A spirit of imagination Music, ritual, and environment all require imagination to visualize how these elements are interwoven to form liturgy that is seamless. That imagination doesn’t happen by accident. In every discipline, it takes study, experience, time, and a good bit of humility to achieve the level of competency that fosters an imagination informed by sound theological reason rather than personal taste or opinion. Although we may be knowledgeable about the various fields of liturgy, rarely are we experts in more than one area. I am a musician and I have worked with music ministry for most of my life. I have a vision of how music and liturgy are (or should be) one. I teach, write, and preach passionately about that unity. But when it comes time to prepare liturgy, I call the best pastoral musician I know. While my skill at selecting and crafting just the right music might be adequate on occasion, God’s people deserve better than adequate at every liturgy. My best talent, my strongest gifts, simply lie elsewhere. The same holds true for environment. Building, renovating, and even reorganizing space is the job of an expert. We have liturgical design consultants for a reason, so before you start rolling your baptismal font around the church to see where you like it best, pick up the phone and call a consultant. She’ll put your font in the right place — and permanently remove the wheels.   Tending to the environment for worship demands a very particular skill set. Designing new architecture, renovating existing space, and preparing the worship space for a season or celebration should all be guided by a plan that is rooted in an understanding of “the nature of the liturgy, the space it requires, and the ways in which the physical building can help or hinder worship” (Built of Living Stones 5). This might seem obvious, but sadly it is not. I know of a parish that came very close to having a wonderful worship space but then tripped over their old misconceptions at the last minute. They had a semicircular design for the assembly seating, with a central space for the font. Visible yet separate reconciliation, eucharistic, and weekday chapels were thoughtfully placed and appointed. Lots of careful detail went into this. Then, somehow, somebody decided to lay carpet on the floor, put cushions on the pews, and install the font in the sanctuary. To “balance” the look, the ambo was shifted to the other side of the sanctuary (that’s the epistle side for you purists). What could have been a glorious space is now acoustically dead and ritually bereft. Because of the “nuisance” of cleaning wax out of the cushions and carpets, candles are never used at the Easter Vigil. “Decisions about church art and architecture should always be based upon the theology of the eucharistic assembly and its liturgical action and the understanding of the Church as the house of God on earth” (BLS 11). Apparently, in this case, upholstery mattered more than assembly. In this issue of ML, we feature a range of approaches to liturgical environment. The new Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, Calif., has an unusual architectural design. It is a stunning landmark on the skyline of the city of Oakland, but more importantly, it serves as a symbolic link to past and present, even as it looks toward the future. The renovation of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Richardson, Texas, is an intriguing example of how a recently renovated space had to be re-renovated when form did not sustain function. In its current form, this worship space is an example of how design can contribute to the formation of the people who share prayer in that space. At Holy Spirit Catholic Parish in Great Falls, Mont., four stained glass windows reflect central Montana’s natural environment. The vision there was to incorporate the rich, native colors of the surrounding landscape and the elements of light and wind so that the lived experience of the people would be integrated into the church building. All of this is the result of Spirit-inspired imagination informed by a solid foundation in the ritual prayer life of the church. Too many decisions about worship environment are made on the basis of a whim, personal preference, or claim of authenticity. If you don’t know the difference between preparing space and decorating objects, put down that potted lily! At the very least, you have some studying to do. ML   We’re Still Green: ML remains a “Paper Hero” on Green America’s Paper Project website (www.coopamerica.org/programs/woodwise/publishers/heroes/index.cfm) because it is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. SUBSCRIBE NOW! What do YOU Think? Send an e-mail to ML Editor or post an entry on the ML Current Issue Discussion Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and may be edited for length.)