Opera Omnia

HEADING XI
CONSTRUCTION OF CHURCHES
The church is the house where Christ Eucharist lives; it is the house of prayer. It is in it that Christians are made through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance: through the instruction that is given during classes of catechism, Gospels, instructions. Therefore what is more important than building them and keeping them neat and orderly? While narrowing ourselves here on their construction, let us note a few practical things:
1. Let them be, for seating and size, enough to hold comfortably the people. How could one insist, in admonitions and in sermons, on the frequent attendance to the ceremonies if the church is not enough to hold those who want to join? Or else if they should be so crowded together that they disturb and annoy one another especially during summer?
In many places in the countryside, churches are so made that they are enough for the women: to the men and boys are reserved nothing but nooks and crannies, the sacristy, the choir, where they are uncomfortable; instead of praying they talk; instead of listening to the word of God, they come to disturb.
Then it often happens that in one suburb or city neighborhood, there is a development that is quite extraordinary: meanwhile there a church

is wanting, or else, relatively small; at times, for many reasons, that of the capital becomes almost useless, while the population, concentrated elsewhere, is without any church. Now, it is necessary that a pastor of souls or any ecclesiastic should know how to solve these inconveniences by building and right on time adequate churches. It is not right that a new suburb or neighborhood the more suitable pieces of land is first entirely occupied by new buildings, and to God's house only a left over is reserved, unsuitable for the purpose, far from the center, difficult to reach. It is quite easy to foresee more or less what building movements and what decentralizations the new needs of social life, commerce, industry, medical services are preparing: for as long as one has the eye to observe and the reflection for thinking over. And should it be foreseen that perhaps after twenty or thirty years, a church would be needed in a specific area, let buying the best and also large place already be thought of. With forecasts made and with the rise of the need, a provisionary chapel could be built first, then also a grandiose church.
And here everyone can understand on their own how the site should not only be capable to contain the church, but also the rectory, and today also an oratory, an attached parish school, a house for Catholic action: things that would eventually rise, perhaps in a span of a century, too. In many German cities, these places are built immediately, they are given for rent and in big centers, much is earned to immediately pay out the debt made for the purpose. This is not possible everywhere, but something similar has already happened in some of our cities.

2. It is said: with great projects what is most wanting is money. As a rule, this is not true: what is wanting instead are men who know how to think of great things, who have the courage to start them off, who are equipped with good sense, who will work with perseverance and great spirit of sacrifice. This can be said also as regards construction of churches: money comes when one knows how to let it come; it is found in countries where religion languishes and it is found also where it has deep roots in the heart of the people. God does not fail to bless such projects when it is necessary, when it is done truly with the right spirit, when one has constancy in overcoming the first difficulties, that are the trials with which God tests him who undertakes such works. A lot of undertakings are involved in such a purpose: and, admitting that for almost every church there could be special ones, here we shall refer to only some of them.
a) With the suitable area acquired in time, one could begin with building a chapel that bears the marks of being provisionary. In Germany and in some places in England it is built in wood or also galvanized iron. In many places in Italy instead, this is done: the charge of preparing a design of the church to be built later is entrusted to an engineer: then a certain part is built in a manner, however, that there is space for the choir, the presbytery, perhaps an entire or a part of the nave of the future church: with the growth of the population, the people shall feel by themselves the need of continuing the construction little by little till the project is finished: by itself offerings would be made, more so if the priest shall always keep the idea alive and speak about it in convenient public or private circumstances.

This method is very convenient for many reasons.
Above all, it would be fruitless to ask for money to build a grandiose church where the population, although growing, remains to be still small. Then: it is necessary that the people should enjoy the ease of accomplishing their religious duties: otherwise they would fall into vice and grow ignorant of religion. How could they later feel the need of a church and spend for it? More: projects that are born with this method, inspired after positivism, have always greater stability, while they encourage more confidence among people.
A priest, who chose this method, was telling that he did not come to need to ask for offerings if not for the first ten thousand lire, spent in building the first chapel (only the choir and presbytery, with the altar by the wall and provisionary); the people on their own little by little helped out and offered the remaining. And yet the total expense was almost two hundred thousand lire and the construction lasted for a space of twenty-five years!
b) Another undertaking: where it is foreseen that a chit shall expand much on one side, or that in a certain place shall soon rise a sizeable suburb, a large area of land could immediately be acquired on time: this in time could be sold at a higher price... Perhaps or almost enough earnings could be made for the future church. It is not often convenient that the priest does this directly: often it is good to avail with the services of a trusted lay person. This undertaking is used in one of our cities: with the land acquired at a price of fifteen lire per board, this is sold then at sixty, eighty and up to a hundred lire: the surplus

