FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
My Dear Parishioners
In the late 1800s, a priest named Fr. Francis was attempting to build a large, beautiful Church in south St. Louis. The neighborhood was industrial and not known for gorgeous buildings, so Fr. Francis was regularly critiqued for the decision to build such a beautiful space in such a tough neighborhood. Why waste money and energy? Fr. Francis, in great charity, would often respond, “My people see only dreariness all day. I want them to see beauty on Sunday.”
I have long treasured this story as an argument for beautiful churches and beautiful buildings in general. How often the Church is attacked for throwing away money on beautiful things instead of spending it on “more worthy” causes. Once again, people say, the Church is more concerned with how things look than what is deep down. But this worldview totally misses the importance of beauty and the pain of the modern world. As Winston Churchill said: “We shape our buildings, and afterward, our buildings shape us.” I am a body and soul creature, so what I see, touch, and experience is going to impact my soul. It is one of the reasons Soviet regimes insisted on drab and hyper-efficient buildings. Creating something beautiful is to remind someone that they have an eternal soul, and they are made for the beauty of heaven. Fr. Francis realized that his people lived hard lives, constantly surrounded by poverty, the grind of the industrial world, and the sin that impacts us all. To experience a beautiful Church allows a soul, even just for an hour, to remember Who created them and the beauty of their destiny.
When the Feast of the Dedication of the Church of St. John Lateran falls on Sunday, as it does this year, it takes the place of the usual Ordinary Time celebration. This Feast remembers the building and consecration of St. John Lateran, which is the Cathedral of Rome and, thus, the Mother Church of all of Catholicism. This is the location of the “Cathedra”, the Chair, of Pope Leo XIV, from where he serves as Christ’s Vicar for the entire world. This day should remind us of the universality of the Catholic Church and the obedience we owe our Pontiff.
But today’s celebration also reminds us of the physical beauty of our Mother Church. To walk into St. John Lateran is to grow in hope, confidence and love. You cannot help but gasp at the massive statues of the apostles, serving almost as pillars holding up the Church while grasping the instruments of their martyrdom. The stately façade gives one confidence in the strength of Mother Church. The magnificent baldacchino above the altar immediately makes one raise their eyes and heart to heaven.
The beauty of our Mother Church reminds us of the beauty of my soul and of God, even when I’m surrounded by drear all week. In fact, as St. Paul shares in our Second Reading, my soul is meant to reflect these beautiful structures. “You are God’s building,” he says; “Do you not know that you are the temple of God?” Paul asks. Beautiful structures challenge me to keep my own temple beautiful, to make it a space that raises the eyes of others to God. A beautiful Church reminds me of God. Does the temple of my body remind anyone of God?
Lastly, a beautiful Church reminds me that others are temples of God as well. This is perfectly expressed in our own Mother Church in Paterson, herself a magnificent and beautiful space. When one walks out of the main doors of our Cathedral, one of the finest buildings in Paterson, what is the one thing we see nearby? Our diocesan food kitchen and Eva’s Village. Once I encounter the beauty of the Church, I am immediately reminded of the need to offer that beauty to my community. As we celebrate the Dedication of our Mother Church, may we be consistently reminded of the beauty of our own soul, and the beauty of the souls of all we encounter.
Peace,
Fr. Monteleone
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