St. Mary Church, Greenwich, CT, November 3, Sung Requiem Mass, 7:30 pm

Today we find this. A few excerpts:

“First Things stands for something. Many things, actually. One of them is a commitment to reality-based conservatism, both in matters of faith and of public life. I mention this, because I’ve decided to end our hosting of Maureen Mullarkey’s blog.”

“She (Maureen Mullarkey) consistently treats him as an ideological propagandist, accusing him of reducing the faith to secular political categories. This is her way of reducing him to the political terms she favors.”

“What matters most, however, is our spiritual disposition. Are we docile to our bishops and their fraternal head, the pope? Are we willing to see and learn what they want to teach us? Will we accompany them, to use one of Francis’ favored images?

The Church asks us to be docile. That’s my goal. I don’t need to agree with Francis in all instances, even most. But I need to be open to instruction. I need to try to see what he’s trying to get us to see.

In a much, much more limited way, the same is true of our political adversaries. Citizenship is a kind of friendship, a mutual commitment to share the public project of our nation. We certainly disagree, debate, and try to win arguments as well as elections. But in all this we need to have the moral and spiritual generosity to enter into our adversaries’ ways of thinking, if but for a moment. We’re in this American project together. We need to accompany each other, even as we contest for the future.”

Presumably Mr. Reno is referring to this.

Now First Things began, under the leadership of Fr. Richard Neuhaus, as an attempt to combine “Conservative” Catholicism, capitalism, the “American Experiment” ( or “project” as Mr Reno puts it above) and ecumenism. And all conducted in an atmosphere of “reasoned discourse.” An ideology that the late Thomas Molnar found abhorrent – indeed he went so far as to call it the “black fruit” of Americanism and capitalism. Regardless of our views on the merits of the initial objectives, however, I think we can agree on the total failure of the initiative to have any effect on American politics or society. As has been abundantly demonstrated in the last couple of years, the leading forces of American civil society and government have moved ever more forcefully to sever their last links with Christian morality. The endlessly repeated mantra of the Church speaking boldly “in the public square” – presumably as a leading force in American society – has yielded to a plea for mere toleration – “religious liberty” is the new watchword. As far as I can tell, the forces of establishment Protestantism and Judaism totally reject the positions of First Things. That of course isn’t anything new, nor is the gap between the principles of  the publication we are discussing and the forces of establishment American Catholicism as represented by many hierarchs, and most Catholic universities and religious orders. But the most crushing blow is the current pontificate. Pope Francis and his entourage have denounced or relativized every principle asserted by First Things over the years and have allied themselves firmly with the theological and political left.

One would have thought this experience of 25 years would have given rise to reflection. Perhaps the initial assumptions were incorrect; perhaps the certitudes of Neuhaus, Weigel and their colleagues regarding Pope John Paul II, Vatican II, American society, capitalism etc. were not a little off base. But no. At least for the moment, the answer of First Things to what should be, for them, a massive intellectual crisis is retreat to a Catholic fantasy world and the truly “pre-conciliar” regime of blind obedience: “Are we docile to our bishops and their fraternal head, the pope? Are we willing to see and learn what they want to teach us? Will we accompany them, to use one of Francis’ favored images?” This necessarily involves retaliation against all those, like Maureen Mullarkey, who “have the courage to use their reason” (Melanchton), who dare to say the emperor has no clothes.  The summons to conform to ecclesiastical authority  is matched by a call for unconditional  adherence to an alleged “public project of this nation”:  “we’re in this American project together.” And this magazine, which, in the person of its editor, thus rejects the very foundations of rational inquiry, is supposed to be an “intellectual” publication?

Finally, we come to the matter of style. First Things claims to favor polite discourse, it eschews “tirades.” It’s admittedly hard to recognize gentlemanly discourse in the abuse directed at Maureen Mullarkey above. But what exactly has she done? To state that Francis is primarily promoting secular political aims? Most publications outside those controlled by the Roman Catholic Church have more or less said the same. To draw (obvious) parallels between the personality cult of Francis and those of Mussolini and various other communist and Fascist dictators? A left wing German professor and intellectual, Alfred Lorenzer, made much the same observations in 1981 regarding the initial appearances of a certain prior pontiff…. And it seems rather hypocritical to critique Mullarkey for her allegedly intemperate language yet fail to mention the far more egregious verbal abuse of Bergoglio, e.g.,“self-absorbed promethean neopelagianism.” Words not in blogs but in major policy statements and official Church documents. The context is everything! Those who are passionate for the truth rarely confine themselves to the pretentious mannered discourse found in conferences and forums where all the players are really in agreement with each other.  I don’t mean to exaggerate, but for those “who hunger and thirst after righteousness,” the resolution of these fundamental issues is not a game but a titanic battle – one in which what is at stake is indeed worth more than life itself.

The Lumen Christi Association of New York: Pro Fide et Cultura is sponsoring an event to benefit the Benedictine Monks of Norcia, Italy on October 7, 2015 at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan from 5:30 – 8:00 pm.

