Encounters with God Where we live says a lot about us. Our homes reflect who we are, what’s important to us, who we aspire to be, and what we do there. They may say different things to a dear friend than to a stranger or have a different feel to an invited guest than to someone who happens on the doorstep, but there are always signs within about who dwells there. Some homes are untended, in constant disarray; no one spends more time there than is absolutely necessary. Other homes are full of activity, places to which people are drawn by the promise of good times. A home can appear from the outside to be something quite different than what it is on the inside, the homeowners projecting an image inconsistent with the reality of their own circumstances. Some homes are centers of family celebrations, the places where memories are made, where generations gather, where stories are told and retold. So it is with church buildings. In this year of reflecting on the question of “What is church?” an equally challenging question is “What is a church?” We who are made in the image and likeness of God find our faith expressed in a broad spectrum of liturgical styles. The faith community we become as a result is reflected in the churches we build. Those church buildings are crafted to fit our shared prayer, the common liturgy that is our sacramental identity. While some building elements are unique, many elements connect us to the larger church as we “worship with the whole company of heaven, ‘venerating the memory of the saints’ and hoping ‘for some part and fellowship with them’” (Built of Living Stones 15, quoting from Sacrosanctum Concilium 8). A balance must be struck between commonality and each community’s individuality. A church building “is both the house of God on earth (domus Dei) and a house fit for the prayers of the saints (domus ecclesiae). Such a house of prayer must be expressive of the presence of God and suited for the celebration of the sacrifice of Christ, as well as reflective of the community that celebrates there” (BLS 16). In this issue we consider two very different church buildings, not to hold them up for comparison but to reflect on our diversity as a people of God. Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel at Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, California, is described as “a church that teaches.” It stands as a sign of permanence and symbolism of the Roman Catholic tradition. Every detail of its architecture is carefully crafted to speak of the church’s early heritage. Its interior worship space reflects a traditional style of worship. It is the spiritual home of an unusual campus community that is an entirely Catholic environment. Thomas Aquinas College strives to foster growth in “theological wisdom” and to provide its vision of an authentically Catholic educational experience. Its chapel fits its vision and identity. The Church of St. Aloysius in Jackson, New Jersey, is a very different structure for a very different community. This design, based on a tent, has its roots in the concept of a pilgrim people whose God dwells intimately among them. Connections between devotions and sacrament, adoration and community gathering are crafted into the building. Attention is given to the progression into the worship space, fostering a transition from individuality into a communal atmosphere for worship. The worship space is open, reflecting an interactive style of worship; it speaks of a parish community engaged actively with one another in the act of prayer and with the larger community outside the walls of its church “tent.” Here, too, is a melding of identity and church structure. Whenever communities have built houses for worship, the design of the building has been of critical importance. Churches are never “simply gathering spaces but signify and make visible the Church living in [a particular] place, the dwelling of God” among us, now “reconciled and united in Christ.” As such, the building itself becomes “a sign of the pilgrim Church on earth and reflects the Church dwelling in heaven.” Every church building is a gathering place for the assembly, a resting place, a place of encounter with God, as well as a point of departure on the Church’s unfinished journey toward the reign of God. (BLS 17, quoting from Catechism of the Catholic Church 1180 and Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar, ch. 1, no. 2) May these churches continue to make visible the living Body of Christ, each in its own way. 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.)