Check this awesome 3D Cathedral screensaver out!

[Steve]

Hi Jeff:
There are lots and lots of beautiful churches in Detroit, mainly the Polish and German ones. they could build some churches!!!!!!! These 'auditorium' churches of today are as sterile as a hospital with about as much liturgical appeal as a breadbox. I wouldn't give you 2 cents for them. :smt078

Check out some websites for some fantastic churches in Detroit:
Sweetest Heart of Mary
St. Joseph's
St. Hedwig's
St. Albertus
St. Josaphat's
St. Hyacinth's

I've been a church conniseur for years, now. I like to think I've been in some of the most beautiful churches in America in NY, Phila, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit.
Check out the Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky. The Meyer windows are to die for. Enjoy!

 

[stray bullet]

Let's remember that a Cathedral is meant to last for CENTURIES.

Unlike little bible churches which last only 20-30 years, then are torn down and replaced by gas stations, a Cathedral will stand tall for centuries.

Look in the Middle-East and Europe, you have Cathedrals there that have lasted for hundreds and hundreds of years, some even going back to the first centuries of Christianity.

Why would the Catholic Church waste money constantly rebuilding churches? We aren't a small bunch that is going to disappear when our pastor dies or our church goes bankrupt. We'll build our Cathedrals out of stone and brink and they'll last forever. There is nothing wrong with making the church large or look really nice if its not going to be bulldozed in a few decades.

My town started at the beginning of the 20th Century, a Cathedral was built and it's still pack, with four services on Sunday. Until Christ comes, I'm sure that Cathedral will still be standing. All those Cathedrals in New Orleans will still be standing when the water is drained... many of those little wooden churches will not.

What's wrong with a big well-built cathedral if it is going to last for centuries? It means we can spend our money on the poor, not need buildings every few decades because we were short-sighted.

 

[stovebolts]

Steve,
I've always enjoyed the architecture and detail of the old Catholic churches. I've never seen anything before that even came close to St. Mary's on the Inside. St. Joseph's is pretty impressive from the outside! Funny though, above the bell tower it looks like they didn't get the lines of the steeple (?) in perfect alignment with below the bell tower. I'm probably the only one that has ever noticed... but my goodness, what a sight from the ground! It's huge and full of detail like nothing I've seen before! Unfortunately, they are only open on Sun, Wed evening and Fri evening.

I'm not sure when I'll get back to downtown. Next time I'll do some homework before I go. I kinda stumbled upon St. Mary's when I was having lunch in Greek Town.

 

[Lyric's Dad]

Those are some amazing structures. Here in Salt Lake we have the Cathedral of the Madeline. I love to go there and just look at the artwork, paintings on the ceiling, and carvings. It is one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen.

Another amazing building is the LDS salt lake temple. Some of the architecture and art in that one is simply incredible. When I was a mormon I loved going to that temple just to see the work that was done in there. Those early pioneers were masters of their work.

 

[stovebolts]

Lyric's Dad,
I've seen the outside of the Mormon's cathedral while passing through SLC. It's pretty impressive. Beverly Hills CA. also has a pretty impressive cathedral. I forget, who is that gold angel they like to put at the peak with the trumpet? Just guessing, but is that Micheal?

All in all though, I think that the old Catholic Cathedrals are the richest in architecture and history that I have seen.

Regards,

 

[Lyric's Dad]

Lyric's Dad,
I've seen the outside of the Mormon's cathedral while passing through SLC. It's pretty impressive. Beverly Hills CA. also has a pretty impressive cathedral. I forget, who is that gold angel they like to put at the peak with the trumpet? Just guessing, but is that Micheal?

All in all though, I think that the old Catholic Cathedrals are the richest in architecture and history that I have seen.

Regards,

That angel is Moroni. He is the one that Joseph Smith claims visited him several times and instructed him on retrieving the golden plates that he would then translate into the book of mormon. They are amazing buildings.

When I was there, one of the workers told us of these doorknobs (simply beautiful brass knobs that are all hand engraved) and a couple of them had worn out over the hundred and so years. They cannot find anyone with the skills to duplicate the work done by those early people. Pretty impressive what they were capable of. It makes me sad that we have lost so much of the abilities since then advent of machinery.

 

[Cure of Ars]

You're judging the Church rather harshly, and so it seems: without the facts.

I wasn't referring to the local parishes and schools, but rather, to the Vatican itself which is probably the wealthest organization on earth. Some real help could have come from ther if they cared about humanity as the pretend. How many could be fed by just giving up one tiara?

.

Prior to Pope Benedict XVI, each coat of arms always contained the image of the papal tiara and keys, even though the tiara had fallen into disuse in recent years, especially under Popes John Paul I and John Paul II. Pope Paul VI had allowed for his papal reign to have begun with a formal coronation in June of 1963. However, as a sign of the need for greater simplification of the papal rites, as well as a sign of the changing nature of the papacy itself, he abolished the need for the tiara. In a dramatic ceremony in Saint Peter's Basilica during the second session of Vatican II in November of 1963, Pope Paul donated his tiara (a gift from his former archdiocese of Milan) to the efforts at relieving poverty in the world. Later, Francis Cardinal Spellman of New York received the tiara and took it on tour of the United States to raise funds for the poor. It is now on permanent view in the Crypt Church in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitre

 

[Steve]

Steve,
I've always enjoyed the architecture and detail of the old Catholic churches. I've never seen anything before that even came close to St. Mary's on the Inside. St. Joseph's is pretty impressive from the outside! Funny though, above the bell tower it looks like they didn't get the lines of the steeple (?) in perfect alignment with below the bell tower. I'm probably the only one that has ever noticed... but my goodness, what a sight from the ground! It's huge and full of detail like nothing I've seen before! Unfortunately, they are only open on Sun, Wed evening and Fri evening.

