A Roman Catholic Church.
My personal recommendation of a Roman Catholic church would be St. Monica's, the local parish in Palmers Green. We visited this church during school time and I found that it is a fantastic place of worship. This is because there is an incredibly calm and peaceful atmosphere that is genuinely essential for creating a meaningful connection with God. The fact that running and shouting is not allowed means that you can fully concentrate on developing your relationship with God. As with every place of worship, it was incredibly important that we showed our awareness of the fact that we were in a sacred place where people pray. We showed understanding and respect through a conscious change in our attitude and the way we acted.
St. Monica's R.C church is liturgical. This means that liturgies are extremely organised as it includes prepared prayers, the penitential rite (this the confession and absolution at the beginning of mass), the Liturgy of the Word (bible readings and a sermon), the Liturgy of the Eucharist (giving thanks and praise, the prayer of consecration and the preparation of the bread and wine), the rite of communion (receiving the body and blood of Jesus) and the concluding rite (blessing given by the priest). The sacraments are the centre of worship and when it follows a set form, it is extremely effective. Personally, I can make a much deeper connection with God when I am in a well thought-out mass as there are no distractions like there could be in a non-liturgical ceremony. There is an incredibly holy atmosphere that makes you want to be at one with God. You can only find this order and ambience in Catholic and orthodox churches.
It is clear from the Gospels that Jesus intended that what he had begun should continue after his death. He chose disciples to be his followers, learn from him and go out and proclaim his message. This is like the priests in St. Monica's. They are fantastic preachers who we can learn valuable lessons from.
Features of a Church.
I am going to write about the features of a Catholic church and I used St. Monica's to help me describe them. I shall be educating you on the layout of the church, the atmosphere, the statues, the font, the altar and crucifix, the paschal candle, the tabernacle, the lectern, the confessional, stained glass windows and the notice board. I will describe in detail what it is, how it is used and why it is used in that way. Also, I will be explaining the belief and practices behind them.
* Layout:
St. Monica's is a cruciform church and this means that it is built in the shape of a cross. It is not so apparent when you first look at this particular place of worship but the blue carpet running through the church is in the shape of a cross. Cruciform is a common description of Christian churches which are usually, though not exclusively, built with a layout comprising:
* An east end, containing an altar and often with an elaborate, decorated window, through which light will shine in the early part of the day.
* A west end, which sometimes contains a font, being a large decorated bowl, in which water can be firstly, blessed (dedicated to the use and purposes of God) and then placed upon infant or older believers as a sign of their dedication.
* North and south transepts, being "arms" of the cross and often containing rooms for gathering, small side chapels, or in many cases other necessities ...
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* An east end, containing an altar and often with an elaborate, decorated window, through which light will shine in the early part of the day.
* A west end, which sometimes contains a font, being a large decorated bowl, in which water can be firstly, blessed (dedicated to the use and purposes of God) and then placed upon infant or older believers as a sign of their dedication.
* North and south transepts, being "arms" of the cross and often containing rooms for gathering, small side chapels, or in many cases other necessities such as an organ and toilets.
Cruciform designs became the more popular form for cathedrals beginning in the 9th century owing to the development of capping box-shaped structures with a central dome. Until this time, circular churches predominated. Although the term "cruciform" is strongly associated with Gothic design, the term may be applied to any similarly laid-out buildings, even non-religious ones. This becomes more obvious when looking at the church in a birds eye view:
* Atmosphere:
The atmosphere in St. Monica's is great for Catholic worship. It is so peaceful and tranquil that I can easily connect with God and improve my relationship with him through prayer. This particular church is always open to the public and is an excellent place for contemplating. The type of atmosphere in St. Monica's
* Stations of the Cross:
Where did the Stations of the Cross come from? After Jesus died and rose from the dead, many people reflected upon his passion and death. They began to make visits to Jerusalem and walk in Jesus' footsteps. The street Jesus walked is still called Via Dolorosa, the way of pain. People would stop along the way and remember what had happened to Jesus. It is likely that they marked the places for those who came after them to follow as well. These people became known as "pilgrims."
As Christianity spread throughout the world, distance made it nearly impossible for people to make the trip to Jerusalem. That didn't stop their need to know and remember. By the twelfth century, the fervour of the Crusades and a heightened devotion to the Passion of Jesus created a demand in Europe for representations of the last events in Jesus' life.
When the Franciscans took over the custody of the shrines in the Holy Land in 1342, they saw it as their mission to encourage devotion to these places. In western Europe, a series of shrines erected to help the faithful remember Christ's passion became commonplace. They were erected outside Churches and monasteries and in other places as well. For many years there was a considerable variety in the number and title of these "stations". The current number of fourteen first appeared in the Low Countries in the sixteenth century and became standard in the eighteenth century with a series of papal pronouncements.
The chief promoter of this devotion was the Franciscan Leonard of Port Maurice (died 1751), who set up more than five hundred sets of stations, the best know being the one in the Coliseum of Rome. Modern liturgists have emphasized that devotion to the Passion is incomplete without reference to the Resurrection and have thus fostered the addition of a "fifteenth station," the Resurrection of Jesus.
