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Architect helps to streamline parish redesigns Jesus said, "I am the vine, and you are the branches." Two millennia later, Prof. Walter Kroner is continuing that metaphor: The architect helps parishes decide what to plant and what to prune during a redesign. "I'm the expert on gardening, but you're going to have to dig the dirt -- and you'll get the fruits," he promises when he meets with a parish committee. Prof. Kroner has been on the Albany Diocese's Architecture and Building Commission (ABC) for 38 years, consulting with parishes that are evaluating or redesigning buildings. Founding moment Prof. Kroner retired five years ago from his position as a distinguished professor of architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. There, he had met Rev. Thomas Phelan of the campus-based parish, Christ Sun of Justice. Father Phelan chaired the ABC and invited Prof. Kroner to join the commission. When the ABC was created, the professor recalled, its work involved "no carrots and a very big stick": The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s had just made major changes to the Church, including English-language liturgies, and parishes were being asked to change their facilities to match that new perspective. Redesigns Not all Catholics were enthusiastic about embracing change -- particularly when it came to their churches, which can impact families for generations. That issue can still be a thorny one today. Prof. Kroner's area of expertise comes in handy there: He describes himself as a "process designer and planner," someone who helps parishes figure out what questions to ask and what decision-making process to use in moving toward a new design. Parishioners may have many different ideas, he explained, ranging from modern, changeable church designs to changing absolutely nothing. He quoted one priest who met with him and immediately demanded, "Are you coming down here and making me move my tabernacle?" Blueprints "How do you get all these people to act in concert?" Prof. Kroner asked, noting that, for decades, the ABC has been asking "in microcosm" the same questions about parishes' missions and goals that the "Called to be Church" process is now exploring. He gave several examples: * When accessibility for Catholics with disabilities became more of a priority for parishes, some parishes simply found ways to get persons using wheelchairs into churches using a side door. But that method didn't allow disabled parishioners the same dignity as able-bodied ones. Nor, he added, did it consider the needs of Catholics with other disabilities -- people with hearing difficulties, sensitivity to light or noise, or even discomfort when sitting in pews for long periods. * Churches in urban areas in other countries may be used more often as cultural centers than American parishes; in looking at designs, Prof. Kroner said, it's important for such parishes to consider what it means to be "in the middle of an economic, social and political context." * Similarly, he said, small-town parishes need to think about how they can assist with community needs, such as designing a parish hall that can do double-duty as a space for serving the poor. Spadework Since each parish is different, Prof. Kroner can't cite specific aspects of architecture that work for everyone. In fact, he said that when he meets with parishes, he tries to listen to their ideas without giving his own, so people don't say, "He's pushing a particular design." Instead, he shows them an ABC presentation titled, "How do we design buildings that say, 'I care'?" He also asks parishes, "Where do you want to be in five years?" One thing is sure: As many parishes struggle to meet expenses, Prof. Kroner noted that they need to get value for their money. Redesigning a worship space or other parish facility, therefore, has to result in something usable and "beautiful but not expensive." Keys to design That is possible, the architect asserted: "I've seen some beautiful wayside chapels, especially in Europe." He quoted one of Father Phelan's favorite pronouncements: "'If you have lots of money, you don't necessarily need an architect, because you can afford to waste money. If you don't [have money], you need a very good architect to make the impossible possible.'" According to Prof. Kroner, finding a design that satisfies a particular parish is important because it enables parishioners to "take ownership. It becomes yours -- and if it is, you'll take much better care of it." In an age when most parishes no longer have the same pastors for decades, he said, it's also a good idea for redesigns to allow for future changes that fit new staff, parishioners and ideas. Inside with God After nearly four decades with the ABC, Prof. Kroner said he's worked with most of the parishes in the Albany Diocese. One conclusion he has drawn is that, even as the Church undergoes major changes, Catholics will still be drawn to church buildings. "I'm one of those people that can feel close to God in the wilderness, by a brook or whatever," he remarked. "But, if you have any sense of family and community, you must admit to moments when being alone in the wilderness or with friends doesn't quite cut it. Sometimes, you need a particular type of setting to reach down into your heart, your soul. We need to have places that have those capacities." Parishes facing dwindling numbers of parishioners that may lead to their closure trouble the architect. He told The Evangelist that he wishes he had the answer to keeping every church vibrant. "I feel there are solutions, but they don't exist within one entity," he observed, noting that if small congregations of different faiths were willing to share a building in a small town, that creativity might save them. However parishes include design work in their plans for the future, Prof. Kroner concluded, "It's very clear to architects that we need to make a contribution, through architecture, to society." (8/2/07) |