The guest speaker will be Catholic author and NY Times op-Ed columnist Ross Douthat. The title of his talk is “Religion and the Fate of the West: Being Catholic in a Secular Age”. The founding prior of the monastery, Fr. Cassian Folsom, will also be giving a brief presentation on Monastic Life in Norcia and the Restoration of Christendom – Worship, Work and Art.

Please visit www.lumenchristiny.com for more details and payment options.

All proceeds for this event will be donated to the Monks of Norcia Foundation.

There will be a traditional mass at Saint Mary in Greenwich, CT on Monday, September 14th at 7:30 PM to celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross.

On September 14th,  there will be two traditional Masses at Holy Innocents:

a) Low Mass: Visiting priest, Fr. Mark Withoos (private secretary to Cardinal Pell), will celebrate a Low Mass at 11 AM.

b) Solemn Mass: the 6 PM Mass will be a Solemn Mass.

St. Helena finds the True Cross. Detail of ceiling fresco from the church of Breitenthal, Germany

On Tuesday, September 15th, Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the 6PM Mass at Holy Innocents will be a Solemn Mass.

This Saturday, August 15, is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The following churches will be offering the traditional Mass.

Connecticut

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, Solemn Mass, 5 pm.

St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, CT, 9 am.

New York

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York,   Solemn Mass at 1:00 PM celebrated by Msgr. Joseph Ambrosio (from Newark, NJ).  “This year, the Feast of the Assumption marks our parish’s Fifth Anniversary of the uninterrupted daily celebration of the Latin Mass at the same High Altar that was solemnly and triumphantly consecrated in 1901. At the end of the Mass, there will be Benediction of the Bl. Sacrament and the solemn Te Deum will be festively chanted.  Holy cards with the image of Our Lady being assumed into Heaven will also be distributed to the faithful.  After Mass and Benediction, there will be a reception in the parish hall.”

Holy Name of Jesus Church, Brooklyn,  12 noon class about the traditional Mass, 1 pm low mass with organ

Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, NY, low mass, 12 noon.

New Jersey

St Anthony, Jersey City, 11 am

St. Catherine Laboure, 110 Bray Avenue, Middletown NJ,  9:15AM

Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock, NJ, 7 am, 9 am, 11 am

St. Anthony Oratory, West Orange, NJ, 7:30 am and 9 am.

The stained glass window of Our Lady appears in the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, CT

Wishing you a blessed Feastday of St. Ann. St. Ann pray for us!

This stained glass window is in the Church of All Saints, 47 E 129th St, New York.  n.b. The church is slated to close next month.

This past Friday, July 24,a prayer rally was organized from Herald Square to Times Square in support of persecuted Christians in the Middle East. Photo courtesy of Fr. Christopher Salvatori

Finally , after one year, the pastor of Our Saviour has published an explanation of what is going on in the parish Facebook page. Robbins, who refers to himself in the third person, does not invite discussion or commentary:

“Church of Our Saviour, New York City
This original watercolor/gouache interior sketch of the proposed interior of the Church of Our Saviour was created by Mr. Richard Zimmerman of the Rambusch company under the artistic direction of Harold Rambusch and architect Paul C. Reilly before the church was built. This was the vision that the pastor and archbishop approved prior to beginning the construction of the building. Note that most of the colors in the sketch, such as the walls, ceiling and side altars are as the church appears today. It is also evident from this sketch that the baldacchino and sanctuary screen were always intended to be part of the sanctuary design even though early 1960’s photos show the sanctuary without them.

Since his appointment as pastor on August 1, 2013, Father Robert J. Robbins has worked to restore the church to its original vision and updating necessary systems. The church hired the firm Renovata Studios to begin a professional restoration process that was sensitive to the history of the church, while adapting the church to new technologies for the future. The original church lighting installed by Rambusch in 1959 was completely re-lamped with LED lighting fixtures which provide more light at a fraction of the cost in electricity. The bronze and glass chandeliers were restored and re-lamped with LED bulbs. This new LED lighting system is controlled by a new state-of-the-art computerized dimming system that allows complete control of the light output and can be individually programmed for the various religious services. The 12 icons on either side of the altar were removed to restore the original vision of the central altar and its relationship to the two side altars of Joseph and Mary. The fourteenth station of the cross was found in storage and returned to its original location. The original cast bronze reading desk was of inadequate size for the Book of the Gospels, so a larger identically styled reading desk was cast in bronze and installed on the ambo. The decorative coffered ceiling was cracked and damaged in many places and this was painstakingly restored to original condition. The sound system was also upgraded with new digital technology.

The original Rambusch 500 watt downlights were replaced with Rambusch replacement LED units that draw only 85 watts while providing much more light. All original fixture locations and ceiling trim hardware was re-used in the original locations. There is significantly more light in the pews to help the congregation with reading and also much more light on the side walls of the church to make the church brighter. All of this new LED lighting is appropriately colored to 2700k for proper “warmth” of light and is completely controllable and dimmable with a new Strand 15 zone dimming system.

