Wreckovation Explained

Wreckovation is a portmanteau disparagement term used since at least 2002[1] to describe the style of renovations which some Catholic cathedrals, churches, and oratories have undergone since the Second Vatican Council.[2]

Background

The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, commonly known as Vatican II, saw the Roman Catholic Church reassess its practices and doctrine in face of the modern world. Convened in 1962 by Pope John XXIII and presided over by Pope Paul VI after John XXIII's death, the council lasted until 1965, the resulting documents of which addressed, amongst other issues, the way Mass was celebrated and the architecture of churches in which it was celebrated.

To convey the notion of sacrifice, in the Tridentine Mass (the style of Mass used before Vatican II), the altar is a high altar and is prescribed to be (but is not always) Latin: [[ad orientem]] ('towards the East'), and where the priest always faces East, meaning typically the priest has his back to the people. After the Second Vatican Council, there was a movement to emphasize instead the communal meal aspect of the Mass. This was reflected in church architectureboth new construction and remodelsas replacing the high altar with a table in the middle of the sanctuary, sometimes pejoratively called, by those who oppose these architectural changes, a Cranmer table, named after the Reformationist Thomas Cranmer.[3] This allowed the priest to walk around the table and say the Mass Latin: [[versus populum]] (facing the people). Other architectural changes would vary, such as removing kneelers, the introduction of in the round seating, lower roofs, removal of statues and sacred art, and relocating the tabernacle from the altar to a side chapel.[4]

Following the Second Vatican Council, in the United States, much architectural change was driven by the 1977 book Environment and Art in Catholic Worship published by NCCB when then-Archbishop Bernardin was president.[5] [6] [7] It extolled the "virtue of simplicity and commonness" and "a simple and attractive beauty", which represented the ideals of modern architecture. It also called for "contemporary art forms", "cloth hangings" and "banners". Although not binding, it was followed by church redesigners such as Richard S. Vosko.

Pope Benedict XVI believed the reforms following the Second Vatican Council went too far, and advocated for what has been called "reform of the reform",[8] as he believed the some had gone astray from the intentions of the Council, stating in his Latin: [[motu proprio]] [[Pastor bonus#Modifications to Pastor bonus|Quaerit semper]] to "focus mainly on giving a fresh impetus to promoting the Sacred Liturgy in the Church, in accordance with the renewal that the Second Vatican Council desired".[9] The following month, he supported Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, to establish a "Liturgical Art and Sacred Music Commission", which would be responsible for evaluating both new construction and renovation projects as well as music used during the celebration of Mass to ensure that they complied with church guidelines. Pope Benedict considered the commission's task "very urgent".[10] However, with the election of Pope Francis, nothing further was heard about the commission, and in his apostolic letter Latin: [[Magnum principium]], Pope Francis removed some of the authority of the CDW over the liturgy.

Criticism

Opposition by conservatives of the architectural changes was in full swing by the 1990s.[11] Conservatives held that such changes were iconoclastic,[12] lacked height,[13] and produced results that resembled Protestant churches,[14] theaters, airport terminals, or barns rather than Catholic churches. A major concern was that the design of renovated churches downplayed the sense of the sacred in favor of focus on the congregation. Critics saw this as inconsistent with the traditional Catholic understanding of communal worship. Meanwhile, more liberal Catholics referred to the renovations as necessary steps in order to emphasize the role of the congregation in worship, in accordance with the wishes of the Second Vatican Council. Conservative Catholics charge that this is a misinterpretation of the documents of Vatican II.[15] [16]

Some churches, such as St. Columban in Chillicothe, Missouri,[17] St. Mark in Peoria, Illinois,[18] and St. Adalbert in South Bend, Indiana[19] are reversing prior renovations and "restoring" the historical Catholic liturgical setup.

