A PEOPLE'S SENSE OF SACRED: CATHOLIC IDENTITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILDING A THESIS PROJECT SUBMITTED TO McMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE McMASTER UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY WILLIAM J. TURNER, B.A., M.A. JANUARY, 1997 DOCTOR OF MINISTRY McMASTER UNIVERSITY Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: A People's Sense of Sacred: Catholic Identity and its Relationship to the Catholic Church Building AUTHOR: William Joseph Turner SUPERVISOR: Rev. Dr. William H. Brackney NUMBER OF PAGES: 220 McMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE Upon the recommendation of an oral examination committee and vote of the faculty, this project thesis by WILLIAM JOSEPH TURNER is hereby accepted in partial fuIrIlment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MINISTRY Internal Reader External Reader Date January 17, 1997 DEDICATION TO MY FATHER, A CONVERT TO CATHOLICISM, WHOSE LOVE FOR THE SYMBOLS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DREW HIM TO THE FAITH; AND FOR MY MOTHER, WHOSE ETHNIC BACKGROUND AFFECTED MY ENVIRONMENT, AND TAUGHT ME ABOUT THE SACRED. WITH A LOVE THAT IS NOT ALWAYS VOICED. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Fredric Roberts, who has mentored me throughout both my preparation before this project, as well as the preparation of the thesis itself. His proposal for the use of anthropological methodology in liturgical implementation was an inspiration for me. I also deeply appreciate the contributions of the members of my doctoral committee: Dr. William Brackney, principal of McMaster Divinity College, for his encouragement and scholarly assistance; Dr. Reinhold Kerstan, for his enthusiastic support; Dr. William Wood, who assisted as Director of this doctoral program until his retirement in 1996; and Dr. Andrew Irvine, who is the current director. I was further assisted and supported by members of my Ministry Team. I would especially like to remember the late James Platte, and also John Lindemann, for his many hours of computer assistance in programming research documents and texts. This study would not have been possible without the support of our parish staff, who patiently carried a greater work load during my time of studies and research. I thank the seventy interviewed participants, who honestly, and with enthusiasm, shared their experience of what was sacred to them in their church building and in their Church. Their responses were rich, and the time that I spent with them yielded a critical self-reflection that will make a difference to my future ministry. A PEOPLE'S SENSE OF SACRED: CATHOLIC IDENTITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILDING A THESIS PROJECT SUBMITTED TO McMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE McMASTER UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY WILLIAM J. TURNER, B.A., M.A. JANUARY, 1997 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Fredric Roberts. who has mentored me throughout both my preparation before this project. as well as the preparation of the thesis itself. His proposal for the use of anthropological methodology in liturgical implementation was an inspiration for me. I also deeply appreciate the contributions of the members of my doctoral committee: Dr. William Brackney, principal of McMaster Divinity College, for his encouragement and scholarly assistance; Dr. Reinhold Kerstan, for his enthusiastic support; Dr. William Wood, who assisted as Director of this doctoral program until his retirement in 1996; and Dr. Andrew Irvine, who is the current director. I was further assisted and supported by members of my ~inistry Team. I would especially like to remember the late James Platte, and also John Lindemann, for his many hours of computer assistance in programming research documents and texts. This study would not have been possible without the support of our parish staff, who patiently carried a greater work load during my time of studies and research. I thank the seventy interviewed participants, who honestly, and with enthusiasm, shared their experience of what was sacred to them in their church building and in their Church. Their responses were rich, and the time that I spent with them yielded a critical self-reflection that will make a difference to my future ministry. DEDICATION TO MY FATHER, A CONVERT TO CATHOLICISM, WHOSE LOVE FOR THE SYMBOLS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DREW HIM TO THE FAITH; AND FOR MY MOTHER, WHOSE ETHNIC BACKGROUND AFFECTED MY ENVIRON~ENT, AND TAUGHT ME ABOUT THE SACRED. WITH A LOVE THAT IS NOT ALWAYS VOICED. ABSTRACT This thesis examines the Catholic identity of seventy Roman Catholics and how they see that identity expressed in their church buildings. These Catholics have conveyed strong emotions about their relationship with the God they have come to experience in their churches. Since the Second Vatican Council, many of their familiar religious symbols and ceremonies have been adjusted, removed or replaced. This has often left the participants expressing confusion or hurt. This thesis recommends that pastors and liturgists benefit from some of the applied methodologies of cultural anthropology by listening to the voices of their parishioners and by sharing in their feelings that reflect the importance of these symbols. It is proposed that change and renewal may be more successful when such a process is employed. The author interviewed forty Catholics in his own parish, a parish he knew well. Later, thirty other Catholics were asked to contribute their input. These additional voices were chosen from three parishes that had different experiences of the liturgical renewal as it affected their church buildings. The entire interview procedure took six months to complete. The author does not propose that these seventy Catholics represent the opinions of all Catholics on the topic of Catholic identity. Proper cultural anthropological technique would demand a much longer exposure to the customs and experience of even these Catholics so that richer fieldnotes could be assembled. The author was also aware of bias that may have existed in his role of priest/interviewer talking to parishioner/Catholic. These concerns were kept in mind as the work proceeded. What does emerge from the research is the benefit of applying social science methodology to Christian ministry. The process of critical self-reflection affects the minister and his/her relationship with the congregation. Relationships can lead to trust, healing and understanding. The major conclusion of this research indicates that when these three elements are active, a more successful implementation of liturgical reform will be possible. The statements that have been made by these Catholics about their Catholic identity may have a much broader implication. It may prove beneficial compare them to the voices that are heard from other congregations. The results of such studies may yield similar results concerning religious identity as it relates to the experience of the house of God. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE I NTRODUCT ION. 1 The Topic ........................................ 1 Background to the Research ........................ 3 Voices Crying in the Wilderness .................. 7 What Is Anthropological Method? .................. 10 Beginning the Research ........................... 16 The Liturgical Renewal ........................... 17 Where Have They Taken My Lord? ................... 20 Many Voices, One Church .......................... 22 Sample Sanctuary: Before and After ................ 25 My Own Interview ................................. 26 Avoiding That Glazed Expression .................. 27 Visi ting the Interviews .......................... 32 Critical Self-Reflection ......................... 34 Accountabili ty ................................... 35 Other Responses .................................. 38 Catholic, With a Capital "C" ., ................... 38 The Data ......................................... 41 The Di fficul ties ................................. 42 Benefi ts for Ministry ............................ 43 Notes ............................................ 44 CHAPTER TWO THE COMMUNITIES: A DESCRIPTION ...................... 47 The Diocese ...................................... 47 The Denominational Tradition ..................... 51 Parish One ....................................... 55 Parish Two ....................................... 62 Parish Three ..................................... 67 Parish Four ...................................... 72 Notes ............................................ 79 CHAPTER THREE THE INTERVIEWS: SELECT TRANSCRIPTS ................. 80 Interview One .................................... 80 Interviewer's Reflections ........................ 86 Interview Two .................................... 88 Interviewer's Reflections ........................ 95 Interview Three ................................. " 96 Interviewer's Reflections ........................ 103 CHAPTER FOUR DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DATA ........................... 107 Questions ........................................ 109 Ques t ion One ..................................... 118 Focus Categories ................................. 121 Themes ........................................... 126 Graphs and Charts ................................ 133 Statements ....................................... 140 Comparison of Data ............................... 155 Notes ............................................ 160 CHAPTER FIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA ............................... 161 Centrality