Sagrada Familia Can Be Built!!

I really have several reasons for writing this post. The first resulted from an article I recently came across. It contained some astonishing news. Apparently, in June of 2019 the city of Barcelona finally approved the construction of the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. 

If you've experienced delays and problems getting governmental approval for construction or other purposes, just thank God you don't live in Barcelona. I suspect that city may well have set a world record. You see, the original construction request for Sagrada Familia was submitted in 1885, only 134 years ago before it was finally approved. I would guess, although I can't be certain about this, the architect, Antonio Gaudi, the local bishop, and the Sagrada Familia Foundation just assumed approval was pending and went ahead with the construction anyway. Why the city took so long, nobody is saying. But one thing is certain: the foundation, even though it's a not-for-profit organization, had to fork over 4.5 million Euros to get the construction license. Considering the basilica is perhaps the city's most popular tourist attraction, that seems a bit excessive to me...but, hey, what do I know? I'm not a European.

If you've ever been to Barcelona, I would hope you visited Sagrada Familia, this remarkable, yet still unfinished, church conceived by the great architect, Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926). If you've been to Barcelona and didn't visit the basilica, I suggest you return to the city as soon as possible. Sagrada Familia is well worth another trip.

Sagrada Familia (Nov 2010)

Ten years ago Diane and I spent about a week in Barcelona, a trip that included a full day at Sagrada Familia. Of course I had heard of the basilica and seen many pictures of it, but encountering this magnificent church up close and personal took my breath away. Quite honestly, as someone who appreciates the gothic, I didn't expect to like Gaudi's decidedly different architecture... until I was surrounded by it. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. I remember Diane saying, "I've never been anywhere more beautiful." We both came away converted, convinced that Gaudi was a true genius. It's also apparent why he was called, "God's Architect." 

Here are a few of the many photos I took back in 2010.

The Four Evangelists High Above

Sagrada Familia Interior

Light and Reflections

An Exterior Façade: The Nativity 

Antonio Gaudi

Interestingly, the basilica is still unfinished. Its construction is ongoing and the current team of architects plans to complete the work six years from now in 2026. Sadly, Antonio Gaudi died in 1926 after being hit by a Barcelona streetcar. The architects, then, hope to complete construction on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. That will certainly be quite a day for Barcelona and for all of Spain, assuming that Catalonia is still a part of Spain in 2026 -- but that's a whole other story. Fittingly, Gaudi, a devout Catholic who lived a life of ascetic poverty, was buried in the basilica's crypt. His cause for sainthood is ongoing. I include him in my intercessory prayers. 

Another landmark day in the life of the basilica was its dedication by Pope Benedict XVI on November 7, 2010, just 128 years after construction actually began in 1882. This day was particularly interesting for Diane and me, and our friends, Deacon Walter and his wife Ellen, because we happened to be in Barcelona at the time. Although we didn't have tickets for the basilica's dedication, we managed to see the pope as he passed by quickly in his pope-mobile. The photo's not very good, but he was moving fast and the crowd was a bit pushy.

Pope Benedict XVI on his way to Sagrada Familia

We are fortunate Sagrada Familia still stands since it was burned by Catalan anarchists and communists in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War. Seeing the same kind of activity by anarchists, communists, and others in our country today, we pray that our churches suffer no more damage than they already have.

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Damaged by Arsonist

One of my favorite churches, the newly consecrated Basilica of Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) in Barcelona, was damaged on April 19 when an apparent lone arsonist started a fire in the basilica's sacristy. The sacristy suffered considerable damage but the fie was otherwise contained. Visiting tourists saw the smoke rising from the crypt level where the sacristy is located and alerted the authorities who immediately evacuated the building of 1,700 visitors. A number of people had to be treated for smoke inhalation. A group of tourists restrained the suspected arsonist until he could be turned over to the police. The suspect, a 65-year-old Barcelona man, still held a lighter in his hand which it seems he used to set fire to vestments stored in the sacristy. Despite the damage, the basilica was reopened to the public that same afternoon.