Related renovation controversies

Notes and References

  1. Book: . 2002 . Polish American Studies, Volumes 59-60 . Polish-American Historical Association . 110 . restoring some of the artistic glory whitewashed or damaged during the 'wreckovation' carried out by misguided 'reformers' in the 1960s and 1970s.
  2. Book: Lo Bello, Anthony . 2020 . Origins of Catholic Words: A Discursive Dictionary . . 522 . 9780813232300 . The concoction 'wreckovation' refers to the changes made in Catholic churches, such as the taking down of high altars and the removal of communion rails, to render them appropriate, as it was thought, for the celebration of the new rite of Mass.
  3. Web site: In Layman's Terms: The Cramner Table . Sullivan . Bob . June 26, 2020 . . January 15, 2024.
  4. McClory . Robert . November 1, 2000 . Who moved the tabernacle? The ruckus over renovation: How parishes wrestle with revitalizing their church buildings. . https://web.archive.org/web/20001027205709/http://www.uscatholic.org/2000/11/cov0011.htm . October 27, 2000 . . . January 14, 2024 . 'Wreckovation! That's what I call it,' says Szews. 'With this seating in the round, they want to center the assembly on itself. So I'll have to watch people blow their noses and their children behave badly.'.
  5. Book: . November 1, 1977 . Environment and Art in Catholic Worship . USCCB.
  6. Web site: Committee on Divine Worship Newsletter . . October 1, 2018 . . January 12, 2024 . November 1977 BCL statements 'Environment and Art in Catholic Worship'.
  7. Book: . 1978 . Environment and Art in Catholic Worship, 1978 edition . USCCB.
  8. Web site: Benedict XVI and the Reform of the Reform . Hitchcock . Helen . July 1, 2006 . . January 13, 2024.
  9. Web site: Quarit Semper . Benedict . October 1, 2011 . . January 13, 2024.
  10. Web site: New Vatican commission cracks down on church architecture . Tornielli . Andrea . November 21, 2011 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20111124205657/http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/architettura-architecture-arquitectura-10121/ . November 24, 2011 . January 13, 2024.
  11. News: Niebuhr . Gustav . July 14, 2001 . Milwaukee Cathedral Plan Draws Ecclesiastical Ire . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120604000054/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/14/us/milwaukee-cathedral-plan-draws-ecclesiastical-ire.html . June 4, 2012 . January 12, 2024.
  12. Web site: Wrecking Churches: Iconoclasm or Continuity? . Longenecker . Dwight . January 30, 2015 . Crisis Magazine . . January 13, 2024 . The 'wreckovation' as conservatives refer to it, continued into the 1990s.
  13. Book: Rose, Michael . 2009 . Ugly as Sin: Why They Changed Our Churches from Sacred Places to Meeting Spaces and how We Can Change Them Back Again . . 17 . 9781933184449.
  14. McGavin . Paul-Anthony . November 1, 2006 . Where have all the boys gone? . The Priest . The Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy . 10 . 2 . 29–30 . January 13, 2024 . 0818-9005 . Everything reflects this minimalism, and a general 'protestant' air prevails in church design (or redesign – 'wreckovation' as it is sometimes aptly called).
  15. Web site: Library: Liturgical Design Consultant Reveals His New Age Religion . catholicculture.org.
  16. Likoudis . Paul . August 1, 1999 . How a Canadian church was saved from destruction . AD 2000 . . January 12, 2024 . the man whose name has become synonymous with church 'wreckovations,' and who has made a fortune demolishing beautiful churches, stated flatly: 'What's important is not the church building'.
  17. Web site: Hand . Ashlie . August 7, 2023 . House of God / St. Columbian, Chillicothe . January 12, 2024 . Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph.
  18. Web site: Tribe . Shawn . May 9, 2018 . Before and After: St. Mark's in Peoria, Illinois . Liturgical Arts Journal.
  19. News: Balsbaugh . Kasia . December 17, 2023 . St. Adalbert Receives $250,000 Grant for Renovations . Today's Catholic . . 4 . January 13, 2024 . The current paint job on the ceiling and pillars is not original to the church; Popielarz calls it part of a 'wreckovation of the 1980s.'.
  20. Web site: The Story Lives On: Optimizing Narrative driven Design for a Zero-Waste Conversion of Ex-churches . Nijenhuis . Bas . October 5, 2023 . . January 13, 2024 . The Heilige Barbarakerk was effected by this Wreckovation in the cleansing of the choir, a new main podium and altar and a new layout of the church benches and baptistery.

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