Environment And Art In Worship: A Roman Catholic Document On Art In Worship Part Ii

This statement is the result of the cooperative effort on the part of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions and the Bishops' Committee of the Roman Catholic Church. It addresses both theological and practical considerations regarding almost every aspect of the visual arts in worship. IV. The Arts and the Body Language of Liturgy 55. Liturgical celebration, because of its public and corporate nature, and because it is an expression of the total person within a community, involves not only the use of a common language and ritual tradition, but also the use of a common place, common furnishing, common art forms and symbols, common gestures, movements, and postures. But when one examines the quality of these common elements, one finds that an uncommon sensitivity is demanded. For these common elements create a tremendous impact on the assembly visually, environmentally and bodily. This section and those following will offer a basic orientation and some principles with regard…