Diane and I visited Barcelona just a few months ago, and the afternoon we spent at Sagrada Familia was the highlight of our six days in the city. It is a remarkable church, begun by the equally remarkable architect, Antoni Gaudi, in 1882. Still under construction, the basilica was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI while we were in Barcelona. I have included below a few of the many photographs I took during our visit. You can also view a slide-show of some of my Sagrada Familia photos here.

What can motivate someone to inflict such damage on a church? But then what motivates anyone to choose evil over good? There is certainly a lot of that going around these days. Pray for the arsonist, and thank God that the damage was much less than it might have been.

 

 

Video: Pope Benedict's Consecration of Sagrada Familia

Just in case you missed it last month, here's a video that encapsulates Pope Benedict's visit to the Basilica of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona which he consecrated on November 7. Not only can you hear the highlights of the pope's homily, but you will also enjoy some wonderful views of the "new" basilica. I hope you enjoy it...

Gaudi, Sagrada Familia, Sainthood & More

If you've been following this blog for the past few weeks, you'll know that Diane and I spent some time in Barcelona last month. We both agree that the highlight of our stay was our visit to the newly designated Basilica of Sagrada Familia (Holy Family). Its consecration as a Catholic church and basilica by Pope Benedict XVI occurred while we were in Barcelona, and we were privileged to have seen the Holy Father as he passed by us in the Popemobile en route to the church. We actually didn't visit Sagrada Familia until the following week after we had returned from a week-long cruise in the western Mediterranean. We would happily have joined Pope Benedict at the consecration on November 7, but I think our invitations got lost in the mail.

Sagrada Familia from Montjuic (Note large cranes.)

Over the years I've visited and worshiped in a lot of churches and cathedrals, but this basilica is far and away the most remarkable. The exterior is so unique, so different from any other church, that one can spend hours just looking at it from every possible angle, trying to absorb all that the architect, Antoni Gaudi, has presented to the world. Gaudi actually began working on the project in 1883 and completely revised the original architect's designs. His many successors have been diligent in bringing Gaudi's vision to reality. As it stands now, the church has been under construction for a mere 128 years and will likely remain so for another decade or two. If I am fortunate, I may live long enough to see its completion and perhaps make another visit. But Diane and I both consider ourselves blessed to have had the opportunity to experience it at least once.

Sagrada Familia: The Passion Facade

As remarkable as its exterior is, the interior can only be described as breathtaking. Indeed, that's exactly what happened to me when I first entered and tried to take it all in. I literally had my breath taken away. It was similar to the experience of first entering St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, except there I had expected to be astounded by both size and beauty. Entering Sagrada Familia, however, was different because what I encountered was so completely unexpected. The basilica is shockingly beautiful. It possesses the familiarity of a large church or cathedral with all the standard features: nave, transepts, apse, etc... But everything is so completely different from anything I had ever seen before.

Central Vault with the four evangelists

The work of Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), Barcelona's most famous architect, is scattered throughout the city and elsewhere and is typified by its seeming liquidity, its gravity defying designs that sometimes appear almost alive. Before my visit to Barcelona I didn't expect to like his work, but it took only a moment for Gaudi to change my mind. Diane and I especially enjoyed our visit to La Pedrera (sometimes known as Casa Milà), a building designed by Gaudi and completed in 1912. 

Facade of La Pedrera from the street

Interestingly, in most of the guidebooks and other publications I read before and during our visit, there was remarkably little about Gaudi the man. Almost everything centered on his work. In particular I could find no answer to the one question that intrigued me: Why did he devote almost all of the last 30 years of his life to Sagrada Familia? After all, he was a very successful and high-priced architect. Why would he drop almost everything else to focus on this one project? I had read that he even poured all of his personal wealth into the project and for 30 years led an ascetic life, even taking up residence in the church as it was under construction.Was this just a personal obsession, a professional fixation on a major project?

And then, in one guidebook, I read about the cause of it all. After he had been working on Sagrada Familia for a decade, Gaudi, it seems, underwent a conversion in his 40s. Subsequently, from 1906 until his accidental death in 1926, he lived an almost monk-like existence in which he abstained from meat and alcohol, went to daily confession and Mass, and developed a deep prayer life. Sagrada Familia became, in his words, his "expiatory temple" and God became his client. Indeed, he became known as "God's acrhitect."

