Men Only - Effeminate Church Decor?

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Lux_et_veritas

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I had never heard before that some men feel that parishes are decorated in an effeminate manner, which allegedly (maybe subconciously) contributes to why some boys and men don’t come to Mass.

As a female, I never really thought about how men and women may perceive decorations used in Church and during liturgies and it recently shocked me when I heard someone - I think on a Catholic radio program say that some of the effeminate decorations need to go. I think it was in reference to getting young boys to have less difficulty wanting to be in Church. It is true that a large percentage of women are on liturgical committees which may be responsible for what is on the walls and floors and maybe that feminine influence may be there.and I’m just curious:

Do you see things that you consider effeminate in your parish? If so, what are some examples? Help me out here

:rotfl:
 
The color scheme is just all wrong. Should use team colors not that purple and green. Or do they only use purple in my state because of the Ravens.

By the way I’m just kidding if you couldn’t figure it out.
 
I haven’t got a clue what is supposed to be considered effeminate decor, liturgically speaking. I’ve never really thought about it. Does anyone have any visual examples of “effeminate” versus “masculine” church decor for comparison’s sake?
 
Personally, I never minded the “effeminate” decoration too much. It of course varies depending on where you are, but in comparison to a more Gothic style of art and architecture there certainly is a much more feminine look to our parishes. Still, I think the greater problem isn’t so much the art, but the way in which everything else is effeminate. The art is just a symptom of a greater problem. The endless emotional appeals, the confirmation classes that are all about visualization and how we feel, the large percentage of priests with obvious “tendencies”, unreasonable stands against firearms, war, and capital punishment, the constant drone of “help the poor” with no talk of sin / hell / philosophy / theology… the happy pastel colors and cutesy banners with kid’s handprints are not that big of a deal. The Church, IMO, has certainly been emasculated.

Remember though, guys are simple. We don’t necessarily analyze things like this endlessly - we probably won’t NOTICE the color scheme (I couldn’t tell you the colors at any of the parishes I go to). I don’t really care too much because it doesn’t really matter in the big picture…
 
Well, I guess that is what I pondered when I heard the expression. What is considered effeminate? Is it the color scheme (which is often based on liturgical season), or is it the kind of statues, deocorations, etc. Most churches have had flowers to a degree.

I think a point may have been hit on gothic appearance though, if some would view that as less effeminate, unless there is a way to dress it up to make it this way.

Maybe it is more cultural than physical.

I knew this would be a difficult thread as I know most men do not analyze things like this.

:rotfl:
 
We have a new Church so we have one main Crucifix, off center of the Altar, a Eucharistic Chapel, Stations of the Cross, a print of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a few stained glass panes of what appears to be birds of paradise plants…I fear that candles and stands are not allowed…in other words decor is sparse.

james
 
Consider: most volunteer decorator committees (both church and secular) are laypeople. Most probably they are not professional decorators or not professional interior designers or not professional licensed architects or not professional licensed professional engineers (especially for the electrical lighting, the sound system and the heating, ventilating, and airconditioning systems).

In addition, the interior design for huge voluminous spaces (building lobbies, banks, airline and railroad terminals, AND churches) is extremely difficult and requires special skills and talents and totally different approaches.

Colors and textures and fabrics and materials and fenestration and lighting and shadow all have different impacts and effects. And so do furniture, street furniture, water features, etc. They create moods. (The whole issue of banners is part of this.) Sound quality also is an aspect of the design.

So, if you get a committee of non-professionals, no matter how well-intentioned, then the result may be “problematical”. *

In addition, if some “expert” from the central diocesan office comes in (and he or she may have NO training), and who has a copy of some mimeographed guidelines that are right out of what they allege to be NEW FROM VATICAN 2!, then you could have a formula for disaster.

There is often a committee at the diocese that may actually be architects and engineers and all changes to a church building require their approval. And they may have some ideas of their own [e.g., get rid of the statues and altar rails; make the space more informal; install carpeting instead of marble; go for theatrical effects; go for circular spaces instead of vertical eye guides; , etc.] AND there may be a need for building permits from the town. So you have tons of interpersonal politics as part of the mix.

Licensed registered architects and licensed professional engineers pride themselves on being professional. But the fact is that there are all KINDS of fads and trends even among the most professional of architects and engineers.

Just my two cents worth.

Thank you and have a nice day.*
 
Maybe too many flowers could be considered effeminate decor. Other than that, I think large, ornate churches with high altars, statues, crucifix, traditional pews, etc. seem more manly than modern chuches with plain walls and cushioned seats. The things that really make the Mass seem more effeminate are female ushers, female altar servers, females readers, females distributing communion, lack of men in the pews, and non-traditional music.
 
Just by way of piously humorous contrast, maybe some of us guys can come up with a description of what we think a Really Masculine Church Decor would include…
Locker room bench-style pews, with tire-tread kneelers, maybe?
Holy water fonts shaped like football helmets? :rolleyes:
Just exactly what will it take to get the Macho Men involved in parish life?
No disrespect, of course…

Seriously, tho: I’ve had a lot of problems with a lot of church decor over the years, for a lot of reasons - but never did the “effeminate” notion cross my mind…
For “manly” interiors with that “noble simplicity” recommended for the Roman Rite by the Council, look no further than a church, chapel, or community house of the Legion of Christ… 👍
 
Sorry to the ladies out there, but really what the Church needs to do in order to stop the effeminization of the Church is put a stop to female alter servers, lectors, ushers, Communion ministers, and the non-traditional music. I agree with catcher5 in this.

