{"id":2008,"date":"2014-09-27T10:40:58","date_gmt":"2014-09-27T15:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/?p=2008"},"modified":"2014-12-27T12:58:11","modified_gmt":"2014-12-27T17:58:11","slug":"if-you-have-to-ask-is-that-the-church-its-time-to-call-an-architect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/2014\/09\/if-you-have-to-ask-is-that-the-church-its-time-to-call-an-architect\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Have to Ask, “Is that the Church?” It’s Time to Call an Architect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Last month I had the chance to visit Fr. Dwight Longenecker\u2019s parish<\/a>, Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville, SC. \u00a0 Google Maps was mostly-faithful, and I found the parish school without too much trouble. \u00a0I was a little early for Mass, but figured I\u2019d park\u00a0where the other people were parking, then wander around until I found the church.<\/p>\n

What was I looking for? \u00a0The school buildings were a classic collection done in the style of Low-Slung Mid-Century Frugal Southerner, complete with outdoor walkways connecting the classrooms in lieu of hallways. \u00a0I\u2019m quite at home with this genre, so I looked around for a church building to match.<\/p>\n

There was a bulky airplane-hangar-type structure done in a similar style to\u00a0the classroom buildings, probably the school gym or cafeteria. \u00a0There was a lady standing outside, friendly, holding a stack of papers in her hand. \u00a0I approached her. \u00a0She gave me a bulletin.<\/p>\n

Usually the person handing out bulletins stands\u00a0near<\/em> the entry to the church.<\/p>\n

This was my clue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this the church?\u201d I asked. \u00a0I did not like to ask this question. \u00a0It seemed like an awful thing to have to say about a cafeteria.<\/p>\n

She must have thought I coughed, or said, \u201cGood morning,\u201d or something like that. \u00a0She said something kind in reply, along the lines of \u201cWelcome to our parish.\u201d<\/p>\n

I pointed to the door she was standing in front of, and repeated my question. \u00a0\u201cSo, um, is this the church then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that where I go in? To the church? Is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yes. \u00a0Yes. \u00a0That\u2019s the church.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked inside. \u00a0I came back outside. \u00a0Father Longenecker came up, and he chatted with me, unprompted, about the building project they had in the works. \u00a0It was as if he thought, somehow, this required explaining.<\/p>\n

The great thing about authentic architecture is that it speaks for itself. \u00a0In this case, a mid-century cinder-block school gymnasium begging to be released from the sacred work\u00a0for which it was never made, the way an 80\u2019s Toyota Corolla really does not want to be your moving van.<\/p>\n

If you have ask, \u201cIs this the church?\u201d it\u2019s time for a new building.<\/strong> \u00a0I wrote my check for the building fund and stuck it in the offering. \u00a0Consider doing likewise<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
It\u2019s easy to know exactly what this is. \u00a0No one will mistake it for the dentist office, the power company, or the gymnasium. \u00a0When people are looking for Jesus, they look for one of these.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Image courtesy of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last month I had the chance to visit Fr. Dwight Longenecker\u2019s parish, Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville, SC. \u00a0 Google Maps was mostly-faithful, and I found the parish school without too much trouble. \u00a0I was a little early for Mass, but figured I\u2019d park\u00a0where the other people were parking, then wander around until […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,12,60,6],"tags":[312,311,310],"class_list":["post-2008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-craziness","category-liturgical-living","category-sacred-art-music","category-stick-that-corner","tag-church-architecture","tag-father-dwight-longenecker","tag-our-lady-of-the-rosary"],"yoast_head":"\nIf You Have to Ask, "Is that the Church?" 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