Liverpool - Globe
Friday, 22 March 2024
The World Cup of Misused Churches
Yet another World Cup to be settled by Twitter polls.
The churches can be Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, whatever (so far they seem to be Anglican cathedrals
that were once Catholic). The misuse is to be some significant secular event that took place
in a place normally used for worship - so liturgical abuses
don't count (we have plenty of those anyway!)
We have nine nominations so far, all from England, so please nominate others worldwide
(with location and preferably
a link or a photo):
Canterbury - Silent disco
Durham - Globe
Norwich - Dinosaur
Norwich - Helter-skelter
Peterborough - Dinosaur
Rochester - Crazy golf
St Edmundsbury - Masonic dinner
Westminster - Amal puppet
I won't start until after Easter, but let's have nominations in now.
Oh... and this is not the place to discuss the theft of Catholic cathedrals...
Was the topic of this poll inspired by the first five minutes of the latest Mass of the Ages video? (Church as hotel/pub/bookstore/skateboard park…)
ReplyDeleteNo, my attention was drawn to the most recent one (St Edmundsbury) and I thought "How many more of these wretched things are there?"
ReplyDeleteS. Michael and All Angels, Mount DInham in Exeter is an Anglo-Catholic shrine church. Its spire is higher than Exeter Cathedral and it has superb acoustics. It is Grade I listed and the masterpiece of its architect Major Rohde Hawkins. It is however legally a chapel of ease in the parish of S. David. It is under-represented on the Parochial Church Council which has displayed consistent hostility to its worship and to its congregation over the past ten years or so. This culminated last night in a resolution to
ReplyDeletei) "contact the Diocese and other parties to explore the options available for SOCIAL HOUSING" to be created out of Exeter’s beloved and historic building of St Michael’s Mount Dinham, specifically to insert 20-30 single bedroom flats into the nave, and ii) "to request the Archdeacon to investigate the process involved with possible changes which include the SUBDIVISION OR CLOSURE OF THE BUILDING".
Sant’Ignazio Churc in Carpi, Italy blasphemous art show https://lanuovabq.it/storage/imgs/20240303120528-img-1076-large-0.JPG
ReplyDeleteNomination - The St-Jude spa and wellness center is housed in the decommissioned structure and extension to the Dominican church and sanctuary to Our Lady of the Rosary and to Saint Jude. The 1907 stone, brick, and steel structure occupies a busy stretch of St-Denis Street, one of Montreal’s principal commercial arteries and is situated at the heart of the Plateau, one of Montreal’s most vibrant residential districts. https://www.archdaily.com/474210/le-st-jude-thomas-balaban-architect
ReplyDeleteThanks for these suggestions. Note that building that are no longer churches - that is, used for divine worship - don't count (we have several that are now shops or apartments).
ReplyDeleteWell, that rules out the old Pro-Cathedral in Clifton, Bristol. It is now student accommodation. I could weep.
DeleteSt. Cecilia cathedral -Omaha, Nebraska, US. Probably better photos out there but here it is: https://restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2016/03/cleaning-out-trash-from-st-cecilia.html?m=1
ReplyDeleteThanks. A "good" one.
DeleteAh yes, Cardinal Nichols getting in with a Catholic Cathedral that is still Catholic, but alas.
ReplyDeleteThere is no need to discuss the theft of Catholic cathedrals, anyway - Chesterton said the last word on the subject many years ago.
ReplyDeleteMost misused church : the Church of England.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this counts: the Houston, Texas cathedral was (mis)used for Methodist ordinations
ReplyDeletehttps://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/06/houston-we-have-protestant.html?m=1
Brussels cathedral celebrated the 500th anniversary of the reformation with a concert that some young catholics interrupted with the rosary. Good video embedded in the article:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/37102/catholic-group-removed-from-reformation-celebration-in-brussels
Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan had a trans display
ReplyDeletehttps://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254320/god-is-trans-exhibit-at-nyc-catholic-church-new-york-archdiocese-expressed-concern
Thanks for these. I will investigate.
DeleteHow about the Iftar in Bristol Cathedral the other day?. If you want something a little more obscure, the Lutheran cathedral in Visby (Sweden) has a lot of trans-themed art; at least it did last June.
ReplyDeleteSorry, too late now, as we have already started. But they would have been good nominations.
Delete