While there are numerous Protestant Churches of various sorts in Back Bay, Catholic Churches seem to be less in number in this particular part of Boston, and all of these churches have in common the attempt to build enormous sanctuaries with very high ceilings, making the space difficult to heat in the harsh Boston winters. There seems to as well have been almost a deliberate contest to see which church could have the most beautiful stained glass, and biggest organ. For example, compare these windows and organs from the Catholic and Congregational Churches… Not often do you have a stained glass window of the angel visiting the Roman soldier Cornelius and telling him to summon Peter, in Acts. 10.
One of the giveaways that one is in a Catholic church is of course the stations of the cross, which you will see one example of a large one, of Simon of Cyrene taking the cross from Jesus, who wasn’t able to carry it all the way to Golgotha. All these churches are rather well preserved, and bespeak of a time when churches played a much more prominent role in major cities than they do now. The edifices have been preserved, but what about ‘the faith once given’. There’s the rub.
English (US) · 