money was enough for the building of the church and the rectory.
c) In other places, this was done: on the place where it was desired to build a future church, a pillar, dedicated to Our Lady, or to this Saint, or to that Mystery of the Lord after which the Church would be named, was erected. Better still if a chapel is immediately built. Then all ways were tried to encourage veneration of and devotion to it among the people: through novenas, triduums, sermons, masses, prayers, decorations. With such a devotion established and with the idea of a bigger church launched, it was easy to obtain what was wanted. In some places, the priest took care as well of the publication of a bulletin or a monthly or bi-monthly newsletter to narrate the graces received, to explain the practical means of devotion: in others, pilgrimages, special prayers during droughts and public calamities were availed with.
This undertaking requires a rather long period of time, but its effect is certain; lesser would be needed if the chapel or pillar were already built and the devotion already propagated. Nothing would be needed than to let the sowed seed grow and draw from it the best possible.
d) Among us, this is used more: to open among the people the underwriting of a certain amount to be contributed within a certain number of years; to turn to that pious, well-to-do person, not having too many obligations towards the family, that he sets aside for that purpose, during his life or after his death, entirely or a part of his property; to establish a committee (of honest men and women) so that they think of doing the necessary collections and underwriting. Alongside this committee and to this underwriting, the different

religious associations (Daughters of Mary,¹ Luigini,² the flagellants,³ etc.) could assume for themselves the building of the chapels that they may want to have in the future church. There are those as well who recourse to charity stands, drama or movie benefit shows.
e) As a general rule: if it is not good, as it is said, to ordinarily and totally depend on Providence till the point of writing a grandiose work without possessing in re or in spe (well- founded) but a portion of the money needed: it is not a good rule either to already have on hand the necessary amount of money. The people want to see something concrete, then help follows: as a whole, the people do not trust promises.
3. Speaking now on the practical manner of doing in the building of new churches, it is good to take note of things in general, then others in particular.

Things in general. The Church is destined to the worship of God and the welfare of souls: it is not just then a display of wealth, not only a house of luxury, it is not only an artistic construction. It must be so that it serves the welfare of the people. From these principles immediately follow that the church must surpass in beauty the buildings that stand around it: inasmuch as that is domus Dei, and the rest are houses of men.
It must be artistic: but, as to an idol, what is useful, devotion, the ease of the people should not be sacrificed to it. It must be artistic: but not with an art that is light and empty, but with an art that is truly sacred as it is proper to a church. It must be artistic: but it must not certainly have the same requirements in a rural center as in a city center. In the first, people are struck and excited to respect

while entering a clean, simple, devote, decorous church; while in the second, the church needs that majesty of the building, with the precision of architectural lines, with ornaments and paintings that are well executed, all of which imposes also on the mind of the artist, of the educated, of the rich.
Here I transcribe the words of a parish priest: Having to do with the building of a church and especially of the parish church, it is not prudent to entrust it to a simple contractor or to an engineer whatsoever. Often, the desired savings end up to be a damage. It is much better to avail with an engineer or better an engineer already known for other successful works. In the choice, a very good advice is to visit and minutely examine such works. Thus one could notice what is desirable and what is not: and when the new design is presented, those observations considered useful could be presented. Then we have as well to say: it is not convenient to submit oneself with closed eyes to the engineer's hands: often the building would turn out to be too grandiose or too costly, and impractical.
Towards this end, the priest shall have to previously have well defined and clear in his mind the qualities and the parts that he wants to build in the new church: the width, the number and the size of the naves, the number and size of the chapels, the position of the pulpit and of the confessional boxes, the place of the baptistery, the place reserved for men and for boys: these things could be referred to the engineer. Thus would be avoided having churches where the pulpit is placed in an unhappy place, where the confessional boxes are either too hidden or destroy the remaining places, where the children have to mix with the rest of the people. It is more the work of the priest to look after these than it is of the engineer.

Things in particular. Here we take note of the qualities that a church must have. Above, it was said that a church must be as much as possible artistic: now we add other qualities that can be summarized in one word: the church has to be practical. It was said before: it is not an object of admiration, but a place that ought to serve the people. Explaining more clearly this thought: the church should be: a) Spacious: that is, that it can comfortably accommodate all the people who are wont to go there during ordinary and solemn circumstances. Neither should it be adequate only for the women, as we have noted above: but let there be as well a convenient and distinct place for children, for girls, for men. With this we don't mean to say that the church should be as big as a cathedral, inasmuch as the lack of space is often caused by not having foreseen in time and with criteria a rational placement and the construction of the different parts (side chapels, choir, presbytery, pulpit).
b) Let the church be hygienic: located that is in a healthy place; provided with big and many windows; covered by a strong and well constructed roof; with the vault covered by a layer of cement or asphalt, in order to avoid every harm to the paintings during the eventual destruction of the roof; let the parts and more so the pavement be easy to clean, that they could be cleaned.
c) This could easily serve the purpose; that is to have the pulpit placed in such a way that the preacher could dominate with his eyes the whole audience and that this could easily hear his voice. The confessional boxes should not be hidden from the people's view, that they are conveniently many for men and women, that they do not occupy too much space, that they are comfortable for the confessor and for

