Letters

Renovations (letter)

Contents - Sep 2002 - Buy a copy now Editorial: AD2000's Fighting Fund launched - Michael Gilchrist Is the self-destruction of Anglicanism to continue? - Nigel Zimmerman News: The Church Around the World - AD2000 Vocations: Corpus Christi Seminary enrolments bounce back - Michael Gilchrist Promoting Catholic vocations in the Melbourne Archdiocese - Joanne Grainger CHURCH ATTENDANCE: The family, feminism and the declining role of fatherhood - Richard Egan The 1960s 'cultural revolution': from self-sacrifice to self-fulfillment - Fr Gregory Jordan The strange case of Father Damien and Robert Louis Stevenson - Fr F.E. Burns PE Australian Rosary CD wins international recognition - Colleen McGuiness-Howard John Paul II and World Youth Day in Toronto: an Anglican perspective - David Warren Letters: Church design (letter) - Greg Briscoe-Hough Letters: Renovations (letter) Letters: Abortion (letter) - Bob Denahy Letters: Seminaries (letter) - Andrew Sholl Letters: Media complaints (letter) - Michael Daniel Letters: Feminism dead? (letter) Letters: Teaching the faith (letter) - Kevin McBride Letters: Zero tolerance (letter) - J. Dekker Letters: Priestly 'uniform' (letter) - Philip Robinson Letters: Horse and cart (letter) - Arthur Negus Letters: Shakespeare (letter) - John Doherty Letters: Vatican II (letter) - Valentine Gallagher Books: Open Embrace: A Protestant Couple Rethinks Contraception - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: The Arians of the Fourth Century, by John Henry Newman - Peter Westmore (reviewer) Books: The Lost Shrine of Liskeard, by Claire Riche - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Christianity for Buddhists, by Frederick Farrar - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Think Piece: Religious, Ethical and Moral Values, by Sebastian Camilleri OFM - Mark Posa (reviewer) Marilen Studios: a Christian approach to business - Joe Padero Music: CD specials from AD Books Reflection: The Christian way to spiritual maturity - Fr Dennis W. Byrnes PP

I wish to respond to Sidney Rofe's article (July AD2000), which addressed the topic of church renovations - one of concern to many Catholics.

For some time, on visits to vatious towns and their Catholic churches, I have been appalled by the devastation carried out under the title of "renovations" and by some of the new architectural designs, many of them based on ideas in the flawed, discredited, Environment and Art in Catholic Worship (EACW) document.

I was particularly concerned recently when I heard that Prism Studios were coming to Nowra, because I knew of their techniques used to gain "consensus" from parishioners. My fears were realised when a weekend workshop was preceded by a series of handouts, each referring to EACW.

During the weekend parishioners were subtly led to "decision-making" concluding with a "We" statement put together by the convenor. No-one was asked whether he/she wanted to be included in the "We" statement, which subsequently was distributed throughout the parish.

Prism Studios bases its recommendations strongly on EACW, which has no official Church authority and contains ideas that run counter to Vatican II's liturgy document and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I have great respect for the priests of Nowra, but I hope they will explore other avenues before deciding on a suitable design for their new parish church.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 15 No 8 (September 2002), p. 13