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My origins in liturgical design and sacred art are here, as a Benedictine monk of Prince of Peace Abbey. For many years I had the privilege to work under and assist the renowned ecclesial architect and artist Fray Gabriel Chavez de la Mora, OSB in the endeavor to create the monastery's worship space.
The worship space we enter into is sacred by virtue of its dedicated use and the residual effects of its liturgical life. Not unlike the sacredness we sense in nature, an unspoken stillness hovers in our sacred places when we invest in them a piece of our soul; it is this we sense and, thus, can recognize in it a true abode for God, not by the richness of its décor, but by the clarity of its spiritual authenticity.
This image was intended to show a reconfigured reredos element as part of the renovation of the worship space. The height and breadth of the church was a particular challenge that diminutively reduced the human scale and restrained the sense of intimacy. All of the design work undertaken intended to resolve that issue.
This is the new floorplan for the same renovated worship space.
We must be attuned and distinctly aware in the composition of our worship places when using the effective tools of material and design so that we best facilitate the ability of the sacred to inhabit and inform the space.
There is a sense of spiritual intimacy in this small worship space. The santo bulto element that adorns the retablo above the altar portrays Mary who always points to and shows forth Jesus. The purity and centrality of that imaging is particularly poignant, here, and suggests a natural sense of reverence.
Early sketches of the sanctuary suggests the richness of the Mission style intended to connect this spiritual community to its history and heritage in this new worship space.
This font could easily be taken as fountain in an atrium area.
Many worship spaces of the last century were 'breadboxes' built efficiently and economically, but lacking in beauty and character. The top view shows the integration of minor architectural nuance primarily in finish detail that can completely change the exterior presentation of an old and tired space.
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Often, the addition or modification of the reredos completely changes the aesthetic of the sacred environment.
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Often, a worship space is saddled with elements that are designed in bad taste, and simply do not speak to its sacred character. This design dramatically reconfigures the reredos element.
The faith we breath is a timeless element that always renews itself in the present. So in our spiritual understanding, we carry vestiges of our ancient past, even as we live in this modern age. We should not be afraid to let our worship spaces be modern and contemporary, but let them be imbued with sacred character that speaks to the soul.
As the faith community gathers, so too, we once gathered before the Cross. The liturgy is always a celebration of our intimate connection to Christ as the healing remedy that restores our place in Creation. As a whole community, the worship space invites the congregation into its shared personal encounter with Christ and therefore with each other through its liturgical celebrations.
Conceptual Design: Eucharistic Chapel Tabernacle at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, Los Angeles.
We, too, like the Woman at the Well encountered Jesus who reveals himself as our Bread of Life. The custom of reserving the Eucharist to be available outside of Mass was first intended to assist the dying was known as 'viaticum,' literally:'food for the journey'. The sacredness of the eucharistic encounter with Christ is not limited to His Presence reserved in the tabernacle, but fills all the sacred space between it and us in our interaction with him, it extends throughout our lives and is the food that fills us and allows us to undertake the sacred journey that is our life. The imaging of the well and of this essential eucharistic theology is encapsulated here.
These are practical design solutions to incorporate an accessible eucharistic adoration chapel into a larger worship space.
This design significantly modifies a traditional segregated sanctuary by emphasizing a focal point from which all liturgical activity is centered and draws the congregation into a sense of active participation.
This transitional worship facility had no sanctuary, per say, so the design establishes an open and substantantive focal point to anchor the liturgical celebration in the broad vacuum of space; clearly defining it as sacred liturgical space.
This tiny cramped chapel space utilizes all of its elements to emphasize the sacred character of the exposed and reserved sacrament.
The octagonal layout of the floorplan creates centrality, ease of movement, and broad visual accessibility in an expansive space.
This design detail shows an entry rotunda vestibule that would be converted to a eucharistic chapel. Note that the arched setting for the dramatic Christus window once supported the original entry doors and its design is carried over into the tabernacle.
This is a formal entry element and narthex intended to adorn a parish multi-purpose facility that would be renovated into a permanent worship space. It is most often necessary to elevate the dignity and aesthetic of a multi-use facility to establish its fundamental sacred character.
In the classical tradition, it is at the entry point to an architectural space that one first defines its character and purpose.
