A Process So Old

Designing a beautiful church requires specialized knowledge from beginning to end among architects, artists, designers and theologians. 

Heritage Liturgical provides this expertise and helps clients design a building which “looks like” a church because it is what a church is and does what a church does: creates a theological world which helps the earthly liturgy become transparent to the worship of heaven. 

In this way, church architecture for today’s parish can drink from the deep wells of tradition while heeding the call of the Second Vatican Council to “take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God” and “we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army” (SC, 8).

The Church calls this approach mystagogy, being led from the tangible things of this world to encounter the mysteries of heaven: Christ reigning in glory taking our prayers to the Father through the love of the Holy Spirit, angels and saints singing in adoration, and all of creation redeemed and brought to glory. These great theological ideas are not just meant to be known, they are meant to be seen, encountered through theologically-informed artistic design, making the church building an “earthly heaven” which teaches us how to be heavenly. In other words, to bring Heaven down to earth, and draw a map of Heaven on earth.

Heritage Liturgical begins with the notion that church architecture is rooted in God’s revelation of Himself to us today, just as it was in building the Tabernacle of Moses or the Temple of Solomon. Just as Jesus spoke of the Temple of His Body, so we speak of the church building and its sacred art as theology in built form which inspire worshippers to grow in holiness by giving them an encounter with Christ.