I also just discovered that Gaudi has been under consideration for beatification and ultimately for sainthood. I didn't realize his cause has progressed to this point. Indeed, I actually didn't realize he even had a cause, but apparently it was initiated over ten years ago. It's all very interesting. You can read more here (from 2000) and here (from 2010).

I've included a few more photos of both Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera below. I took these and the above photos during our visit to Barcelona.

Sagrada Familia: 4 of the towers (cranes digitally removed)

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia: the Nativity Facade

Sagrada Familia: Interior

Sagrada Familia: Above Sanctuary

Sagrada Familia: the Nave

Sagrada Familia facade detail: Marriage of Mary and Jospeph

La Pedrera: Rooftop Sculptures

La Pedrera: Atrium

La Pedrera: Interior rooftop in atrium well

Blessings...

Sardana -- Dancing at the Monastery in Montserrat

In my last post, earlier today, I included two photos of a Catholic youth group we encountered when visiting the Benedictine Monastery at Montserrat in the hills west of Barcelona. I've included here a video I took of the group dancing in the square adjacent to the monastery. They were joined by many others who just jumped in and danced along with the crowd. I hope you enjoy watching.

Home Again...At Last

Isn't it interesting that the older I get, the more I look forward to returning home from travels? It's not that I didn't enjoy our recent trip to Spain and the week-long cruise we sandwiched in the middle of our visit. Not at all. Diane and I had a wonderful time and found Barcelona to be a remarkable city. But I can't recall a happier return home than this most recent one. Perhaps the series of flight delays, the marathon-like hikes to make our connections, the inexplicably altered seat assignments, the misdirected baggage that arrived two days late, the ever-decreasing legroom of "economy" class seating, the horrendously bad food (bad even for airline cuisine), the incompetent and surly TSA agents, and the fact that we had been awake for 25 hours...perhaps all of this colored my emotional state by the time we arrived at our front door. Yes, as the young Dorothy made clear before her departure from Oz, "There's no place like home." Unlike Dorothy, however, I had neither ruby slippers nor the assistance of a good witch and had to rely on Iberia Airlines for transportation.

Naturally, when I returned home late Thursday night, I returned to a full schedule. Friday evening I spoke to a local neighborhood group about the needs of the Wildwood Soup Kitchen. In exchange for this simple task Diane and I were privileged to join these good people in a tasty dinner catered by a local barbecue restaurant. Then these nice folks handed me a generous check for the soup kitchen and filled the back of my Kia SUV with canned goods and other foodstuffs. We thank God daily for His bounty!

Early Saturday morning five deacons from the parish drove to Orlando to take part in the dedication of St. James Cathedral. The Mass was celebrated by our former bishop, now Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, who was joined by our bishop-designate John Noonan along with several other bishops. It was a wonderful event and only the second time I had witnessed the dedication rite of a church. For the deacons of the diocese, however, our trip turned into an all-day affair since lunch was followed by a mandatory three-hour workshop on the plague of human trafficking, particularly as it exists in Florida. It was certainly interesting and valuable, but it made for a long day. And then, when I returned home, I had to glue myself to the keyboard for several hours as I prepared a homily for a Sunday afternoon Mass.

For Diane and me, the next few days will be monopolized by our preparations for the Thanksgiving Day meal at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen. As the Thursday cook, Diane is always responsible for preparing and serving the Thanksgiving dinner. As is usual on Thanksgiving, we are blessed with many extra volunteers to help us before, during and after the event. As Diane's husband my task is really quite simple: do whatever she tells me. I find that when I do this and refrain from making any suggestions whatsoever, things go a lot more smoothly.

The other event that will occupy my time is my preparation for the Advent Mission that three of us deacons will conduct on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Fortunately, my talk is scheduled for Wednesday, so I have a few extra days of preparation. I am also blessed to follow two excellent homilists, both seasonal residents here in Florida: Deacon Richard Radford of the Archdiocese of Boston and Deacon Claude Curtin of the Diocese of Rochester. Please keep us in your prayers as we strive to help our parishioners, and ourselves, prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I  will post more about our trip in the days to come, and even include a few (only a few) of the nearly 2,000 digital photos I took. I may even add a few videos.

