Bringing back beauty: The new traditional Catholic churches of the U.S

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"Ask a European to think of a church and chances are that images of Neoclassical, Baroque or Gothic structures will come to mind. That’s not necessarily the case in the U.S., where many churches were built after the Second Vatican Council, held between 1962 and 1965, and thus embodied the reformist spirit of their time. It is not unusual to find American churches designed according to Brutalism or Modernism, with many looking like ruins from an alien civilization.

“But over the past two decades, that trend has started to reverse…”
 
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I am glad to see an end to these hideous garage/library churches. My city has a lot of them, but I think they will be renovated over time. Here’s some examples of new beautiful churches across the country.

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St. Michael the Archangel Kansas City, MO
Holy Name Cathedral Raleigh, NC
St. Ann Coppell, TX
 
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Our church just had a traditional interior revamp. It’s not perfect, but 😍.

I will say that even for a modern church, it was one of the nicer ones.
 
I refer to these post-modern nightmares. (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
Also in the UK, I mentioned to my priest about how it was a shame that we ‘lost’ our beautiful ancient churches, he said it’s only temporary! Now that’s faith…😉
 
Most of the churches in Pittsburgh proper are old school- our total population is considerably less than half what it was on V-J Day, so there hasn’t been need for much construction.

But I seen churches in the round, or semi circles, and I think there is a lot to be said for it. The faithful generally can sit closer and see better, as well as park closer and, if necessary, evacuate the premises if needed in an emergency quicker.

Of course you do have to have the lot to build a modern building, not always available in the city.
 
They don’t give the proper glory to God, they rely on functionality and cost effectiveness.
 
What’s wrong with cost effectiveness?

Is there really anything wrong with considering the price of utility service and maintenance costs in deciding on a plan to build or renovate a church?

It costs a lot of money to maintain an old school pipe organ or repair a steeple.
 
They just restored our parish from it’s 1970s living room design back to how it should have looked before V2 renovations.

Thank you for this post as it makes me feel a little more hopeful about the church in our nation.

I am a Catholic, I worship in the Kings palace, not a whitewashed corporate building.
 
These banal structures also fail to visually inspire the faithful. My mother came from three generations of Sicilian immigrants who in 1927 all contributed their money according to their ability towards the building of a beautiful Romanesque church; St Anthony’s in Bryan, TX. If a bunch of poor Sicilian farmers could help build this, then ‘cost-effectiveness’ shouldn’t be a problem. (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.) (Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
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Cecilia_Dympna said:
All of the churches you have posted pictures of, those that you like and those you dislike, are very very large. Is that typical for the US (I’m assuming that you are in the USA).
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It is a trend for new churches in US to be pretty huge. The Diocese will not spend the money to build a new church unless there is a significant, big demand for one to be built, and in that case they would prefer to build one big central one that everybody from a large area drives to, rather than several smaller ones. It’s the “megachurch” concept in action.
 
Cecilia_Dympna said:
All of the churches you have posted pictures of, those that you like and those you dislike, are very very large. Is that typical for the US (I’m assuming that you are in the USA).
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Yes, large churches are the rule in the United States. In America, virtually everyone has private transportation and traveling several miles isn’t often a problem. In the few places like NYC where that isn’t the case- my cousin in New York is a legit millionaire and doesn’t own a care- the population is so concentrated that large churches are still the rule.

Further, large churches are necessary to have enough kids to justify elementary and high schools for the parish.
 
Here’s a sample of improvement

The first is the parish I had my first communion in in San Antonio, TX
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Then one a couple miles down the road, built in the 2000s
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For myself,beauty helps lift the mind higher.I’m so glad traditional is returning.
 
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