Church of the Week: San Jose Church, San Juan, PR

While I didn't get to enter the historic San Jose Church in San Juan, Puerto Rico, I did get to see it on a recent visit to Puerto Rico.
Originally known as the Iglesia de Santo Tomás de Aquino, this church structure is considered by many scholars to be among the finest and oldest examples of Gothic-influenced religious architecture built by the Spanish in the New World. Juan Ponce de León, the first governor of Puerto Rico, was buried in the crypt of the church from 1559 to 1836, when his remains were exhumed and later transferred to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. His grandson, Juan Ponce de León II, is still buried in the crypt beneath the sanctuary floor.

From the World Monuments Fund website:

Dominican friars built the church, beginning in 1532, as a temple to the adjoining sanctuary building within Puerto Rico’s walled city of San Juan. The church was designed as a longitudinal temple with side chapels and was located on the highest point of the Isleta of San Juan on a site donated by Juan Ponce de León. 

In 1858, the church passed from the Dominican friars to the Jesuit Order and was renamed the Church of San Juan. Under this new leadership, the church was transformed. The interior design, decoration, and furnishings changed significantly to reflect the fashionable neoclassical style. In 1887, the church was again transferred, this time to the Vicentian Fathers (Padres Paules), who redecorated the interior of the church for the third time in the building’s history. 

By the mid-20th century, political, technological, and economic factors had taken a toll on the historic church, and its survival was in question.

So I guess I shouldn't be too bitter that the current restoration project, funded by Puerto Rico's National Endowment for the Humanities, prevented me from seeing more. Still, they should have been notified that I was coming, so arrangements could be made. Good thing I'm a forgiving sort. 

The Pastor's Desk (Episode 20)

The pastor's desk pictured above belongs to Tom Cox, Pastor of Malvern Hills Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Asheville, North Carolina. Nice touch: Episode 6 of this blog's "The Pastor's Desk" feature pictured on the computer screen.

(If you would like to participate in this recurring feature on the Desperate Pastor blog, submit a single photo of a pastor's study, office, or desk--but no tidying up before taking the picture, mind you--to bob@bobhostetler.com, along with a short description identifying to whom it belongs)

Hazards of Pastoring

Pastoring has many hazards, from church-supper-induced-food-poisoning to drowning-by-jittery-baptismal-candidate. Add this to the list, from the Dog Shaming website:

Preach It, Sister

This short message excerpt by Jen Hatmaker is excellent. Well worth thirteen minutes of your time.

Church of the Week: St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, NY

A January visit to New York City gave the lovely Robin and me the opportunity to visit the venerable and influential St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. We were disappointed to see the church wrapped in scaffolding for a major renovation project...but then, it is a good thing that the church is undergoing a major renovation. According to the church website, "The funds necessary to complete the first two phases of work have been raised totaling over $75 million dollars. The phases include the interior and exterior of the Cathedral from 5th Avenue to the high altar. Key scopes of work in these phases are the restoration of the gallery organ, the Cathedral’s pews, stained glass windows, exterior stonework, altar niches and ceiling plasterwork. Efforts are underway to secure the additional funding for the remainder of the work on the Cathedral campus, including the high altar and Lady Chapel, a new heating and cooling system and the Cathedral garden."

More than five million people visit St. Pat's every year. Many come as tourists, of course, but others come to worship and pray (in fact, more than one million prayer candles are lit there every year).

We entered just as some of the faithful were gathering for noon mass on Saturday. We signed the electronic guest book (pretty cool!), and wandered around for awhile. Numerous side chapels and altars line both sides of the church. The striking baptistery, below, stands opposite the North Transept. 

The cornerstone of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was laid in 1858 and the doors opened the following year. At the time, the cathedral's location was considered to be too far outside the city. Today, of course, the beautiful Gothic structure is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps. Dubbed "America’s Parish Church," St. Patrick’s is the "seat" of the Archbishop of New York, His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan.

The Pastor's Desk (Episode 19)

The pastor's desk above is that of Tom Brown, pastor at Gallant First Baptist Church in Gallant, Alabama (which is better than being a pastor in Goofus, Alabama...a quip that only former readers of Highlights Magazine will get). Tom says, "This is the normal 'mess' on my desk at any given time. I normally clean up about every two months. Believe it or not...I can normally find 'stuff' on my desk!" Well, yes, Pastor Tom; "stuff" seems to be all over the place. But you didn't say you can find specific stuff, now, did you?

(If you would like to participate in this recurring feature, submit a single photo of a pastor's study, office, or desk (but no tidying up before taking the picture) to bob@bobhostetler.com, along with a short description identifying to whom it belongs)