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Wreckovation is aportmanteau disparagement term used since at least 2002[1] to describe the style of renovations which some Catholic cathedrals, churches, and oratories have undergone since theSecond Vatican Council.[2]
TheSecond Vatican Ecumenical Council, commonly known as Vatican II, saw theCatholic Church reassess its practices and doctrine in face of the modern world. Convened in 1962 byPope John XXIII and presided over byPope Paul VI after John XXIII's death, the council lasted until 1965, the resulting documents of which[a] addressed, amongst other issues, the wayMass was celebrated and the architecture of churches in which it was celebrated.
To convey the notion ofsacrifice, in theTridentine Mass (the style of Mass used before Vatican II), the altar is ahigh altar and is prescribed to be (but is not always)ad orientem ('towards the East'), and where the priest always faces East, meaning typically the priest has his back to the people. After the Second Vatican Council, there was a movement to emphasize instead the communal meal aspect of the Mass. This was reflected in church architecture—both new construction and remodels—as replacing the high altar with a table in the middle of thesanctuary, sometimes pejoratively called, by those who oppose these architectural changes, a Cranmer table, named after theReformationistThomas Cranmer.[3] This allowed the priest to walk around the table and say the Massversus populum (facing the people). Other architectural changes would vary, such as removingkneelers, the introduction ofin the round seating, lower roofs, removal of statues and sacred art, andrelocating the tabernacle from the altar to a side chapel.[4]
Following the Second Vatican Council, in theUnited States, much architectural change was driven by the 1977 bookEnvironment and Art in Catholic Worship published byNCCB when then-ArchbishopBernardin was president.[5][6][7] It extolled the "virtue of simplicity and commonness" and "a simple and attractive beauty", which represented the ideals ofmodern architecture. It also called for "contemporary art forms", "cloth hangings" and "banners". Although not binding, it was followed by church redesigners such asRichard S. Vosko.
Pope Benedict XVI believed the reforms following the Second Vatican Council went too far, and advocated for what has been called "reform of the reform",[8] as he believed the some had gone astray from the intentions of the council, stating in his 2011motu proprioQuaerit semper to "focus mainly on giving a fresh impetus to promoting the Sacred Liturgy in the Church, in accordance with the renewal that the Second Vatican Council desired".[9] The following month, he supportedAntonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of theCongregation for Divine Worship, to establish a "Liturgical Art and Sacred Music Commission", which would be responsible for evaluating both new construction and renovation projects as well as music used during the celebration of Mass to ensure that they complied with church guidelines. Pope Benedict considered the commission's task "very urgent".[10] However, by 2016 (after the 2013 election ofPope Francis), some[11] were still questioning what its responsibilities and authority are, and in his 2017apostolic letterMagnum principium, Pope Francis removed some of the authority of the CDW over the liturgy.
Opposition by conservatives of the architectural changes was in full swing by the 1990s.[12] Conservatives held that such changes wereiconoclastic,[13] lacked height,[14] and produced results that resembledProtestant churches,[15]theaters,airport terminals, orbarns rather than Catholic churches. A major concern was that the design of renovated churches downplayed the sense of thesacred in favor of focus on the congregation. Critics saw this as inconsistent with the traditional Catholic understanding of communal worship. Meanwhile, moreliberal Catholics referred to the renovations as necessary steps in order to emphasize the role of the congregation in worship, in accordance with the wishes of the Second Vatican Council. Conservative Catholics charge that this is a misinterpretation of the documents of Vatican II.[16][17][12]
Some churches, such asSt. Columban in Chillicothe, Missouri,[18] St. Mark inPeoria, Illinois,[19] andSt. Adalbert inSouth Bend, Indiana[20] are reversing prior renovations and "restoring" the historical Catholic liturgical setup.
restoring some of the artistic glory whitewashed or damaged during the 'wreckovation' carried out by misguided 'reformers' in the 1960s and 1970s
The concoction 'wreckovation' refers to the changes made in Catholic churches, such as the taking down of high altars and the removal of communion rails, to render them appropriate, as it was thought, for the celebration of the new rite of Mass
'Wreckovation! That's what I call it,' says Szews. 'With this seating in the round, they want to center the assembly on itself. So I'll have to watch people blow their noses and their children behave badly.'
November 1977 BCL statements 'Environment and Art in Catholic Worship'
The 'wreckovation' as conservatives refer to it, continued into the 1990s
Everything reflects this minimalism, and a general 'protestant' air prevails in church design (or redesign – 'wreckovation' as it is sometimes aptly called)
the man whose name has become synonymous with church 'wreckovations,' and who has made a fortune demolishing beautiful churches, stated flatly: 'What's important is not the church building'
The current paint job on the ceiling and pillars is not original to the church; Popielarz calls it part of a 'wreckovation of the 1980s.'
The Heilige Barbarakerk was effected by this Wreckovation in the cleansing of the choir, a new main podium and altar and a new layout of the church benches and baptistery
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