Psychologically, women are just more “committee oriented” and/or willing to participate in things. Nothing is wrong with that, but that leads to the idea that women can do everything a man can do-which is of course wrong especially in Church. Church needs to be made a manly thing, and not with rediculousness but rather put the idea back into people’s heads that the Faith is a very manly thing. A man that is loyal to the Church and is faithful to Christ is much more manly and masculine to a much truer and finer point than the average oaf that watches football all day and makes a spectacle of his bodily noises.
 
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tjmiller:
, with tire-tread kneelers, maybe?:
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Kneelers, we don’t need no stinkin’ kneelers.

Line the floor with astroturf and take it like a MAN 👍 😉
 
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Brendan:
Kneelers, we don’t need no stinkin’ kneelers.

Line the floor with astroturf and take it like a MAN 👍 😉
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:rotfl:

Why not skip the astroturf and just go for the cold marble floor.
 
It sounds like some of you feel that the effeminate issue may be cultural as well as physical. I hadn’t really thought of the cultural aspect.

Why then, if you don’t mind a followup question, do men refrain from involvment, or even better, what has prevented some of you from getting involved?

Like I said what sparked this was hearing a comment on Catholic radio by someone, could have been a Catholic psychologist who was addressing the issue of boys not wanting to go to church. He talked about it being effeminate and suggested changes were needed to make boys feel more at home there. I don’t recall the entire scope and maybe someone out there does recall hearing teh comment and who made it to shed more light. Did the person talk about it being clutural or physical/architectural?
 
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ComradeAndrei:
Sorry to the ladies out there, but really what the Church needs to do in order to stop the effeminization of the Church is put a stop to female alter servers, lectors, ushers, Communion ministers, and the non-traditional music. I agree with catcher5 in this.

Psychologically, women are just more “committee oriented” and/or willing to participate in things. Nothing is wrong with that, but that leads to the idea that women can do everything a man can do-which is of course wrong especially in Church. Church needs to be made a manly thing, and not with rediculousness but rather put the idea back into people’s heads that the Faith is a very manly thing. A man that is loyal to the Church and is faithful to Christ is much more manly and masculine to a much truer and finer point than the average oaf that watches football all day and makes a spectacle of his bodily noises.
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Would more “patristic” be the word?
 
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Lux_et_veritas:
Would more “patristic” be the word?
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I think this is precisely the reason why a lot of men find eastern Christianity more masculine: aesthetically, it more closely reflects the “Church of the Fathers.”
 
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Jakub:
We have a new Church so we have one main Crucifix, off center of the Altar, a Eucharistic Chapel, Stations of the Cross, a print of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a few stained glass panes of what appears to be birds of paradise plants…I fear that candles and stands are not allowed…in other words decor is sparse.

james
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I’m sorry. So glad our church building is 100 years old.
 
The problem is that we have banners that look like Martha Stewart banners with big white words with bubble lettering that say Celebrate or Hallelujia and cute angels and pretty saints in all of our churches. Banners and flags with spring depictions. I swear I go into some churches and it is like everything was created from Hobby Lobby or some other arts and crafts shop. I think that is what some people mean by effeminate. This is in contrast to older generations when there was marble and carved wood. Ominous statues of the maryters and beautiful depictions of our Lady. There was definatelly something more manly about the decor of the parish back then.
 
I have to admit that I am puzzled by this thread. I am trying to think of effeminate church decorations and the only thing I can come up with is when my cathedral choir sang at a mass for a convent of our local liberal Sisters. They had liturgical dancers with 10’ poles with gauzy pastel banners and maypole style ribbons which they planted around the altar. Aestheticly it didn’t give me a problem. Liturgically, I was appalled. Particularly when the liturgical dancers came up the main aisle carrying bowls of lit incense and wafting them around like a Cecil B. deMille 50s biblical epic. I wish the OP would give us some specific examples. Lux, I still don’t know what you are talking about.
 
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brotherhrolf:
I have to admit that I am puzzled by this thread. I am trying to think of effeminate church decorations and the only thing I can come up with is when my cathedral choir sang at a mass for a convent of our local liberal Sisters. They had liturgical dancers with 10’ poles with gauzy pastel banners and maypole style ribbons which they planted around the altar. Aestheticly it didn’t give me a problem. Liturgically, I was appalled. Particularly when the liturgical dancers came up the main aisle carrying bowls of lit incense and wafting them around like a Cecil B. deMille 50s biblical epic. I wish the OP would give us some specific examples. Lux, I still don’t know what you are talking about.
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It wasn’t me who said some parishes are too effeminate, it was a radio show host, and I can’t remember who. And, I didn’t know what he meant, so I thought I would ask guys here what they thought it meant to them.

What you describe, definitely sounds effeminate to me :rotfl:
 
i guess i like forest or dark green chhastubles rather than light or lime green ones. but i wouldnt call the lime ones effeminate, just ugly.
 
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