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Title: Ugly As Sin: Why They Changed Our Churches from Sacred Places to Meeting Spaces and How We Can Change Them Back Again by Michael S. Rose ISBN: 1-928832-36-9 Publisher: Sophia Inst Pr Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.92 (13 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Finally!!
Comment: The fact that the National Conference of Catholic Bishops is unabashed to publish a propaganda tract entitled 'Environment and Art in Catholic Worship' means that this is an important book. As if 'Environment' were a kind of committee-induced sacramental poised like one of Stalin's Five-Year-Plans to nourish the souls of the faithful! Every Catholic with his five senses intact knows but too well the abysmal truth of the facts laid bare in this book. Michael S Rose is a courageous person, and must be commended for writing a clear and compelling argument. His facts are impeccable and his reasoning sound. He makes a praiseworthy, if not always practicable, call to action. It would seem impossible to over-argue that the 'Environment' deformers, the destroyers of churches, merely take their cue from the deformed liturgy in current usage. The thought of the Roman Mass, that is, the Immemorial Mass, being ritualized in the new Basilica in Mexico City (to mention but one egregious example) can almost bring you to a kind of desperate laughter. Let's face it- these people have made buildings to MATCH THEIR LITURGY -ugly as sin!- much in the way mediaeval man made Notre Dame, inspired by the ineffable Roman liturgy. The particular voraciousness of the present merry band of Thieves might pass imply as another indicator of a culture in decline, save for the treachery visited upon millions of Catholics who, while not loving an impossible gothic idea, have only wished not to be threatened by the very walls of the Room where they pray. This book addresses solidly and courageously those very people, and offers some hope. Recommended!

Rating: 3
Summary: some interesting material
Comment: I found a lot of what Michael Rose had to say rather interesting. I've found that most found modern Catholic churches aren't very beautiful, so I aggreed with a lot he had to say. But he obviously had an axe to grind and it was apparent on every page. It sometimes tainted the message, I thought. My biggest complaint was with the photographs. Most of the captions are completely unoriginal, just excerpts from the text. Less than a quarter of the photographs had captions that explained exactly what the picture showed, which church it was, etc. It wasn't until I leafed through to the end that I discovered a photo credits appendix. Why the photo credits couldn't be on the same page as the photos themselves is beyond me. I was also frustrated when he would mention a particluarly ugly church but not provide a picture of it. I had to go online to find photos of some of the churches he talked about, just so his comments made sense.

Rating: 5
Summary: If you like traditional church buildings, you're not alone!
Comment: Michael S. Rose has written an excellent book about church architecture. It is highly informative, but it isn't too technical. A non-architect can understand it easily.

Rose begins by showing what it is that makes a church a house of prayer. He describes, in detail, how theology and architecture come together to lift the soul of the faithful to the contemplation of God. All of the ornate decorations, the high peaked ceilings, the statues, the altar rails - everything that was once an important part of a church building was there for a reason. One could rightly call such a church "a gospel in stone". Rose's enumeration and explanation of the "three natural laws" of church architecture help the reader to understand just what it was that made many old churches so inspiring.

Then he goes on to show how a "modern" church building fails to accomplish the important goals of traditional church architecture. Not only that, but many "modern" churches actually work against prayer and hinder the spreading of the faith. Most modern churches violate at least one of the "three natural laws" of church architecture, and some violate all of them. With those laws in mind, it's easy to see what's wrong with modern churches.

Then Rose goes on to explain that such a change was never intended by Vatican II. Even more interesting is the fact that the same "liturgical design consultants" who were invoking Vatican II to promote a new style of architecture were ignoring a directive from the Vatican to preserve and protect the church's great heritage of art and architecture. He also unmasks the anti-Catholic agenda that many architects bring to the designing of churches. He also shines a spotlight on the inexplicable fact that, while many dioceses have design contests for new churches (especially cathedrals), the winners are almost invariably modernists, even though there are beautiful and traditional submissions. (For example, he reprints a design for a new cathedral in Los Angeles that was done by an architecture student. You won't believe how different it is from the design that was chosen!)

Rose ends his book with a proposed course of action, and he includes some very helpful resources - including a list of architects who know and respect the Church's traditions.

Thank God for Michael S. Rose! He gives us hope that a day will come when churches look like churches again!

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