Two Interesting Masses in Washington

This, the first, will celebrate the feast day of Bl. John Henry Newman. I was first exposed to Newman at Ball State, where I began to look into his works and learn more about him. He was a brilliant and holy man.

On Monday, October 21st at 7:30pm at St. Mary Mother of God Church there will be a Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form in honor of Bl. Karl of Austria. Karl was the last emperor of Austria and apostolic king of Hungary, and he is someone to whom I have a particular devotion (perhaps given my largely Austro-Hungarian roots). I have written briefly about him here.

Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for us! Blessed Karl of Austria, pray for us!

States and Cities

An interesting thing about moving to a new place is learning all of the new geographic prejudices intrinsic to any place. Who do we envy here? What city is the pain in everyone's side? What state is to be looked down upon? To me, these little prejudices form one of the more subtle and interesting parts of American culture, which is so homogenized in so many other categories. On the macro-level, it's hard to compare the United States with say, Germany, where the differences between a Bavarian and a Brandenburger can be quite pronounced in terms of culture and dialect. I suppose the South has a fairly intact regional identity, as does New England, and Texas, but apart from these, it's harder to discern the little frictions that develop between localities.

Michigan, of course, has a longstanding feud with Ohio. To even say the the name of that state elicits feelings of both pity and contempt. We had a war with them once, and, frankly, we just can't get over it. Indiana is not held in contempt, just pitied. There's a subtle sense that Indiana is actually a Southern state that somehow got misplaced. Illinois is ignored, apart from Chicago, which is as the region's metropole is held in obligatory esteem. Wisconsin has beer. Within Michigan, there is a distinct social divide between the two peninsulas. There is also a rather strong east/west divide. The Thumb is just a strange place. In Indiana, the vitriol toward Ohio is regrettably absent, as Hoosiers tend to focus their derision on Kentucky, and Gary. Indianapolis, like most large cities, has its social and geographic strata which became apparent while at Ball State. 

Here in DC, it's harder to tell, since many people I interact with are not from DC at all. But, basically everyone is sort of suspicious of Baltimore. And Virginia is pretty much still written off as too conservative to matter. The Midwest is not really on anyone's radar, that's for sure. Michigan was characterized as fly-over country the other day in class and I was deeply offended. There are many denizens of New Jersey lying hither and yon 'round here. They do their part to both reinforce and shatter stereotypes in rapidly bewildering succession. Philadelphia is just a dirtier version of DC. Joe Biden is from Delaware (sort of), rendering the entire state suspect.

I just think it's fascinating to see what places are on the radar of people in places I'm unfamiliar with. Where do they vacation? Where did their family live before? Who are rivals in sports? 

St Anton Kirche

Zurich is not particularly renowned for its Catholicism. The reformer Huldrych Zwingli succeeded in converting most of the city to his version of Protestantism during the course of the Reformation. Catholics in Zurich, as in Scandinavia, Britain, and other Protestant nations, were largely marginalized until the mid Nineteenth Century. Yet, there are some Catholic gems to be found even in iconoclastic Zurich. This church, in Zurich's fashionable Hottingen neighborhood, was built at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Karl Moser, the foremost proponent of the Art Nouveau (or Jugendstil) in Switzerland, was the architect.

It's reserved exterior is quite handsome. It preserves the traditional facade of a church, while introducing bits of modernity in terms of the detailing and the materials. It is a very elegant exercise in architectural continuity. The tower is especially lovely, and bears a striking resemblance to the campanile on the campus of Cornell University.

The interior provides many lessons on how church architects today, often faced with tight budgets, might make the most of a parish's resources. It is not overdone in terms of ornament, yet the ornamental scheme that is employed is sound, unified, and beautiful.

Expensive materials are used sparingly around the sanctuary, while the remainder of the iconography is basically all painting. Yet, the richness of the colors and the clear orientation of the painting prevent it from seeming too "tacked on" to the whole. It is a shame that a meager Ikea-table-altar is used instead of the magnificent original high altar.

Francis, Francis, Rebuild My Church

I had thought that the services of my Papal Speculatron 3000 had been exhausted after the smoke cleared form the Conclave in March and all speculation about who next would be seated on the Chair of Peter was ended in the person of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio. However, his tour-de-force papacy has so far kept the speculators of the world busy! These are interesting times when traditionalists, women's ordination advocates, and the writers at the always dubious HuffPost Religion Pages can all say with equal amounts of dread and eagerness, "What will the pope say next?!"

