Decorating the Church

The decorated space should invite all parishioners to enter into the sacred beauty of the Mass while reflecting the theology of the liturgical season. In short, the liturgical environment should elevate the community’s prayer and worship. Pope Francis wrote in Evangelii Gaudium: “The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized by beauty in the liturgy.”

“This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart, and is that precious fruit which resists the erosion of time, which unites generations and enables them to be one in admiration. And all this through the work of your hands… Remember that you are the custodians of beauty in the world.” –Pope Paul VI from his “Address to Artists upon the Closing of the Second Vatican Council,” 8 December 1965.

If you are interested in being a part of decorating the church for special holidays, please contact John Kennedy, Director of Music Ministry, at musicministry@stjoschatham.org.