Let me just say that Europe, the cradle of Christendom, needs our prayers. In large numbers Europeans have turned their backs on Jesus Christ and His Church and unless they turn back to the Way, the Truth and the Life, they run a great risk, a risk of self-destruction. It's a very sad thing to see the majority of this formerly Christian people living as if God doesn't exist. But there are signs of hope, especially among the youth, a generation that appears to be rebelling against the nihilism of its parents, a generation that is searching for and remarkably open to the Truth. One day, early in our visit to Barcelona, we took the train and cable car to the Benedictine Monastery at Montserrat. While there, in the spiritual center of Catalonia, we witnessed a group of Catholic youth, accompanied by several young, enthusiastic priests, processing out of the basilica into the adjoining plaza where they sang and danced in praise of God. It was a wonderful, inspiring sight.

Catholic youth process from Montserrat basilica to the adjacent square

Youthful musicians at Montserrat

Pope Benedict's message to the youth of the world seems to resonate with so many as they experience the tremendous dissatisfactions that result from the material enticements which the world holds up before them. As he told the youth of Malta in April:

"God loves every one of us with a depth and intensity that we can hardly begin to imagine. And he knows us intimately, he knows all our strengths and all our faults. Because he loves us so much, he wants to purify us of our faults and build up our virtues so that we can have life in abundance. When he challenges us because something in our lives is displeasing to him, he is not rejecting us, but he is asking us to change and become more perfect...God rejects no one. And the Church rejects no one. Yet in his great love, God challenges all of us to change and to become more perfect...And so I say to all of you, 'Do not be afraid!'...You may well encounter opposition to the Gospel message. Today’s culture, like every culture, promotes ideas and values that are sometimes at variance with those lived and preached by our Lord Jesus Christ. Often they are presented with great persuasive power, reinforced by the media and by social pressure from groups hostile to the Christian faith. It is easy, when we are young and impressionable, to be swayed by our peers to accept ideas and values that we know are not what the Lord truly wants for us. That is why I say to you: do not be afraid, but rejoice in his love for you; trust him, answer his call to discipleship, and find nourishment and spiritual healing in the sacraments of the Church."

Sometimes, as I look at my own generation, I fear for the salvation of those who have created all sorts of false gods and idols in an attempt to taste the "good life" that the world has promised them. I'm afraid we missed our opportunity to change the world. Perhaps this new generation, this seeking generation full of questions and desiring reasons to hope, will be the ones to evangelize the world. I think, perhaps, they are more attuned to receiving Christ's message of hope and love than we ever were. Pray that it is so.

(Oh, by the way...I didn't post much from Spain for a number of reasons. First, the hotel's WiFi signal simply didn't reach our room during our last four days in Barcelona and I really didn't feel like sitting in the lobby with my netbook when I could be napping in my far more comfortable room. Second, posting from the iPhone was just far too tedious. And third, the cost of internet access aboard ship was prohibitively expensive...at least for my budget.)

God's peace...

Pope Benedict in Barcelona

Yesterday, on our first full day in Barcelona, we left town on an early morning train and headed for the hills of Montserrat. What an amazing place -- the spiritual home of Catalonia, a Benedictine monastery tucked in among strange, serrated peaks only an hour west of Barcelona. I have no time to elaborate this morning, since we're about to leave for our cruise ship, but I promise to provide photos and a bit of commentary on a future post. The basilica, however, is beautiful and is the home of the "Black Madonna," the statue attributed to St. Luke. (See the photo at left.) We had a wonderful visit, complete with two cable car rides.

By this morning we were resigned to missing Pope Benedict XVI during his visit. After all, we had no tickets to the venues he would visit and really knew nothing of his schedule. But then, this morning, while on a walk near our hotel, the four of us encountered many small groups of people carrying papal flags and all moving in the same general direction. And so we followed until we came to a main street lined with barricades and manned by hundreds of policemen. We found an English-speaking policeman who told us the pope would drive by in 45 minutes. We waited, along with hundreds of others, and were finally rewarded when Pope Benedict sped by in the famous Pope-mobile. I was able to get one reasonably good photo of him as he passed by (below),

What a blessing to have more or less stumbled on his route this morning. As you can see by the photo below, Diane, Ellen and Walter were caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment. Walter had even located a source of those little papal flags. A wonderful morning!