I'm not sure when I'll get back to downtown. Next time I'll do some homework before I go. I kinda stumbled upon St. Mary's when I was having lunch in Greek Town.

The spire on St. Joseph's was completed later than the rest of the building. i think it's 180 feet.

Check out the Sweetest heart of Mary website. Now, THAT is a church!!!!

 

[Orthodox Christian]

Lyric's Dad,
I've seen the outside of the Mormon's cathedral while passing through SLC. It's pretty impressive. Beverly Hills CA. also has a pretty impressive cathedral. I forget, who is that gold angel they like to put at the peak with the trumpet? Just guessing, but is that Micheal?

All in all though, I think that the old Catholic Cathedrals are the richest in architecture and history that I have seen.

Regards,

I drove by the Mormon Temple in LA last year. It is simply awesome the way it appears when washed in spotlights at night.

 

[stovebolts]

Sorry for the late posts. Were missing a co-worker and the work load is enormous until he comes back.

Lyric's Dad,
I used to be in custom sheet metal as an apprentice. There arn't many people that know the old trade anymore. I was taught by an old timer and between the two of us, there wasn't anything we couldn't fabricate out of metal. I really think that your right though, the trades are loosing their custom touch and everything is turning into this cookie cutter production line assembly.
I don't think I'll ever get back to SLC and I kinda regret not going into the LDS temple. Same thing with the one in Beverly Hills. Not to get weird or anything, but I always got a scary, cold feeling when I looked at the LDS temple. Maybe cause I used to go to their church when I was around 10 and one day I found myself being dunked in a tank of cold water in front of a bunch of people I didn't know. :-?

James, Are you talking about the LDS temple on Santa Monica ? in Beverly Hills? If memory serves me well, it has about a 4 foot concrete wall from the sidewalk that has a wroght iron fence on the concrete barrier. Then, the bldg is built on this big mound at the top of this primped open space. Yeah, the lights at night really bring out the bldg. Again though, it didn't do much for me.

It's funny (and I feel like yacking a bit). I was placed in foster care when I was around 5 or 6. My brother and I were in St. Josephs Childrens Home. It was an old RCC orphanage and we were placed in this big room with about 30 or 40 other displaced kids. I remember the nuns siloute at night, it was scary and the nuns could be very harsh at times, but they showed great love for us at the same time... My bed was the third from the door. Ivory soap was cool because it floated in the bathtub and even our underware needed to be folded and placed in our dresser in it's appropriate place, which was in the top drawer, on the right side.
The home was also a seminary and had a really big, nice cathedreal. I remember sometimes when I was upset, I'd run into the cathedreal and be by myself because I always felt safe there. I didn't really look at all the icons and statues. Mostly I'd just be there with God. I don't even remeber how I knew there was a God. My parents to this day have never been church goers. Maybe it was the Nuns... I have no idea.

I grew up being bounced around here and there. Many stories to tell, half of them you wouldn't believe.. I should write a book. I wound up a street rat in HollyWood, Ca, selling drugs etc at the age of 17. The LDS Temple was down the road from a motel where some female prostitutes that I knew stayed... I used to walk by it daily.

The God I met in St. Joseph's, was the same God that has never left my side to this date and as I write, I am comforted by His grace. I get so sad when I see all this fighting among brothers... and I am so ashamed when I am a part of it. But I know it has to be...

Anyway, the topic is cathedreals. I may not embrace all the doctrines, nor may I understand them, but I will always hold a special place for the old, beautiful cathedreals.

Jeff

 

[Steve]

Well said, Jeff. Thank you.

I look at it like this: God has evidently given you a gift to appreciate beauty. Rejoice in that. I claim the same gift. Don't let any ol' curmudgeon try to steal it from you. Whether or not one accepts the doctrine taught by a particular Lutheran, Anglican, Orthodox, or Roman Catholic parish church or Cathedral, they ALL speak to us via God-gifted artisans via iconography of whatever sort, stained glass, the story of Jesus and His love. How such churches make the old, old story come alive!
I thank God for all of them, cuz they have drawn my heart much closer to the things of God, then probably I would have been in one of these plain-jane sterile auditoriums.

 

[stovebolts]

I agree Steve. It is nice to share a common appreciation and NO, nobody can take away what has been granted to me, even some old sour puss.

I wish I knew which saints were on all the stained glass and such. Maybe one day, I'll go back to Detroit (it's only 25 minutes from where I work) and have a priest take me around so he can tell me the history. Whatch ya think? Think they'd give me a personal tour?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Steve]

Yeah, I think they would...IF you can find a priest! For example, the guy at Hearts (Sweetest Heart of Mary) is running that one, Josaphat's and a third. So, I don't have any idea where he lives. But, call the phone number on the web.