Tuesday, June 12, 2007
BUSINESS AS USUAL - OR RICHARD VOSKO STRIKES AGAIN
NOR links a story of the renovation of St. Cecilia's Catholic Church under the guiding influence of Fr. Richard Vosko, known for his circular renovations. Some telling comments from the article:
- No matter where they sat, parishioners could look ahead past the altar, into the faces of their friends, neighbors or fellow churchgoing strangers.
So it's not about looking for God, honoring and praising Him, it's all about our fellow man. Indicator No. 1 that Vosko's religion is man-centered and would like Jesus Christ to recede into the background.
- ...the change in seating represents a changed mentality...
Yes, it certainly does. You'll get no argument from me!
- ...you see yourselves gradually transformed into a new 'Church,'...
And what Church would that be? The other Church that exists within the Roman Catholic Church like a thief in the night?
- ...a very different concept of what "Church" means...
Yes, it is. The question is who they worship in this different concept of "Church".
- "It's not Father giving us something from a high altar. It's something that looks like we're doing something together," Vosko said.
And just what are "we" going to do? Consecrate? That "something" coming from the high altar is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. But perhaps Vosko isn't interested in getting that.
- ...some priests struggle to understand the new dynamic...
And well they should since it represents a "new Church" according to its creator. Would that more folks in the pew struggled to understand it instead of just following Vosko like a bunch of lemmings.
- The new design emphasizes that 'church' is a people...The arrangement emphasizes community.
I thought "church" was all about emphasizing God. We can get plenty of people in all the other places in the world. It is only in church that a space is set aside for God.
- "You're looking at each other, you know, instead of having everybody look at a back."
If Sue Gallagher, who made that statement, was spending her time in church looking at the back of the person in front of her instead of looking at the altar which represents Christ and the priest who was acting in personna Christi, she was wasting her time in church anyway. As she probably still is now that she can look at a front.
But then this renovation took place in the Albany Diocese, so what should I expect!
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
