Analysis Of The Paschal Mystery And Saint Angela Merici

lectern in order for the word of god to be heard clearly. On the whole

For the Life of the World authored by Fr. Alexander Schmemann an Orthodox priest was originally intended as a “study guide” in the 1970’s for students preparing themselves for Missionary work, giving them a “world view”, helping to speak about Christian view points along with an approach to how they coalesce through the eyes of the Orthodox Church. A key theme Fr. Schmemann discussed is Secularism, which he believes developed from our progressive alienation of the Christian culture. Additionally, he presents his interpretation of the transforming biblical themes of creation, fall, and redemption through a sacramental understanding. Fr. Schmemann’s experiences within the Orthodox Church liturgy reveal unity in the meanings of these three themes. It is through these understandings he believes can effectively offset the disastrous effects of secularism while revitalizing the sacramental understanding of the world.

In contrast to the tall spires one might expect when encountering a Roman Catholic Church, the Saint Mary Orthodox Church in East Brunswick, NJ is a relatively small, unprepossessing structure. It does not resemble a conventional Roman church or steeple; nor does it resemble the elaborate domed Orthodox Churches of kind I have seen in photographs of Russia. It is a square brick building with two relatively nondescript pillars flanking the front. What is noteworthy is the elaborate mosaic of Mary that adorns the front of the building. I have long heard that icons and images are a very important part of the aesthetics of Orthodox worship and this was confirmed by the sight of the building.

Jean Baptiste Roman Catholic Church was inherent an Italian Renaissance Revival and Classical Revival architectural outline. The outside structures and attributes comprise of a dome and re-colored glass windows. Additionally, on the outside of the church, the building is made out of limestone. The passageway to the congregation is plentiful with embellishments, with four Corinthian columns for strength and stability. Surrounded curved openings are typified by pilasters. Amidst the towers on the parapet there are statues of a blessed messengers in angelic form, and the rooftop is made in copper. Within the congregation has the nave, which has barrels that are separated by an arcade of vast columns. Vaults are adorned with florentine styled reliefs. The congregation has a raised sacrificial table with mosaic half arches, statues, and minor models. There is a six foot tall altar of St. Jean, utilized for supplication and thought. The surfaces and roofs are enhanced with artistic creations in Florid style. The windows portray the Twelve Witnesses from the Old Confirmation. The Last Dinner and the workings of Jesus are depicted through these windows also. The sacrificial table underneath the vault is included white marble. The seats, choir slows down, and confession booths are planned in oak, and are molded particularly. Pictures of wheat stuns and grapes are plenty in the building

The Gothic ivory statuette is of the Virgin Mary standing in a vertical composition. Mary’s body pushes against the force of gravity; she seems tall and strong. The nature of the vertical composition forces the viewer to look at the image from top to bottom. As we examine Mary, she feels natural and relaxed because she stands with most of her weight shifted to one side, creating a contrapposto. This pose, though asymmetrical, provides balance when we consider the figure cradled on her hip. The Christ child sits, pressed into Mary’s side and supported by her left arm. Christ grasps the flowing folds of his mother’s veil in one hand, and in the other, he holds a fruit. Together, these figures create a triangle. Mary’s head forms the apex of the triangle where her right arm and Christ form the base corners. Mary dominates the tip of the composition, and she serves as the vertical component. The vertical nature of the piece impacts how the viewer interacts with the piece. The statuette seems to ascend, or refer to the heavens. The composition acts as a reminder that this piece holds a holy or spiritual

A 54-year-old Catholic woman stated in an interview conducted on the topic of the modernization of the church insightfully noted that Vatican II allowed for “practical changes,” like “ music and singing, and women allowed into upfront roles as readers, lectors, and Eucharistic ministers, as well as altar servers in some places.” Vatican II “aimed to produce a different experience of the mass,” but also set out to reposition the church in a relative relationship with the modern world (Mathis).

As I walked into St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, I was welcomed by everyone I passed by. There was a pleasant odor filling the halls that a fresh cooked meal was being prepared making me feel like I was at home. As I walked into the hall members of all ages were there to attend the Wednesday Night Recharge ranging from cute little infants, to

The ritual on St. Joseph’s Day surround the altar. The altars are constructed over a

Every December, the alleys which engrossed the basilica would be enlightened with fluctuating lights and colorful banners, and the winter of 2012 was no exception. Before the start of every new year, my family and I would always return to our hometown in Mexico and Celebrate Christmas with my relatives. The main element in our trip would always be to visit the local Virgin Mary (the Virgin de San Juan), which was housed in an extravagantly beautiful basilica. Our hometown had been erected around not only the Virgin’s “house”, but also the Catholic faith.

Francis and it still influences us today. The Creche contained an altar that was made especially for the Christmas Mass and was surrounded by the local people and animals. It educated the citizens of Greccio on what Christmas is really about and brings family and friends together to remind us of the birth of Christ. Today the church is designed with sculptures and paintings of Christ’s birth and a tourist attraction. (Fraser, 4) “His motivation was to live as Jesus had lived and to preach as Jesus preached. As disciples gathered, Francis first required them to say goodbye to the world, give all outward possessions to God, and then offer themselves inwardly to God.” (Runyon, 3) He preached to anyone who would listen as his intentions were genuine and he wanted to clean up the villainy in Christ’ land. His passion for the natural world was appreciated by the locals and his simplicity spoke to the people. He proved to the people that God’s love is the most powerful and keeping him in mind a man can accomplish

St. Peter’s Basilica and La Sagrada Familia are structures with amazing architecture, but they are much more than just a structure. Both basilicas tell a story about not just the architects and their interests of certain architectural styles, but also about the history and story of Catholicism. La Sagrada Familia and St. Peter’s Basilica are not often compared due to the time in which they were built, as well as due to their different styles of art and architecture. However, despite their very different styles of architecture, they both serve Catholicism a similar purpose by uniting those believing in the Catholic faith in very similar ways by using these magnificent buildings as propaganda in a positive manner.

St. Mary’s Cathedral was almost exactly what you’d expect it to be. A large hall with an endless amount of pews facing towards the apse where a large depiction of Christ crucified hung above a the seat of worship reserved for the parish priest. The innumerable amount of stained-glass windows near the top of the church provided enough light to make navigating the aisle possible. In contrast the seat of worship was only illuminated by the faint glow of the candles which burned bright enough to reveal the shadow of a human splayed out across the seat.

As an influential biblical figure, Mary Magdalene has been the subject of numerous works of art. She has been represented in a variety of tropes and styles; which were subject to the religious, political, and social standards of the time. Giacomo Galli’s Saint Mary Magdalene was painted in the early seventeenth century in Italy, at the beginning of the Baroque era. By contorting Magdalene’s body, bathing her in light and encompassing her in darkness, Galli was able to present the viewer with an image representative of her divided identity.

    To begin, the first and foremost part of the discussion is the elements of Greek and Roman architecture that have been incorporated and appropriated for the building of this church. The first and foremost noticeable feature would be the columns, architrave, and pediment. The columns are classic ionic columns, starting from the ornate base and leading up to the capital, all the elements of the classical ionic columns are present, creating an almost life-like appearance to the columns as they grow and support the architrave, a characteristic that can be traced back to Egyptian columns in temples and funerary buildings. Further, the shaft of the column follows the Greek style of creation. The divides are evidence that each piece of the columns were

The objective of this report is to contrast and compare the culture of the Calvary Church with Catholicism, which is the religion that I practice. A field trip was taken to the Calvary Chapel in Rancho Cucamonga On February 12 of 2013, in which a clear observation of its services was