Lecture: Designing a Cathedral in a Time of Liturgical Transition

Next Thursday, January 31, 2013 I will be presenting a lecture on the first cathedral in the United States to be dedicated following the promulgation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy at the Second Vatican Council.  This lecture will be presented as a part of the ongoing Thursday Forum series hosted by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. The presentation will begin at 4:15 p.m. in Room 264 of the Quad building at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.  I warmly invite any local readers to attend.

The abstract for this lecture is available below:

Liturgical space is formative of our faith experience. This project will examine the art and architectural design of the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, Nebraska as a manifestation of the liturgical and theological changes wrought by the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium and the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

The process of planning the new Cathedral began in approximately 1958 and culminated with its dedication on August 18, 1965. This time span represents an era of incredible change in the Roman Catholic liturgy. This project seeks to understand the evolution in the design of the Cathedral and its interplay with the activity of the Second Vatican Council in the area of liturgy.

This study will involve an examination of the evolution of the cathedral's design and placement of the liturgical furnishings as well as the development and execution of its artistic schema. I hope to further investigate Bishop James V. Casey's role in the design as he participated in the deliberations of the Second Vatican Council.

Even today, this Cathedral still stands as a witness and embodies the principles firmly held by the Second Vatican Council, particularly in the areas of liturgy, art, and architecture. By a thorough examination of the cathedral's planning and design, I hope to bring forward the value of Conciliar-era art and architecture as a commentary on liturgical life and worship in the Church today, so that these spaces may continue to be a formative element within our faith experience.

Fire Destroys Friend United Methodist Church

Some very sad news from the community of Friend, Nebraska today.  Neighbors reported smelling smoke as early as 6:00 this morning, however the heavy fog made it difficult to pinpoint the source.  By the time firefighters arrived at the Friend United Methodist Church at 9:00, fire had engulfed the church building.

From what I've heard, it's believed that the fire started in the sanctuary area and could have been smoldering since the night before.  The cause remains unknown.  Unfortunately, the building is likely a total loss.  As you can see from the photo, it's unlikely that much can be salvaged from the building.  I do hope that what little remains of the stained glass will be saved for potential reuse.

Please keep this congregation in your prayers.  I’m sure that the following weeks and months will be marked by an intense time of discernment about how to move forward from this disaster.  For more on this story, including videos, visit 10-11 News.

A Great Historical Loss in Freeport, Minnesota

(Photo Source)

As I was scrolling through my regular glut of news items in Google Reader today, I noticed something about the Swany Flour Mill in Freeport, Minnesota. Freeport is about 15 miles down the road, west of Collegeville. Since I began school, I've traveled regularly to Freeport to have my truck serviced.

As I looked closer at the news story, I learned with great dismay that that the Swany Four Mill had burned to the ground yesterday. I was just in Freeport about a week ago, and I found myself looking at the mill building and thinking to myself "I should photograph this place come spring." I really should have gotten around to it sooner.

I'm not a Freeport resident, nor even a Minnesota native, but I realize how significant this landmark was, architecturally, historically, and as a thriving business in a rural community. I'm not sure what there is to do now - the building is gone, nothing is salvageable, and it will not reopen. I suppose for both the lifelong local and the casual passerby, there's nothing to do but remember and reminisce.

(Photo Source)

Below are a compilation of news articles relating to the mill and the fire:

Swany White Mill: A history
SLIDESHOW: Historic Freeport Flour Mill
Fire destroys iconic Freeport flour mill (with video)
Fire destroys flour mill in Freeport (with video)
Fire Devastates Historic Freeport Flour Company (with video)
Century-Old Mill Destroyed by Fire in Freeport (with video)
Freeport flour mill fire probe begins
Flour mill fire probe begins in Freeport (with video)
Investigation begins into cause of Swany White flour mill in Freeport
Flour mill fire was one of biggest for small fire departments
Freeport mourns loss of landmark flour mill
Old mill won't be rising again

News and Miscellany Roundup

Well, I'm not sure how much of this is actually "news" anymore, but I think everything here is still worthy of notice.

Repeal Day... December 5 marked the 76the anniversary of the end of prohibition - Repeal Day. This recently setup website explains the history of prohibition and reasons to celebrate this day!

Omaha Church Renovation... Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Omaha has recently completed a renovation. The new altar was consecrated on November 28. A full story on the renovation is available here from The Catholic Voice newspaper. A pre-renovation photograph of the interior is available here.

