Today, September 14th is the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross. Tomorrow, September 15th is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Patronal Feast of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
There are so many things in these readings that I am captured by but here are a few thoughts...
"If we concentrate more on enriching imagination, greater empathy for the other is possible. Imagination makes empathy possible. Of all our cognitive capacities, imagination is the one that helps us to look through the eyes of other and hear through their ears......Experiences with works of art can be helpful...(Durka, 2002, p.43)."
I'm such a Catholic cheerleader that I can't sometimes help myselt. It's not that I think we do everything better than others, but rather I think we do somethings very well. This quote from Durka reminds me of what a sensual religious tradition Catholicism is. We use things that we can taste, see, feel, touch and smell. This quote took my imagination to my home parish church and the window near the pew we sat in for every weekend Mass of my childhood. The window was the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan. The image made Jesus so real to me, it make him truly human to me. And I imagined the window of Saint Cecelia high above the right side altar that I used to stare at during boring homilies. She was so elegant and kindly looking as the sun beamed through those magnificent colors. Art is so very Catholic.
And this reading reminded me of when I went to pay a bill up at Lone Mountain and went into what use to be the chapel (at which point I wanted to cry and could not help but think of Jesus' reaction to the money changers!). I was in clerical attire having just come from visiting someone at the hospital. The young man behind the counter asked me if I could explain to him the symbols in the remaining stained glass windows. Before I knew it there were six people standing and listening to me as I went one by one and explained the symbols visualized in splendid color. Those windows were there to instruct but also to stir the heart in such a way that faith was made active in people's lives. Compassion, empathy was made possible by remembering the story of Jesus and the saints and being drawn into those stories in how our imaginations were stimulated by those images.
Andrew Greeley speaks and has written about the Catholic imagination. Perhaps more important than anything else we do as Catholic educators, we need to foster that imagination in our students (as Durka suggests as well) and to use the tremendous history we have as Catholics within the realm of art to continue to instruct and to stir the heart. (Which leads me to wonder about a recently constructed cathedral in the Bay Area: Does raw concrete and minimalism stir the heart? Not mine.)
My second thought from Durka: "How sad it is that many teachers feel unable to defend their own beliefs...(Durka, 2002, p.53)" As a Catholic school administrator I found it particularly sad when teachers could not, or would not, defend their own faith beliefs. Hiring for mission really does mean that we need to find people comfortable enough with their own religious practice to speak openly about it. Although we may all from time to time struggle with our faith (something I see as good)I was always worried about the teachers who saw religion, even Catholicism, as a private matter. But to fulfill the entirety of the role of a Catholic school teacher, one has to be willing to model faith and religious practice to their students. Oddly enough, sometimes I found non-Catholics, even people outside of Christianity, more willing to speak about their faith and practice. This quote from Durka also reminds me of how personally secure we have to be as individuals to really be effective in education!
Walter, you made me think about many new ideas. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I love your story about teaching others about art at the USF chapel. It reminded me of a question I often ask: How do we educate others about the meaning of all things Catholic. After all, was that not a focus of Vatican II? If we do not know the meaning of rituals, art, feasts, and so on... we are educated about Catholicism through the mass media. I believe this topic also came up at Peggy Steinfels' lecture series that we attended during Summer West.
I also appreciate your last paragraph about how Catholic school teachers talk about their faith. I agree with your concerns. I hope we can unpack this more in class.
Thanks again for the thought-provoking post.
Your mention of Catholicism and the art accompanying it throughout the ages also made me think about my own practice. As a graphic design teacher I spend a large amount of time discussing art, design, the similarities and the differences.
ReplyDeleteWe also discuss our faith openly and I would like to infuse our school's Catholic and Jesuit identity into the students' work on a more regular basis. There is much beautiful symbolism in our Catholic history and I look forward to not only teaching this to my students, but learning more about it myself.
I would have loved to be among the small crowd listening to your stained-glass explanation. There was obviously a different kind of wisdom and knowledge in the illiterate Middle Ages -- at least people took the time to look. My European travels have included countless silent hours with strained neck trying to uncover all the iconography of the cathedrals. Would that today's students be patient and silent enough to experience the richness of the Catholic tradition which has unquestionably brought the world much needed Light.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post because it triggered several beautiful memories from my Catholic upbring.
ReplyDeleteMy very earliest days at Saint Vincent DePaul's here in San Fran. were in the days when Latin was still the language of the Mass. The vestments the priests wore daily were exquisitely and intricately embroidered in the most magnificient, rich colors. Bells chimed as the host was raised. Latin was the thread to the tapestry of the Mass. All this scenario, plus the incense rising and wafting throughout the church, left this very young child in a state of wonder and awe. This defined sacredness for me, and, in many ways still does. Yes, the concept of Catholicism through the senses is very real and very important to experiencing our Faith.
As far as the former chapel at the Lone Mountain Campus, I attended Lone Mountain when it was an independent university from USF and the chapel was still a chapel. I loved that chapel, prayed in it, and listened to extraordinary organ concerts there. To say that I feel a pang of sadness every time go there now is an understatement. Once a church, always a church, always sacred. Thank you for mentioning your interpretations of the windows. It brought back their stories.
I agree completely about Catholicism as art. I am reminded of the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna, Italy. These are great art, great symbols, great teaching vehicles. (Pictures of them are in my blog this week.)
Art as a way to God is powerful and often unexplored in school. I too would have loved to be present in the small crowd listenting to your explanation. It reminded me of how I used to feel every time I entered my elementary school church. I was fascinated by the same stain-glass windows for 8 years. Even though I managed to figure out which Bible passages were being depicted, I did have these mini-faith experiences, which I could not have explained at the time, but I did feel this deeper connection with God.
ReplyDeleteI have also had a similar experience of non-Catholics being a more able and willing to discuss their faith than those who practice Christianity. I find it interesting because I also see that to be true in my high school students. Perhaps they find faith to be a private matter, or maybe they don't want to be challenged in a way that leads to further confusion. Hiring employees who are comfortable speaking about their beliefs and values is critical because how can Catholic schools develop faith-filled students if the staff is unsure of or uncomfortable with their own faith.
Rock on Padre Walter!
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