The original bronze chandeliers were restored and re-lamped with new LED technology. Previously, the chandeliers had spray painted gold paint over some of the translucent glass in the fixtures and the restoration/cleaning of this glass allows more light in the church. Uplighting was added to the chandeliers so the congregation can better see the beautifully restored coffered, decorative ceiling. New accent lighting was also incorporated into the chandeliers to add needed lighting to the side shrine areas, rear organ pipes and the side altars of Joseph and Mary.

New LED architectural uplightng was also incorporated into the window wells of each stained glass window to accent the beautiful architectural columns and mouldings in the nave and choir loft. Every component of this new lighting system is separately controlled by the new dimming system so that different settings can be created for the various liturgies. These 8 different settings are controlled by a central keypad that is simple to use and allows foolproof operation of the lighting in the church.

To date, twelve large and twelve smaller icons have been removed from the four columns that flank the altar. According to archival photos, these columns did not originally have decoration of any kind. All icons were carefully and sensitively removed by the same restoration craftsmen that restored the beautiful decorative ceiling of the church. The icon panels have all been wrapped individually in plastic and carefully stored in the undercroft of the church to await re-installation in other parish buildings or perhaps another church. The painted panels were installed on the two columns of the proscenium arch between the main altar and the two side altars.

Rev. Robert J. Robbins
Pastor

Lawrence Hoy
Renovata Studios”

Taking all this at face value, I would respond as follows:

Robbins does seem to have an obsession with lighting. Some of this reads like a satire:

“Every component of this new lighting system is separately controlled by the new dimming system so that different settings can be created for the various liturgies.”

I can’t comment on the power savings of the LED approach; many other parishes have done the same recently without a drastic renovation. In a recent visit I couldn’t detect any notable difference in illumination offered by the new system. This church already seemed to have a perfectly adequate level of illumination. But taking the description at face value, by aiming to illuminate every nook and cranny of the decor and architectural detail, the new system may create the same problems as found in St. Patrick’s cathedral today: the imposition of a new, brilliant lighting system that contradicts the original lighting assumptions of the architecture. Indeed, given the questionable quality of much of the decor I always thought this church looked best when the lights were out (see below).

Then we come to the removal of the icons. This is done in the name of restoration (and authority):

“This original watercolor/gouache interior sketch of the proposed interior of the Church of Our Saviour was created by Mr. Richard Zimmerman of the Rambusch company under the artistic direction of Harold Rambusch and architect Paul C. Reilly before the church was built. This was the vision that the pastor and archbishop approved prior to beginning the construction of the building”

“According to archival photos, these columns did not originally have decoration of any kind.”

This statement only reveals the writer’s lack of historical and artistic judgment. We are challenged to restore the “vision” of a circa-1960 commercial contractor of church interiors, as if it were the creation of a major artistic mind! Robbins also seems to think, since the archdiocese approved it in 1960, no changes can ever be made to the “vision.” Fifty gutted or rebuilt sanctuaries just in the city alone disprove the latter point.

As a rule Catholic churches were not built as part of one encompassing unity of architecture and decor. As time went on changes and improvements would be made as more funds became available and better aesthetic insights emerged. Consider in St. Patrick’s cathedral: the bulk of the sculptural art that was set up after the completion of the cathedral, the erection of the Lady Chapel, Cardinal Spellman’s baldachino, doors and windows…. Only certain churches built largely between 1900 and 1920 – like St Vincent Ferrer – actually attempted a real artistic integration of all elements of architecture and decor. Naturally, notions of stylistic purity didn’t prevent drastic changes being made to St Vincent’s sanctuary, among other places, in recent years.

Now in the case of Our Saviour, there was a contrast from the beginning between the quality of some of the stonework and architectural details (like the ceiling and floor) and the mediocre decor (like the stained glass and the stations of the cross), the latter so similar to that found in every new suburban church of that era. Undoubtedly this was part of the reason Our Saviour’s was viewed as a failure in its time. To attempt to restore the appearance of the “original vision”  – the feeble decor of the last years of Spellman’s reign  –  is preposterous:  it only recreates the weakest features of the original interior. The prior pastor instead made an effort, internationally recognized, to creatively address this original deficiency in decoration and furnishings (as well as to remedy years of neglect) by introducing new works of art that complemented, rather than contradicted, the surrounding architecture.

Need I add that Robbins doesn’t mention the most glaring departure from the “original vision”: the sawing off of the altar to create a freestanding “Novus Ordo” altar? He doesn’t propose changing that back!

And what is the fate of the icons?

“The icon panels have all been wrapped individually in plastic and carefully stored in the undercroft of the church to await re-installation in other parish buildings or perhaps another church.”

It is an indictment of the organization and management of the Roman Catholic Church that entirely optional and decorative projects like this are cleared based exclusively on the decision of the pastor. This, at a time when so many Catholics are losing their own parishes allegedly because of financial difficulties of the Archdiocese.  And also at a time where Our Saviour’s parish has been experiencing its own financial issues (since Fr.  Robbins assumed the pastorate there). We know of other, very recent abuses of clerical power in this region. With such clericalism the Catholic Church is only continuing the  long-term process of digging its own  grave.