinary form since I was a child, so it was a whole new experience for me,” Archbishop Aquila reflected.

He said that on entering Our Lady of Mount Carmel, “one knows immediately that one is in a Catholic church.”

The church is built in a Gothic style, and has three altars, which were made in 1903 from Carrara marble. The main altar is 33 feet tall, extending virtually as high as the interior ceiling.

The building's stained glass windows depict the mysteries of the rosary, the evangelists, the four Latin Doctors of the Church, and Saint Charles Borromeo.

Fr. Jackson told the parish that St. Charles Borromeo was honored because he used the saint's writings on sacred architecture in designing the church.

“The altar is spectacular,” reflected Archbishop Aquila. He also emphasized how the choice of depictions for the stained glass, and the beauty of their execution, convey to parishioner's the gift of the Catholic faith.

Fr. Jackson explained to CNA March 27 that Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Gothic design was chosen in part because “these older forms of architecture, they're tried and true, and they really work.”

The substantial height of the church, he explains, contributes to good acoustics which support the Gregorian chant and polyphony sung during the Mass. “There should be no need for a microphone when our church is all completed,” he said.

The height has theological as well as practical reasons, he said. Such high altars serve to lift eyes, and in so doing lift minds and hearts to God.

The stone used on the exterior conveys a sense of permanence and reminds one of the eternal reality of the Kingdom God.

Constructing beautiful churches, he said, is important because there is so much ugliness in the world today.

“Beauty is one of the four transcendentals – goodness, truth, consistence (unity), and beauty. Those are the ways we come to understand God.”

By portraying the transcendentals in architecture and the celebration of the liturgy, visitors and parishioners are aided in their relationship with God.

“The building you're in, the sacred vessels you use, the vestments you wear, the music you sing, the acoustics, everything…should be in harmony with the rite,” said Fr. Jackson.

“Any church,” he explained, “needs to be in harmony with what you're doing at the altar.”

Our Lady of Mount Carmel continues to work through its remodeling. In the future, the parish hall and basement will be renovated, and to the church will be added a choir loft, narthex, baptistry, and bell tower.

“Of course, it's not enough (just) to have beauty,” reflected Fr. Jackson.

“You have to speak truth from the pulpit, and give kindness and mercy in the confessional, but beauty really does move the soul of modern man in a marvelous way.”

Previous Post

March 29, 2013

Pro-life Democrats call for broad HHS mandate exemptions

Next Post

March 29, 2013 Panel urges awareness of global Christian oppression

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the father of King Solomon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

David Saul Samuel Jonathan