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Father Hughes to present
workshop on church architecture
Church construction, renovation and decoration will be the focus of a June
workshop offered by the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies of Briar Cliff
University. Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship will be
presented by Father Brian Hughes of the Diocese of Sioux City from 10 a.m. to 3
p.m., June The workshop will explore the new guidelines on church art and environment published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. These guidelines address the needs of parishes and dioceses as they engage in building and renovation projects. "I will provide a little history about the architectural tradition of the church. The workshop will offer a theological background of the document and then will look at some of the principles of the document," said Father Hughes, who completed graduate studies in architectural history from the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. He served on a committee from 1994 to 1999 for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that drafted the document, Built of Living Stones. It replaced a document titled Art, Environment and Catholic Worship that is no longer operative. The priest pointed out that the Catholic Church has a strong artistic tradition, which is an expression of the glory of God. "Churches always used art and architecture to bring people into the experience of God," said Father Hughes. "The whole environment for worship should be guided by some very specific principles that use the rituals of the church as the basis for decisions." Built of Living Stones stresses that the first element for a good design relates to the fact that the function of the building to house the ritual life of the church is a priority before the form of the building is created. The document also covers ecclesiology, theology of the church, as it outlines how a building project should be the work of the entire community. "As the only Catholic institution of higher education in the diocese, we felt that it was important for us to share the new document, Built of Living Stones, with priests and religious, architects, liturgical consultants and the laity of our diocese," said Judy Welu, associate dean of the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies at BCU. The workshop is also geared toward members of parish building committees and artists. Welu, a member of the art and architecture committee at Sacred Heart Church in Sioux City, pointed out that churches should reflect both a solid theological foundation and "purposefulness" in their architecture. Along with people from this diocese, architects, priests and religious from other dioceses are expected to attend. "Our worship deserves the best building and environment," said Father Hughes, who chairs the Diocesan Building Commission. Since 1985 he has served as a consultant on a wide variety of liturgical building and renovation projects, including the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City. For some, he noted, the liturgy is their only experience of the faith. And that is why it is so important for church environments to be beautiful - to stress the significance of the liturgical experience. "This is not just an architectural project, it is about evangelization - teaching people about the liturgy of the church, teaching people about our artistic heritage and teaching people how to take that architectural tradition and our liturgy and wed them in beautiful buildings," he said. Registration fee is $95 for the general public and $25 for priests, seminarians and religious. The fee includes a copy of the bishops' document Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship, morning refreshments, and lunch. The registration deadline is May 15. For a registration form, contact Rita Combs at Briar Cliff University, at 712-279-5417, combsr@briarcliff.edu, or 3303 Rebecca Street, Sioux City, IA, 51104. |
