Br. Joseph Martin Hagan, O.P., on the Irony of Church Tours

"'What a beautiful church!' 'Look at the arches!' 'What saint is that?' 'What does that inscription say?'

"I have been spoiled with beautiful churches. From my home parish, to the Basilica at Notre Dame, to the chapel at our House of Studies in DC, and even this summer at St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City, I have enjoyed breath-taking churches for most of my life.

"As a consequence, I have been around church tours: receiving them, giving them, and sometimes accidetally interrupting them. These church tours serve an important purpose, giving voice to what the architecture and artwork have to say about God and our worship of Him. All the same, I find a recurring irony in these tours.."

In a recent commentary, Brother Joseph Martin Hagan, O.P., reflected on the irony in which people focus on architecture and artwork in the churches while Jesus is "awaiting each guest in the Eucharist." ("For a brief period of time, we get more excited about the wrapping paper than the gift.")

To access Brother Joseph Martin's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: The Irony of Church Tours (30 JUL 15)