View into Monastic Life... The PBS series Religion & Ethics produced a fantastic piece on the Monastic Life, featuring the Benedictine Sisters in Atchison, KS. Watch this moving video here.

First Nebraska Distillery... Cooper's Chase Distillery in West Point has claimed the title of the first legal distillery in the state of Nebraska since prohibition. The Omaha World-Herald has a great story and a video telling the story of the distillery is available here. Cooper's Chase is currently producing and vodka and will expand its offerings soon.

Another New Nebraska Distillery... Solas Distillery in Omaha opened shortly after Cooper's Chase. Here is the Omaha World-Herald story as well as a fascinating video of the distillery producing their first batch of whiskey.

Beer & Personality... What does your taste in beer say about you? Check this out! I've found it to be pretty accurate with everyone I've tried it with!

Benedictine Gristmill... NPR recently produced a story featuring the gristmill at St. Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, PA. It's well worth listening to and photos from the story are available here. What a wonderful interweaving of agriculture, spirituality, and history! The story also mentions the brewery that was once operated by the monks.

A Cathedral Centennial... The Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City celebrated its 100th anniversary this past fall. The Cathedral is an architectural and artistic gem. It is also well-know for its fantastic liturgy and superb music program. The Cathedral is also home to one of the nation's two choir schools. Read an article on the centennial here.

A Serious Jesus?... Did Jesus have a sense of humor? Jesuit Father Jim Martin explores this aspect of Jesus in NPR here.

A New Church in LeMars... St. Joseph Catholic Church in Le Mars, Iowa has unveiled plans for a new church. The current church suffers from massive structural issues. The new church will incorporate much of the artistic heritage from the current church. Read the story and see drawings here.

News & Miscellany Roundup

It's been a very long time since I've featured a News & Miscellany Roundup and unfortunately, a fair amount of these articles are a bit dated. Anyways, I still think they might be of interest. Enjoy!

The Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, MN was recently designated as the National Shrine of St. Paul. The title of a "National Shrine" is generally bestowed on a church that has a special devotion to a given saint. An increase of pilgrims is expected because of this designation. Read more here.

An interesting article appeared titled "What do Pope John Paul II and Hugh Hefner have in Common?" It give an interesting view of Catholic sexuality in the light of John Paul's Theology of the Body.

KTIC hosted its annual Great Nebraska Tractor Ride this past June. We had a grand total of 182 tractors! The Fremont Tribune has a great article with photos here.

Another article on the Tractor Ride in the Ashland Gazette here.

Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Brainard, NE completed a massive restoration and renovation. Work included restored high and side altars, paint and stenciling, flooring and more - all for a whapping price tag of $200,000. Read the full article and see a photo here. Hopefully I can get to Brainard sometime soon to get photos of this renovation!

Probably one of Nebraska's lesser-known breweries, Spilker Ales in Cortland was featured in the Norris Public Power District's Magazine. Read the interesting article (in .pdf form) here.

Back in the 1950s, St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN established Trinity Monastery in Japan. In the 1990s, this monastery moved from Tokyo to a rural area outside of Fujimi. Today, this monastery is thriving. The Minnesota Post has a fascinating story about its growth here.

Immaculata Benedictine Monastery in Norfolk, NE was rededicated after nearly two years of renovations. For photos of the renovated chapel, click here. To see photos of the chapel prior to the renovation, click here.

News & Miscellany Roundup

Great Nebraska Tractor Ride This Weekend! The Great Nebraska Tractor Ride will be held this weekend. The route will begin in Fremont on Friday, head to Ashland and return to Fremont on Saturday. The tractor ride was recently featured in both the Fremont Tribune (click here for story) and Ashland Gazette (click here for story). For full information on route, times, and locations visit the Great Nebraska Tractor Ride website.


Beemer, NE Public School Demolition Work has begun on the demolition of the Beemer Public School, which was constructed in 1917. This truly was a beautiful, well-built structure. Fortunately the ornate decoration which surrounded the main entrance was salvaged for future use in a school monument. To read more, click here.


Catholic Nebraska Welcomes its First Married Priest After 5 years with no priestly ordinations, the Diocese of Grand Island ordained 3 men to the priesthood on June 5, including Fr. Sidney Bruggeman, a former Protestant minister. Fr. Bruggeman, who is married with 4 children was granted a dispensation from the traditional practice of priestly celibacy. The full story is well worth a read and is available here.


