Catholic Christianity- Forms of Expression and way of life Paper 1 Unit 4
Church architecture La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona St Paul s Cathedral, London
Internal features of a Catholic church The Sanctuary- The main focal point of the church.... The Altar- the table which is in focus of all the congregation to see The crucifix- a cross with an image of Jesus being crucified on it (called a Corpus) The lectern- A book stand where readings from the Bible (gospel) are read The tabernacle- a box where the consecrated host or Eucharist is kept The font- filled with holy water used to baptise children in the sacrament of Baptism
How internal features facilitate Catholic worship Inside a typical church, there are many features, which are very important to Christians in their worship. When a member of the congregation enters the church, he or she will firstly go through the Porch. It is open to invite the congregation into church and is always open before services to welcome people. Inside the Porch, the Holy Water Stoup is found in there. This is where people dip their fingers in the Holy water and make the sign of the cross, on their forehead. The water is for cleaning and washing away the sins symbolically, as well as preparations for the prayer and reminds the Christians of their Baptism, which is the First sacrament of Initiation. This represents welcoming into the family of Jesus. The sign of the cross, reminds them of Jesus death and resurrection. Many books are found inside the Porch. One of the books is the Order of Service, which tells us that the services are liturgical, that they follow a set pattern. There are lots of leaflets, about charities and congregation of activities, which tells us that there are opportunities for Christians to put Jesus teachings into practice in their daily lives.
Sacred Objects within Catholicism Sarcophagi- box like container for corpse Hunger Cloths-depict a set of stories, usually taken from the gospels
Paintings, frescos and drawings within Catholicism Fresco- is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, and certain Eastern Catholic churches. The most common subjects include Christ, Mary, saints and/or angels Paintings- From its very beginning nearly 2,000 years ago, the Catholic Church has used art to instruct men and women about the Faith and to inspire them to live up to its high ideals
Sculptures and statues Divergent Christian attitudes to use of sculptures and statues
Use of symbolism and imagery
Drama- in worship Nativity Play- typically performed by children at Christmas, based on the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The Passion Play or Easter pageant (senakulo) is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death. It is a traditional part of Lent in several Christian denominations, particularly in Catholic tradition.
Music in worship He who sings prays twice -CCC 1156 Other Christian points of view- Against- Some argue that lots of music in worship could be very distracting, they might prefer more traditional music. People might go to Church and treat it like a concert, rather than a place to worship God. Young people might forget the real reason they re going to Church. Types of music used in Christian worship: Charismatic worship- Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship Hymns- a religious song or poem of praise to God or a god Psalms-a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian worship Plainchant- Plainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church.