penitents. While the very space of the church, occupied by massive and old pews could contain barely four hundred persons, with more adequate pews it could contain even up to eight hundred. Some suggest that the choir be rather narrow: many churches outside Italy are without it completely and the singers find place at the presbytery, or on the orchestra, or in the side chapel: and truly the priest gets the most disturbance from the choir itself. Then, everyone observes that in the church there ought not be so many corners, blind spots, poky little rooms: they would always be irritating.
d) It is as well of great importance hat the churches should always be well lighted also during the morning and evening hours. It would as well be good to see to it that during summer they could be kept rather cool and in winter, they are heated. Modern inventions allow the procurement of these three comforts also with relatively small expense.
e) It is a very bad abuse to acquire at all times carpets, paintings, statues, vestments that are with no art or value. They are things that often, other than decorate, cover the architectural lines that are perhaps beautiful and sometimes also the artistic paintings and rich objects. Here, the rule holds: few, but good; if the necessary amount is not on hand, better wait some more; the proverb is well-known: he who spends more eventually spends less.

CLEANLINESS IN CHURCHES
From his face, a man is known with his thoughts and feelings: from the looks of a churches, the parish priest or the rector is known, with his spirit of faith and zeal.

More: a church, although modest, but clean and orderly is conducive to prayer and draws the affection of the people; while a church, though grandiose, but disorderly and unkempt, disgusts whomever enters it. Just from the pastoral point of view, how important is it to take care of the church!
For this matter, it is good to recall what has been said regarding the sacristan. Not every person is suitable for such an office and prudence is needed in the choice: but even more, it requires patience in training him in his job and in watching over him so he remains always faithful.
Neither this can be enough in general: in peace, the priest shall have to do certain more delicate works. Neither should the priest feel humiliated by it inasmuch as it is serving the greatest King. Above all, one has to pay attention over, I would say, the outside of the Church: the adjacent buildings of the church and the outside walls so that they are kept from dirt: the roof and the walls, in order to repair eventual damages; the windows, so that the curtains and the panes always look decent.
In the second place, the inside of the church: the pavement which ought to be swept and at times washed; the pews, which ought to be kept clean and well aligned; the walls, the pillars, the moldings, the vaults, the altars, the paintings, the statues that have to be dusted as often as it is necessary so they are always kept clean; the towels, corporals, albs, that must be often changed; the vestments, missals, the book of vespers, which ought to be repaired as soon as they are damaged; the sacred vessels for which care of the priest is near enough.
Let it be noted, though, that in order to maintain the good condition of vestments, altar linens, the books and sacred vessels

it is good to provide big cabinets and place them in a healthy place: then to each sacred cloths should be assigned its own place and to constantly place it there well folded or in order.
Things, although well kept, are worn out through time. Their replacement has to be thought of. And here every spirit of avarice and stinginess is to be avoided: let us not be stingy with God so that he may not be stingy with us. Let us do what we can then let the people know what we need: there will always be good people who will come to help. Besides, also here lotteries, charity stalls, collections, benefit movie shows would be helpful.

SOCIETY OF THE FRIENDS OF CHRISTIAN ART⁴
As an appendix to what has been said above regarding the construction and cleanliness of churches, let us add a word regarding this society, by transcribing this part of its program:
This society brings into art the same spirit that has led sacred music to liturgical forms. It has as its aim to establish a center for all artists and art friends. It is engaged in: a) to spread the cultivation, love and progress of Christian art; b) to conserve and take care of the patrimony of sacred art; c) to intensify the movement and the reaction against vulgar industrialism that has invaded the churches (statues of plaster of Paris, paper flowers, unbecoming oil paintings and cloths); d) to promote a loving and enlightened patronage by using the donations of the faithful for those art forms that respond to the

nobility and sacredness of worship; e) to found an illustrated monthly magazine entitled, Christian Art; and shall establish a House of Christian Art and promote conferences, congresses, temporary and permanent exhibits, contests, etc.
This young society has rightly gathered the applause and support of many people among whom are cardinals, bishops, the better known artists and publicists and it truly deserves to be supported by the entire clergy.


LAUS DEO