The Life of Thomas Merton Thomas Merton was recently highlighted in a fascinating segment on PBS's Religion and Ethics. The program featured some incredibly rare footage of Merton taken just hours before he died. Viewers are also taken into Merton's hermitage where he lived for several years. Be sure to take the time to watch this program - you'll be glad you did!


St. Meinrad Offers Insight into Monastic Life The Archabbey of St. Meinrad in St. Meinrad, IN recently produced an excellent video that offers a glimpse into monastery life - particularly as lived at St. Meinrad's. It offers a wonderful explanation of Benedictine life, and is particularly interesting for those who have not encountered monastic life.

News & Miscellany Roundup

Here at The Steeplechase, I try to present a few news items that may be of interest to readers. I've been occupied with a number of things lately, and have quite a backlog of articles. I still believe them to be newsworthy, even if a bit dated. So, here's a rundown of what's been going on the past several months.


Congress Bans Incandescent Light Bulbs

This happened back in December, but it went largely unnoticed by the general public. While I agree it's a smart idea to switch to CFLs, there are some applications where they are inappropriate, namely churches. Fluorescent bulbs make a building incredibly difficult to photograph, coupled with the fact that arguably, they do not produce the same quality of light as an incandescent bulb. What about historic lighting? What about fixtures that are too small for CFLs to fit? There are many unanswered questions. It seems there could have been a better way to promote energy efficient bulbs rather than outright banning them. For a closer look at this issue, read this article.


St. Alphonsus Rock Church in St. Louis Reopens

I reported earlier about the reconstruction of this church following a fire in August of 2007. Renovations were completed, and the church reopened on Palm Sunday of this year. See the video below for more.


West Point Community Theatre Featured in Fremont Tribune

The Fremont Tribune ran an excellent story on our efforts at the West Point Community Theatre. Read it here. This story has also been featured in a number of other newspapers throughout the state including Lincoln and Hastings.




Fire Destroys Rectory at St. Ludger Parish, Creighton, NE

An early April fire completely destroyed the rectory of St. Ludger Parish in Creighton, NE. Though badly injured, the pastor fortunately managed to escape. Until a new rectory can be built, the pastor and parish offices will reside in the former convent. The Catholic Voice reports (with photos) on the story here and here.


Charlie Bowman, Orville Redenbacher's business partner dies at 89.

As many of you know, I ran a popcorn business during my time in high school. I had the privilege of corresponding with this man and his family. While Orville became the figurehead of the company, Charlie was truly the brains behind the operation, developing the popcorn hybrid that made Orville Redenbacher so famous. A brief obituary can be found here.


Nebraska Benedictine Monasteries Undergo Renovation, Expansion

Immaculata Monastery, home of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in Norfolk, NE recently completed at $15 million renovation. Renovations were undertaken to make the 44-year-old building more accessible to both visitors and the sisters. Highlights of the renovation include larger guest rooms, a reconfigured chapel, and a Eucharistic chapel. The Catholic Voice reports on this story (with photos) here. A formal dedication Mass is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at 10:30 a.m.

Likewise, Mt. Michael Abbey near Elkhorn just dedicated a new $4 million monastery. This replaces "temporary" housing that had been used by the monks since 1965. A new community room, dining room, kitchen, and rooms for 20 monks were all part of the project. A bell tower is also scheduled to be completed in early June.


St. Stephen the Martyr Parish in Omaha celebrates 20th Anniversary

The largest Catholic parish in the state of Nebraska will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a Mass and picnic on June 14 starting at noon. The parish was created by Archbishop Daniel Sheehan on June 15, 1989 and is now home to more than 3,000 families. The Catholic Voice has the full story here. See my earlier post and photos of St. Stephen the Martyr Church here.


Final Mass at St. Richard, Omaha set for June 7

The final Mass at St. Richard Catholic Church will take place June 7 at 1:00 p.m. According to The Catholic Voice "Parishioners and alumni will have a chance to take home memorabilia from the church and school, Father Baumert said. Many items from the buildings will be set up as a silent auction for people to bid on, with the highest bidder taking home the trophy, picture, or piece of furniture that is available." Read the full story here.


Kathleen Norris to Speak at St. Benedict Center in Schuyler

Kathleen Norris, author of many excellent books including Dakota and Cloister Walk will be giving a retreat June 5 & 6 at the St. Benedict Center in Schuyler, NE. This will certainly be a once in a lifetime opportunity! For more information about the retreat and to register online, visit this page.