[Magdalen] Catching up

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/14/2016 3:11:57 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
houstonklr at gmail.com writes:

The  Cathedral itself is beautiful and arranged unlike any I've ever 
>  seen--too complicated to describe  here.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
 
I was wary of the updating of the Diocese of Pennsylvania Cathedral
when they were doing it, but I needn't have been.  The building  as
originally built was a moderately successful Romanesque design, but
somehow the redo fit the place very nicely.
 
The same cannot be said, IMHO, for the Milwaukee Archdiocesan
Cathedral --- Saint John's.  This was a Renaissance classical  building,
both inside and out, and dominated by an eastern apse with high altar
and canopy.  On bringing the Cathedral "up to date," they ripped  out
the high altar and canopy and replaced it with a large pipe organ  with
a so-so case, and it has become the new focal point.
 
The tiny high altar is placed halfway down the nave.  It is the size  of
an end-table in the average American livingroom.  There is a new
canopy of sorts that hangs over the altar consisting of what looks  like
a cross between deer antlers and a sort of crown of thorns.
 
Within a couple of decades I predict they'll thrown out the  remodeling
and redo the whole thing.
 
I adored the brand of theology espoused by ++Weakland, but not his
taste in church architecture.
 
 
 
David Strang.