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Liturgist-Y People: How To Decorate A Parish For Lent


Piccoli Fiori JMJ

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cmotherofpirl

[quote name='FutureNunJMJ' timestamp='1297118022' post='2209822']
Sad thing... our church barely has anything decorating the sanctuary or church during Ordinary Time. There may be an occasional wreath. Oh, we also only have a large basin when you walk in the church/lobby with holy water. There are no fonts in the church proper except maybe our babbling brook of a baptismal font. I'm very fond of lent because they dry that sucker out and you don't hear trickling water throughout Mass.

cmom, I echo your sentiments, but I don't think anyone in our parish that is charge of decorating or liturgical things thinks the same. There is a certain 'country chic' or 'craft project-ness' that tends to rear its head...



Do you see what I mean?

ETA: Hahaha... I just went to look for a picture of our sanctuary and there is nothing on the website...
[/quote]

Where in the GIRM does it say we decorate the Sanctuary with banners?
We don't have liturgists or decorating committees. Father announces on a certain day that we will decorate the church and if you want to help you show up and he serves refreshments.
The closest I've seen to decorating is hanging a cross on the corner with a purple stole hanging around it.

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[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1297122160' post='2209867']
i think that the fonts are allowed to be emptied on Good Friday - no other day of the year.

and please, i was not directing that at you, Chamomile, just i get rather irritated about this :hehe:
[/quote]


I know! I didn't take it personally :)

I really wonder if the church near me is doing it more than Good Friday, though. I guess I'll be able to find out soon!

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Piccoli Fiori JMJ

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' timestamp='1297128417' post='2209907']
Where in the GIRM does it say we decorate the Sanctuary with banners?
We don't have liturgists or decorating committees. Father announces on a certain day that we will decorate the church and if you want to help you show up and he serves refreshments.
The closest I've seen to decorating is hanging a cross on the corner with a purple stole hanging around it.
[/quote]

I am certainly going to try to go for bare simplicity at the meeting tomorrow... stripping ourselves of everything but Christ Himself. Our church is pretty much all brick and wood with no real adornments. There is a huge white stone wall in the back of the sanctuary with absolutely nothing on it. Our altar & ambo are these blocks of light wood. The Crucifix is more of a Resurrex-ifix made of the same light wood and clear acrylic. There is no Tabernacle in the Church proper sometimes (this is hard to explain...). There is always this perpetual absence in our church. They try to make up for it with all the banners and decorations, where if there was something there to begin with, this would be an easier and simpler issue.

I love our little chapel for the reason that it rarely ever sees banners and decor other than the altar cloths changing color and for Easter a white stole(?) like thing draped across the Crucifix. There are flowers usually, but it is simple and there is the Tabernacle. Jesus, Himself. I actually almost forgot about the fact that there is a garden in our chapel with trees and plants... but that never changes. Our Lady of Fatima does have a lovely little home in there though.

P.S. Our Church was built in the 80s. That alone explains a lot.

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cmotherofpirl

[quote name='FutureNunJMJ' timestamp='1297175557' post='2210093']
I am certainly going to try to go for bare simplicity at the meeting tomorrow... stripping ourselves of everything but Christ Himself. Our church is pretty much all brick and wood with no real adornments. There is a huge white stone wall in the back of the sanctuary with absolutely nothing on it. Our altar & ambo are these blocks of light wood. The Crucifix is more of a Resurrex-ifix made of the same light wood and clear acrylic. There is no Tabernacle in the Church proper sometimes (this is hard to explain...). There is always this perpetual absence in our church. They try to make up for it with all the banners and decorations, where if there was something there to begin with, this would be an easier and simpler issue.

I love our little chapel for the reason that it rarely ever sees banners and decor other than the altar cloths changing color and for Easter a white stole(?) like thing draped across the Crucifix. There are flowers usually, but it is simple and there is the Tabernacle. Jesus, Himself. I actually almost forgot about the fact that there is a garden in our chapel with trees and plants... but that never changes. Our Lady of Fatima does have a lovely little home in there though.

P.S. Our Church was built in the 80s. That alone explains a lot.
[/quote]
Your description and time frame explains it all :(. I can actually understand their urge to banner it up, so to speak. We crave and need texture and color and design, and if the building doesn't have it, we do our best to improve it with the best of intentions.

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Ephrem Augustine

Lent might be an acceptable time for minimalism in decoration, if the Easter decorations are actually ostentatious and glorious.

I think bare banners, with the appropriate colors work. If the banners actually looked beautiful with design they might work, i am not talking about some felt design that looks like it was made by 2nd graders. I know in Malta it is customary to put banners everywhere.

Other then that, there is not much I can say without knowing the budget and creativity level.

Edited by Ephrem Augustine
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Piccoli Fiori JMJ

+JMJ

I am against all sticks and bare trees decorating anything. Wreaths are also not my favorite. Felt is also not welcome. Plain and simple will be best. I kinda just want to have a huge cross put up on the wall and that's it...

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Piccoli Fiori JMJ

+JMJ

Good news. No banners. We are saving those for Easter and they will not be in the Sanctuary. We will have a book however (it is representing Scripture) that will be a 'theme'... So there will be a large book behind our Resurrex-ifix with some violet fabric draped from it. But, this is better than the suggested question mark and exclamation point banners that were suggested. I also think I was the only one who actually read the Scriptures for each week to understand what the focus for each week was really about.

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  • 11 years later...

The purpose of decorations is not to make the church pretty... it's to remind us of the significance of the liturgical year.  When Christians enter the church during Lent, something should be different.  Something should remind us that we are in a time of self analyzation and letting go of what keeps us from Christ

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