About this episode
The episode discusses the significance of sacred buildings in the Catholic Church, particularly St. Paul's Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a testament to bold preaching of the Gospel.
By Michael Pakaluk Catholics who sometimes worry that the Church is no longer sufficiently bold in its preaching of the Gospel might at least derive some comfort from its buildings. Sacred buildings stand a long time and carry on the convictions of those bolder folks who came before us – unless they are burned down or, in an interesting case, blocked. Two examples come to mind. The first is St. Paul's Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which the parish's website, in its history of itself, describes as deliberately placed in an "aggressive setting beside an expanding secular university." The booklet about the construction and design of the church, "St. Paul Church, Cambridge, Mass. – Description, Exterior and Interior," written by its first pastor, Fr. John J. Ryan, begins with a remark by the then-Cardinal of Boston, William Henry O'Connell: "The edifice you describe, Father Ryan, is a book in stone, and must be put into print." The cornerstone of this exquisitely beautiful church, designed by Edward T.P. Graham, a Harvard graduate and parishioner, was laid in 1916. Its construction, slowed by the Great War, was completed in 1923. Fr. Ryan's booklet describes the Church as…
People in this episode
Host: Michael Pakaluk
Topics covered
- Church architecture
- Catholicism
- Gospel preaching
- Historical churches
- Secularism
- Community
Keywords
- St. Paul's Church
- Catholic Church
- architecture
- Gospel
- secular university
- Fr. John J. Ryan
- William Henry O'Connell
- historical significance
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: St. Paul's Church, Harvard
Places: Cambridge, Massachusetts
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