The Season of Lent is a natural time for this devotion. As the years passed, many Catholic Churches had the Stations of the Cross along the walls of their worship space. "Pilgrims" can come to Church any time, pray and move from station to station. The Church may have books available too, to help us reflect on these Stations. Sometimes, parishes schedule a time for people to gather and pray at the stations together.
Stations of the cross are found in some Roman Catholic and Anglican churches and are pictures or carvings which have special acts of devotion. They commemorate the Passion and death of Jesus. In Catholic churches, there may be fourteen pictures around the walls depicting each Station Of The Cross. These represent what Jesus went through on the way to his death. People go to each station to pray and meditate. The stations are:
* Jesus is condemned to death
* Jesus carries His cross
* Jesus falls the first time
* Jesus meets His Mother
* Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross
* Veronica Wipes Jesus' face
* Jesus falls the second time
* The women of Jerusalem weep for Jesus
* Jesus falls the third time
* Jesus is stripped of his garments
* Jesus is nailed to the cross
* Jesus is lifted up on the cross and dies
* Jesus is taken down from the cross
* Jesus is laid in the tomb
Churches have stations of the cross because they are the focus of prayer, especially during lent and Good Friday in Holy week. A station of the cross that I will describe to you is the twelfth one where Jesus is lifted up on to the cross and dies.
As Jesus hung on the cross, he forgave the soldiers who had crucified him, and prayed for his mother and friends. He was between two criminals, a mocking title above his head, with only Mary, John and Mary Magdalene to support him. 'It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then, the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last' Luke 23: 44-46. Jesus wanted all of us to be able to live forever with God, so he gave all he had for us.
* Statues:
Catholic statues offer a special way for those of the catholic faith to celebrate the lives and acts of Jesus, Mary and the number of saints that helped establish the church. Although the use of statues has come under criticism over the centuries, Catholic doctrine confirms that the use of statues is not a form of Iconoclasm. Catholic statues offer a method for honouring these people as well as images that portray the example that Catholics should follow.
The statues that I see in St. Monica's are of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, St. Monica and Joseph.
The statue that will always be in a Catholic Church is the one of Mary. This is because Catholics believe Mary is the mother of God and that she can intercede on their behalf to God. Some Christians, including Roman Catholics show respect to the Virgin. They may have a statue or picture of the Virgin Mary because of her importance as the mother of Jesus. Some Christians believe that they can ask Mary to pray for them. They are not expecting her to be able to answer their prayers but ask her to mediate between them and God because she is so special. Christians believe in life after death and believe that the Church has members on earth and in heaven. They might ask a Saint or the Virgin Mary to pray for them in a time of need in the same way as they might ask a friend to pray for them.
Catholic churches have statues because they are a reminder of Christians who have been an example of faith, someone who has lived according to Jesus' teachings. A statue of Christ reminds us where all salvation comes from. Seeing an icon of Mary reminds us of her humility before her Son and Saviour and acts as a "window into Heaven". A statue of St. Francis of Asissi reminds us of his obedience.
* Font:
The font in St. Monica's is positioned near the paschal candle which is at the front of the church beside the altar. The font, which is used for containing the holy water for baptism is usually at the entrance of the church to symbolise that a person enters the family of the church, through baptism. A font is often used for infant baptism. The water used symbolises the removal of sin and the death of the old life. Baptism is the rite of initiation by which people enter the Church. It represents becoming a member of the Church.
The other place you would find holy water is in the holy water stoop. This is used because Catholics are to cross themselves with holy water when they enter the church. They are found at the entrance in bowls. A priest has blessed it and it is called holy water. When Catholics enter the church they bless themselves, that is, they dip their fingers into the water to remind themselves of their baptism, and make the sign of the cross, to remind them of the Trinity and the death of Jesus. It also puts them into a reverent frame of mind as they enter the church.
* Altar and Crucifix:
The altar in St. Monica's is a white cuboid with a gold crucifix in the middle. It is a table made of stone like a mound. In traditional Roman Catholic churches, the altar will usually be covered with a richly embroidered cloth. A cross and candlesticks with candles will stand on the altar. The altar is the focal point of the church because Catholics believe a miracle (transubstantiation) takes place. Transubstantiation is the belief that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus at the consecration.
It is called an altar because it represents the table of the Last Supper and the sacrifice Jesus made for us. The altar is a sacrificial table. The focus of Roman Catholicism is the liturgy of the Mass, or Eucharist. Attendance is obligatory on Sundays and Feasts of Obligation such as Christmas and Easter. The altar is the table where the bread and wine for the Eucharist are consecrated (blessed). The priest, or minister, uses the altar to prepare the bread and wine for the Eucharist. Congregations face the altar during church services. Christian altars came into use with the end of persecution, and were erected over the relics of martyrs.
The crucifix in the altar is gold and distinctive. When you firstly see it, you can not fully make out what it is but when you look closely you can easily observe that it is a cross in a circle. It is quite distinguished because the altar in St. Monica's is rather plain and the gold crucifix stands out. The circle symbolises life and eternity as the cross is never ending. The symbolises Jesus. The altar is at the heart of the church just like the Eucharist is at the heart of Catholic worship.
* The Paschal Candle:
