Clerics as the Clerisy
January 19, 2013 10 Comments
Over at First Thoughts:
Duncan Stroik writes in Crisis of the need for priests and seminarians to achieve literacy in art and architecture, expected as they are to play the role of curator of artistic beauty as often as they curate beauty in the liturgy. Renaissance priests, as it were, seem especially needed in an age when art and architecture less frequently contemplate beauty at all.
… priests are the caretakers of the Church’s artistic patrimony. Each pastor is ostensibly the curator of a small art gallery as well as the overseer of a physical plant which needs constant maintenance, repair, and additions. Then there are the lucky few, or perhaps not, who have the opportunity to build anew. Building a church is a grand undertaking which includes thousands of decisions from hiring the right architect to raising millions of dollars to critiquing the statue of the Blessed Virgin to deciding whether the door hardware should be bronze or polished brass. And it all has to be done in addition to the full time job of running the parish.
Given that many pastors have to be shepherd, curator, head of the physical plant, chairman of the music and education programs, and chief development officer, does it make sense that they should have some training in art and architecture?
About Fr Stephen Smuts
Well, yes, but, it would be even better were the pastors to make use of skilled lay people for this as well. In the Catholic Church each parish is required to have a finance committee and is recommended to have a pastoral (parish) council, which in some dioceses (such as my home archdiocese of Boston) is mandatory. Making sure that knowledgable, discreet and trustworthy lay people who have the skills needed to advise and carry out care of the parish is probably better than trying to be a “renaissance” priest. I think that the history of parish vestries in Anglican parishes, where they have functioned well, would illustrate this nicely and could be used as case studies in a course to prepare pastors for their leadership role in parishes.
“it would be even better were the pastors to make use of skilled lay people for this as well”
That is very consistent with what Pope Benedict said at a meeting with clergy during his pilgrimage to Poland.
“The priest is not asked to be an expert in economics, construction or politics. He is expected to be an expert in the spiritual life.”
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/may/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060525_poland-clergy_en.html
The only “expert in the spiritual life” is at the Right-Hand-Of-God, “Christ Jesus”! Sadly, the church is practically so far removed from the Ascended Christ!
This comment of yours is such a perfect illustration that “Every protestant is his own pope”.
CC, In reality, Christ has made all Christians within or to “a kingdom, priests to his God and Father.” (Rev. 1:6) How little do many so-called Christians know and personally realize this! As is your ignorant statement it seems, sad!
Btw, the Ascension of Christ is practically absent in High Church theology! And the earliest Christian confession of faith, as expressed by Peter’s “The Christ of God,” knew that who Jesus is finds its answer in what Jesus does. Melanchthon put the matter in a classic sentence: “To know Christ is to know His benefits.” When “high Christology” forgets the historic person of the Redeemer, an imposing super-structure of speculation can become very remote from a living, loving “relationship” ‘In Christ’, Risen & Ascended: the One & Only Medatior!
Fr. Robert, I’m glad Melanchthon was available to help!
Lutheran Christology is quite orthodox. It permeates their understanding of baptism and the eucharist. (I have no idea if their sense of art or the artistic is any better than any other christian group today. But I’m sure they’d prefer their pastors to worry about and care for their flocks first and foremost.)
Yes, as you know Calvin and Melanchthon were certain friends, thankfully there is much agreement with those who share both the history and theology of the Reformation, and here the Ascension of Christ, and all that this contains theologically is central… again as Melanchthon writes: “This whole person, in whom are the two natures, is the Messiah, that is, our King and High Priest. Insofar as He is a Priest he has these duites: (1) He preaches the gospel. (2) He offers a sacrifice for sins. (3) He always prays for us, in His passion and afterward, nay more, from the beginning to end, according to the saying in Ps. ii, ‘ask of me, etc.’ It is here again, that Calvin’s theology of the Work of Christ: prophet, priest & king, the One and only Mediator is Centre. And here, for the Reformed, the great mediatoral Sesson’s of Christ still “ascend” to and before the Father!
Btw, here is biblical theology that is most certainly pastoral! And no doubt more central and comprehensive, than we can even comprehend! But certainly try and seek we must!
@Sessions