The ripples that spread throughout the sphere of the mass media from Rome, where the pope is known as Papa Chatterbox, have been a-rufflin' feathers lately. But, despite all of the punditry, analysis, and a fair dose of simply lazy reporting, there is something interesting going on here. If I might role out and dust off the Speculatron for a moment (though it did lead me astray by predicating a Bagnasco Pontificate, probably because he's the one Cardinal who looks most like he could be a Bond villain), I think it's interesting to contemplate what the pope could be doing.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that the Church has suffered, repeatedly, from some terrible scandals, which have done grievous damage to the souls affected, and, indeed to the credibility of the message proclaimed. Add a press eager to caricature Benedict XVI as a stuffy, out-of-touch, nostalgic ultraconservative, and you have nearly a decade of headlines describing the Church's teachings as "reactionary" and so forth.

I know what I'm doing. Really, I do.

His Holiness of Our Lord, Francis, certainly knows these things. He's a crafty Jesuit after all. I think, what the pope has been doing, is starting from the very building blocks of Christianity and attempting to re-evangelize a world that has gotten so busy caricaturing the Church that they forget what she teaches and who she professes as Lord. It's been a long time since the Church has been front page news. Francis, the evangelist-in-chief, is not going to be changing the doctrines of the Church (sorry New York Times, HuffPo, Slate, et al). But, perhaps, the things he does choose to emphasize and develop will plant a seed of thought into a person's mind that may one day flower into an embrace of the Church of Christ. Perhaps one fallen-away person will hear the pope's reminders of God's infinite mercy and will be emboldened enough to return to the Church. Perhaps one gay Catholic will be reminded of God's infinite love for all persons, and will reconsider the Church - not in spite of her doctrines, but because of them.

Folks, we in the West live in a post-Christian world. The old structures of religion, which were once such pillars of community life have been eroded, not without the help of many misguided Christians. The pope, my Speculatron confirms, is grasping for a way to interact with this world. Part of the pope's job is to say "no". His office is, by its nature, conservative. But, perhaps what the pope can do, and can call the rest of us to do, is to remind the world, not of the No's, but of the phenomenal Yes of God. Yes God is all-merciful, yes God is all-loving, and yes God wants you to embrace him in His Body, the Church. Catholicism is not a free-for-all, but all of the doctrines of the Church, though the world may not understand, come from God's desire for your good, and his abundant love for you.

Visible Celebrations of Tenderness

Although we belong to a species which spends an alarming amount of its time blowing things up, every now and then we are moved to add gargoyles or garlands, stars or wreaths, to our buildings for no practical reason whatever. In the finest of these flourishes, we can read signs of goodness in a material register, a form of frozen benevolence. We see in them evidence of those sides of human nature which enable us to thrive rather than simply survive. These elegant touches remind us that we are not exclusively pragmatic or sensible: we are also creatures who, with no possibility of profit or power, occasionally carve friars out of stone and mould angels onto walls. In order not to mock such details, we need a culture confident enough about its pragmatism and aggression that it can also acknowledge the contrary demands of vulnerability and play - a culture, that is, sufficiently unthreatened by weakness and decadence as to allow for visible celebrations of tenderness.

- Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness

Lou Kahn on Our Epoch

About a month ago, I was working late in my office, as is my custom, and a man working with me said, "I would like to ask you a question which has been on my mind for a long while... How would you describe this epoch?"

This man is Hungarian, who came to this country when the Russians entered Hungary. I pondered this question because, somehow, it fascinates me to answer questions to which I do not know the answer.

But I had just been reading in the New York Times Magazine of the things that had been going on in California. I had visited California, and I went through Berkeley, and I noticed the size of the revolution, and the great promises of the machine, and I felt, as I had read recently, that there were poets who were trying to write poems without words.

I sat for at least ten minutes, without moving, reviewing in my mind all these things, and finally I said to Gabor, "What is the shadow of white light?"

Gabor has a habit of repeating what you say, "White light... white light... I don't know." And I said, "Black. Don't be afraid, because white light does not exist, nor does black shadow exist."

I think that it is a time of our sun on trial, of all our institutions on trial.

I was brought up when the sunlight was yellow, and the shadow was blue. But I see it clearly as being white light, and black shadow. Yet this is nothing alarming, because I believe that there will come a fresh yellow, and a beautiful blue, and that the revolution will bring forth a new sense of wonder. Only from wonder can come our new institutions... they certainly cannot come from analysis.

And I said, "You know, Gabor, if I could think what I would do, other than architecture, it would be to write a new fairy tale, because from the fairy tale came the airplane, and the locomotive, and the wonderful instruments of our minds... it all came from wonder."

- Louis I. Kahn, 1968

Resonating

This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a cloud of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

- Rumi

*      *      *

Sine I first read this poem last week, it has been resonating with me and my current situation. We are reading the poetry of Rumi as part of our introductory regiment for studio. Rumi has been much in vogue among New Age-ers and the like for some of his more universalist views. But, I echo both Thomas Aquinas who advised seeking truth wherever it may be found and a Polish proverb that points out that even broken clocks are right twice per day.

