This is the interior of St. Wendelin in Fostoria, which was built in 1993. I know it's got the whole 'modern' thing going, but I've always liked it and found it to be a really nice place to go to Mass. Can't quite compete with their old church, though.
.png)
.png)
7 comments:
It has a lot of potential and the basic design's good. They just need to brighten up the sanctuary a bit and cover that blasted ceiling.
Someone also made a mistake by putting an organ that big right next to the altar, where it's too much of a distraction. Did they think it was a church or Pantages' Theater?
I'll admit that the organ is a distraction. Since I took the picture in the summer they have made some attempt to liven up the sanctury a bit, but there's not a whole lot you can do with it.
Don't be ridiculous. There's a lot that can be done.
1. Put a painted altarpiece or an old altar out of storage behind the altar. That would work wonders. If not that, put a couple statues flanking the crucifix. Vatican II did most definately not mandate boring sanctuaries that look like something the Baptists would come up with.
2. Covering that ceiling would be the best thing. Cover it, paint it blue, and add discrete stars. It's a trick that's been used for centuries and most people would love it. Change the whole mood. As it is now, I'd keep looking up, since I'd feel like I was in some sort of spaceship.
The main point is that the basic design is damn good. It's in the details where it falls short and details can be changed.
To me, the church interior doesn't seem quite as stark in person as it looks in pictures generally. The back "half" has the paintings of the Stations of the Cross from the old church, as well as the statues of Mary and Joseph.
That points out one of the biggest problems of that period. People had a notion that, in order to make their idea of the Mass ( Read: the "people", not God )the main focus, the sanctuary had to be simple. Well, there's a big difference between simple and sterile. They tried to blame it on Vatican II, but that only worked with people who hadn't bothered to read the Council's documents.
It went wrong when they refused to recognize that the "people" they claimed to champion didn't want churches that looked like Brother Bubba's Gospel Tabernacle. They complained that the "people" should have more of a voice and refused to listen when the "people" spoke.
It's also a bit odd that statues and paintings were considered distracting, when placed behind the altar, but an organ and a whole bloody rhythm section wasn't.
At. St. Wendelin, the good artwork is kept at the back, while the sanctuary is too bland. Find the balance. It's a good design, so that should be possible.
Does anyone know where I might find a picture of the inside of St. Wendelin's church in the 50's? I grew up in that parish, when the old Church was a Real Church. Any help would be appreciated!
The old St. Wendelin's Church was Beautiful and had much meaning, wonderful pictures, statues, art, Communion rail etc. This new modern building they now call St. Wendelin's would have been a disbelief to the good and holy priests that use to tend to the parishioners back in the 50's & early 60's. It looks like a protestant church. So sad.
Post a Comment