Posted on 01/22/2014 1:31:11 PM PST by NYer
The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, has begun the process of undoing the comically awful wreckovation to which it was subjected in 1980. Built and consecrated in 1878, the church’s original sanctuary looked like this. (Photographs from the parish's facebook page.) The first shows the original altar during a wedding, the second gives a better idea of the paintings on the back wall behind it.
Wreckovated Church - Video
Fr. Cunningham explains here that the Diocese of Brooklyn has donated to Holy Name an altar designed by the famous architect James Renwick, Jr. It was originally intended for St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but proved to be too large, and was therefore installed in St. Vincent de Paul, a recently closed parish in the Williamsburg neighborhood.
Restoration of Holy Name Jesus Church - Video
Here is the proposal for the completed restoration of the sanctuary, which is being done by Connecticut-based Baker Liturgical Art.
The only one upset at the church restoration is the designer of the wreckovated church - a nun!
Glad to see that evil is being reversed. Renovation is one thing, but that went beyond the pale.
And it was evil, turning the holy into something trivial, the sacred into something banal.
I’ve often thought that’s one “reform” that has gone overlooked, or really not given the resistance it’s due. The beauty of the old church buildings served a vital purpose, to remind the parishioners that what occured on Sundays wasn’t some Broadway show for amusement. It’s worshipping the living God.
I’ve noticed too at times in churches with older architecture the assembly is more quiet before the start of the Mass than in “renovated” churches.
Great post, thanks! (It really does look like the Star Trek thing-y)
It’s actually quite similar to the changes made to the Mass.
Looks great - the only regrettable thing is the presence of the Novus Ordo altar blocking the high altar in the back.
But at least there is a high altar again.
One day perhaps the Novus Ordo altar will be removed permanently.
What a tragedy that the beautiful church was destroyed in the first place. It is hard to find the same quality of workmanship today. The carving of the high altar was a labor of love to glorify the Almighty. When he gives you a talent, what better use can you make of it than to bring glory to the Lord?!
You will notice that whenever a Catholic church is portrayed in movies, it is always a traditional one. Women in mantillas and priests granting absolution in Latin.
Until that happens these are just external changes.
Yes, this used to always drive me crazy. I would always want to know - where is that church, so I can attend mass there!? St. Hollywood's.
Deo gratias, there is now an FSSP parish only 30 miles from where I live.
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LOL! It's funny now, but..
Certainly a big improvement. But it looks like they’re only doing what amounts to a half-restoration. I suppose that at this date it would just be too expensive to put it back like it really was before the vandals got to it.
Ugh! So glad to see that it will return to it’s former glory. The aftermath was rather empty looking.
The only one upset at the church restoration is the designer of the wreckovated church - a nun!
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That would be a nun who no longer wears a habit...right?
Yes!, and you will also notice that whenever a Satanist cult wants to desecrate a church,they attack a Catholic one? And further, when they want to perform a Satanist ritual they try their hardest to get a consecrated host from a Catholic church. Do Satanists know something about the consecrated host that make them most eager to desecrate it? Why do they not enter some other Christian church and get a host from them to desecrate?
"Why do they not enter some other Christian church and get a host from them to desecrate?"
You mean steal the bag of croutons?
Is your comment based on the graphics printed above or on the video?
Graphics above.
The initial renovation appears to be early Klingon Empire.
You know why! Because sometimes a wafer is...just a wafer.
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