So early in my experience here in DC, I never know what the day will hold. There are many possibilities for both happiness and sorrow. Friendships are slowly developing, perhaps too slowly for my liking. I come from a vast network of friends, for whom I am very grateful. But, none of them are around. This is a new feeling for me. It isn't like freshman year either, where life in the residence halls provided a ready-made social environment.

This is not to say I am unhappy - far from it. We are just in unfamiliar territory at the moment. Every morning is truly a new arrival.

*      *      *

Tomorrow, there is an information meeting for the campus Knights of Columbus council. I look forward to getting to know some of the men on campus involved in that organization. Next week there are call-out meetings for both the American Institute of Architecture Students and USGBC Students, catering to architecture students specifically. I was involved in both organizations at Ball State and look forward to the opportunities they'll bring here.

So, there are things on the horizon. Organizations, meetings, and minutes will surely come in due time. Which again reinforces the awkwardness of the current moment. I know I will be busy soon enough. I know I will be longing for solitude and peace soon enough. Which means I should soak it all in now with gratitude. I am attempting to do so.

*      *      *

Daily mass is offered in Caldwell Chapel on campus at 12:30pm. I can go every day if I please. I have gone twice so far. I like daily mass because of its succinctness and its silence. Today we chanted the sung portions of the mass a cappella. It was hauntingly beautiful in its simplicity. No microphones, no piano, just the human voice rising to God.

Last week, the university's chancellor, Donald Cardinal Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, was on hand to offer a special Mass of the Holy Spirit for the opening of the academic year. The faculty were in attendance in full academic regalia, and the Apostolic Nuncio was present alongside a host of priests from area religious houses. It was a grand and solemn occasion that lasted nearly two hours. The grandeur of the celebration matched the grandeur of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception - a rare feat.

*      *      *

I have been reflecting on how interesting it is to be back at a Catholic school. In a very interesting way, I think it was beneficial for me to have spent four years away. I loved Ball State, but it is so refreshing to be at a place unfettered from the bonds of political correctness and absolute relativism. This openness to discussion of faith - but also philosophy and more general spiritual things - is pervasive on campus. The studio concentration I have chosen, Sacred Space and Cultural Studies, confronts the metaphysical and spiritual dimensions of being directly, so that architecture can be in service to the whole person. 

Thus, having discussions on truth, beauty, faith, becomes integral to the progression of architectural education. Again, it feels as though I am breathing new and wondrously fresh springtime air. My past experiences of architectural education dared not even broach the questions of what makes architecture "good" or "beautiful". The relativistic tiptoeing-on-eggshells responses of professors were designed to be purposely vague so that one theory of what makes good architecture is not valued more than another. Of course, this was coupled with a nearly universal disdain for anything remotely traditional. At least here, everyone is showing their cards. I am enrolled in a studio that will be exploring minimalism. I have my own intellectual baggage about minimalism, but at least I know where I'm headed. I may be being cleared out for a new delight.

*      *      *

Campus is thronged by priests and religious in their habits. Seeing the variety of habits, cassocks, etc. gladdens my heart. It's like seeing a policeman or fireman in their uniform - you know that these men and women have put their lives at the service of others (and God, in this case). I wish the wider culture could see more priests and religious properly dressed out and about. It is such a counter-cultural sign to this self-obsessed era of ours.

*      *      *

I don't have air-conditioning in my apartment. This has taken some getting used to, as it has been routinely in the 90s since I moved in. The humidity is what really kicks my butt. I have never sweated so much in my life as I have the past two weeks. But, I am learning to cope, slowly but surely. Hydration is key, and I find myself drinking water at intervals that would've seemed preposterous in Muncie. Luckily, the evenings have been cool, so sleep has not been an issue. 

*      *      *

This past weekend, my friend Heather arrived for a visit of a few days. It was so very nice to have someone here to spend time with - especially such a good friend. I got to play tour guide around DC - it's amazing how quickly I'm becoming oriented to everything. It was fun to play tourist a little bit. We went to the National Gallery of Art, the monuments, the Air and Space Museum, caught the Army Blues band playing a concert on the steps of the Capitol. It was a nice, full weekend.

Also in the vein of travel and tourism, I'm looking forward to heading home in a week and a half for my cousin's wedding. The following weekend, I'm going to Boston to meet my parents for my birthday. And, at some point this fall, I must get up to New York to visit a good friend from Ball State who's working there for the semester. Being in a well-connected city like DC makes such visiting so much easier.