More soon...


God's peace.

Vacation Imminent

On Thursday Diane and I begin a little anniversary vacation by flying to Barcelona. We'll spend a couple of days there before hopping aboard the cruise ship, Norwegian Jade, for a week of rest and relaxation. The ship will visit Monte Carlo, several Italian ports, and Palma on Mallorca, before returning to Barcelona. We then intend to spend another four days in Barcelona before flying home. It should be a nice restful time. Neither of us has ever been to Barcelona, so we're looking forward to exploring the city and its remarkable architecture. We might even form a few friendships with some of the locals. We also hope to make a day trip to the Benedictine Monastery at Monserrat, which is perched up in the mountains about an hour from Barcelona. I will, as usual, take lots of photos and maybe even sample some of the local Rioja wine and sparkling cava. We will be traveling with friends -- another deacon and his wife -- for at least part of the trip. I'm pretty sure none of us speaks Catalan, but I'm hoping that maybe one person in the group might know a few words of Spanish.

In the past, we've always been over-burdened with luggage, and so this time we're going to experiment with actually packing light...well, light for us anyway. We are each taking only one relatively small suitcase and a carry-on. My carry-on is a kind of knapsack containing my cameras and other goodies. I have no idea what Diane will put in hers. I know only that it will weigh a lot and I will have to carry it. I have also decided to leave my little ASUS netbook behind and rely exclusively on my iPhone for Internet access, email, texts, etc. I may even try to post a few things on this blog using just the iPhone. I've already downloaded all kinds of neat iPhone apps for the places we intend to visit. Should be interesting.

Anyway, during our absence I expect the posts will appear much less frequently than usual. This will have very little effect on the world in general since I'm lucky, on a busy day, to get 125 hits on this blog. But for my tiny band of quasi-loyal followers, I promise to continue after my return.

Sagrada Familia (Holy Family)

One interesting coincidence: Pope Benedict will visit Barcelona this Sunday. I don't know his entire schedule, but I believe the purpose of his visit is to dedicate Sagrada Familia, the magnificent church designed by the remarkable Antoni Gaudi. It's been under construction only since 1882! I suspect a million or so people will likely try to witness this dedication, so we probably won't get very near. And the timing of the dedication might also have an impact since our ship leaves that evening and we need to board in the late afternoon. We'll see.

Until next time...God's peace.

A Happy Coincidence

For several months now, Diane and I have planned a trip to Barcelona for this coming November. We're actually going to visit the city for two days, then depart on a seven-day cruise in the Western Mediterranean. After our return from the cruise we will spend another four days in Barcelona before returning home. We'll be traveling with friends, another deacon and his wife, and so look forward to a pleasant vacation. I am especially interested in visiting this city I have heard so much about but never visited. I've been pouring through the guidebooks and websites so we can make the best use of our limited time.

And then this morning I came across an article on Catholic Online, dated March 3, 2010, that discusses an upcoming papal visit to Spain. Pope Benedict XVI will visit Santiago de Compostela on November 6 and then visit Barcelona on November 7. Coincidentally we will also be in Barcelona on the 7th, although our cruise ship leaves port that evening. We should have enough time to join the crowds near the Gaudi-designed cathedral, Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), which the pope will consecrate that day. (See photo above.) I'm assuming the trip is still on, and am glad we made our hotel reservations early.

Ironically, I was a bit torn about going on this cruise instead of once again spending a few weeks in Italy. Even though our ship will make three Italian port calls, including Rome, it's just not the same. But now it looks as if Rome will also join us in Barcelona -- the best of both worlds. I probably won't be as fortunate as I was in February 2000 when Diane and I stumbled (literally) into then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger who was making his way back to his office after a lunch in one of the nice little restaurants on Borgo Pio. Naturally, I played the role of ugly American perfectly and accosted the poor man. But he graciously allowed our Polish friend, Father Adam Domanski, to snap a photo which I cherish to this day. He even replied to my subsequent letter of thanks with a lovely letter of his own. I suspect our shared time in Barcelona won't be quite so intimate, but it is always a joy to see and listen to him.

I wonder if the Spaniards will still be celebrating their World Cup victory in November.

Blessings...