Why We Catholics Love Our Sacred Spaces

For Catholics, sacred spaces like our chapels and churches have a special significance and value. They are the successors of the long history of Hebrew sanctuaries and holy places and especially of the Temple in Jerusalem. We understand them in the deepest sense as the House of God and the spaces where we can encounter God in a most profound and transformational way.  Over the centuries our churches have been catacombs surrounded by the relics of the martyrs, renovated pagan temples, magnificent medieval cathedrals and thousands of local parish churches in every corner of the world.

We have the habit of decorating our churches with beautiful stained glass, statues, artwork, mosaics and icons. In the Middle Ages artisans would spend their entire lives working on a Cathedral like Chartres in France.  Often when they died , they would then pass on their sacred project to their children.  All the elements of church architecture combine to help foster an encounter with the sacred and a reverence for the presence of the living God.  Central objects of attention in our churches are the altar with all of its biblical significance, the ambo or pulpit, the presiders chair and most significantly, the tabernacle.  We believe that the Lord Jesus is present in the most real way possible “the real presence” in the form of the consecrated bread, his Eucharistic Body.  We adore the most Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle with genuflections and other signs of worship.  We spend time with our Eucharistic Lord in quiet prayer and meditation.  The Tabernacle and the Real Presence of the Lord make our churches like no other buildings.  They are truly “sacred spaces” and the home of the Living God.

Our Churches are also sacred because they are where the holy People of God gathers to become community and to be transformed more completely into the Body of Christ. The community of the Baptized expresses our deepest spiritual identity as together we worship God, share in the sacrifice of Christ, are fed with His Body and blood and are strengthened for a life of discipleship and service.  Our faith, our community, our praises and worship make our churches special places of sanctuary and spiritual growth.  When the Bishop consecrates a new church, he walks around it and anoints the altar and the walls with blessed oils and sets them aside for sacred purposes.  They are no longer profane but sacred spaces.

Our church is especially unique because it’s designed to incorporate all of the liturgical reforms of the 2nd Vatican Council. We have as one integral design both a gracious worship space without visual obstruction and a beautiful and warm daily Mass Chapel that is our center for devotion and adoration. Our church has distinctive Sanctuary appointments, brilliant stained glass windows, and a one-of-a-kind bronze Corpus mounted upon our central cross. All of the features of our church form an amazing architectural unity that strengthens our community identity and facilitates our worshiping together. There is no outer church in the world quite like ours.

The sacred nature of our churches is also honored by the way that we dress and conduct ourselves within them. Clothing that is modest (not prudish) and appropriate for an encounter with God distinguishes our attire and is a reminder that we are not going to just any social or recreational activity but to a sacred meeting with God.  An environment of quiet and serenity is also characteristic of churches.  We are not in a sports arena or a shopping mall but have been invited into the presence of the God who created and sustains our very being.  In large cities like New York, for example, churches have a singular role to play as quiet sanctuaries of reflection and peace in the middle of hustle and bustle.  Saint Joan of Arc church and chapel serve the same purpose for us in the middle of Boca Raton.

Every time I enter our beautiful church, I am filled with gratitude for all of you who over the years have built the former and present Saint Joan of Arc Churches and continue to make our present church such a holy and inspiring sacred space. May we all cherish this gift of faith and enter it with an awe and reverence that honors its history and saving role in our lives.

MSGR MICHAEL D. MCGRAW

FYI: In case you have heard this about our church… It is not a spaceship that landed in Boca Raton!