Redemption in Crescent Springs, Kentucky - Adoremus

Each one of us is made for heaven. The often-heartbreaking state of our souls, bodies, and churches suggests how easily this central teaching can slip from our consciousness. In her wisdom, the Church has long instituted sacramentals, and cultivated the tradition of architecture, art, and music with the purpose of “evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2502–2503). St. Augustine stressed how the spirit can be elevated or degraded by the company it keeps. This may also be said of architecture, as it too may speak to us of dignity and joy, or of carelessness and privation. Both may play a significant role in ordering our desires toward God, the source of truth, goodness, and beauty.
American Catholics in the 21st century have reawakened to the power of beauty to evangelize, catechize, and sanctify. Following a period when many churches were being built, decorated, or renovated in banal and uninspiring ways, …