
Holy Personal
Looking for Small Private Places of Worship
Laura Chester(Author)
Indiana University Press
Published on 22. September 2000
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-253-33804-4 (ISBN)
Description
From a chapel made of tires in Alabama to one fashioned from wine casks in California, all these creations invite Chester to ponder many questions, among them: what spitiual path leads someone to create a private place of worship; does such a space conflict with more public worship; and, why do artists so often feel moved to explore their spirituality. As Laura Chester says, 'Holy Personal ...bears witness to a yearning for religious privacy, a deep desire to create for oneself a holy chamber, a place where creative expression joins hands with devotion'. Included in the book is a visitor's guide to selected worship spots. In his Foreword Thomas Moore writes, 'When we are seized by the spirit, we may be tempted toward grandiosity. We may become inflated, believing that we know and possess the truth'. But here in the world of the holy personal, ordinary people enter the mysteries of the microcosm.One of the charms of the private chapel is its small scale, which can transport one back to 'spiritual childhood'. In fact, the smaller the space, the more the imagination is engaged.
The idea for this book came unexpectedly, almost like being surprised by love when you are not seeking it out. As with love, I had to follow, see where this pilgrimage would take me, moving from one small sanctuary to the next, from one radiant story onward, connecting me to these small bird nests of worship and to the wonderful spirited people who had built them.Many questions are addressed throughout these chapters, where temples, chapels, stupas, and shrines are explored: what spiritual path leads an individual to want to create a private place of worship; does such a space conflict with or supplement worship in a more public sense; how might a priest, rabbi, or minister react to a place of worship that is so individual; does a private space nurture a marriage at a deeper level; and, why do artists often have an impulse to explore the spiritual arts.This book is filled with diversity, because it is an American story. It furthers the idea of honouring our differences, while being mindful of our oneness.
Though we may not have to create our own secret chapels out of a sense of persecution anymore, there is still a yearning for religious privacy, a deep desire to create for oneself a holy chamber, a place where creative expression joins hands with devotion. We need a place devoted to tranquillity in a world that is always pushing us outward. Moore concludes, 'Laura's book represents the best way of doing theology - keeping it relentlessly human and thoroughly concrete...The ultimate effect of a worthy spiritual life would be beautiful lives in a beautiful world. This beautiful book is an excellent start'.
The idea for this book came unexpectedly, almost like being surprised by love when you are not seeking it out. As with love, I had to follow, see where this pilgrimage would take me, moving from one small sanctuary to the next, from one radiant story onward, connecting me to these small bird nests of worship and to the wonderful spirited people who had built them.Many questions are addressed throughout these chapters, where temples, chapels, stupas, and shrines are explored: what spiritual path leads an individual to want to create a private place of worship; does such a space conflict with or supplement worship in a more public sense; how might a priest, rabbi, or minister react to a place of worship that is so individual; does a private space nurture a marriage at a deeper level; and, why do artists often have an impulse to explore the spiritual arts.This book is filled with diversity, because it is an American story. It furthers the idea of honouring our differences, while being mindful of our oneness.
Though we may not have to create our own secret chapels out of a sense of persecution anymore, there is still a yearning for religious privacy, a deep desire to create for oneself a holy chamber, a place where creative expression joins hands with devotion. We need a place devoted to tranquillity in a world that is always pushing us outward. Moore concludes, 'Laura's book represents the best way of doing theology - keeping it relentlessly human and thoroughly concrete...The ultimate effect of a worthy spiritual life would be beautiful lives in a beautiful world. This beautiful book is an excellent start'.
Reviews / Votes
"The ultimate effect of a worthy spiritual life would be beautiful lives in a beautiful world. This beautiful book is an excellent start." --from the Foreword byThomas Moore, author of Care of the SoulMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bloomington, IN
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
63 b&w photos, 1 bibliog.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 204 mm
Weight
1044 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-253-33804-4 (9780253338044)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Content
Foreword by Thomas Moore Introduction [1.] Little Rose Chapel Conceived Part One: The Pilgrimage Begins, East/Midwest [2.] Michael Dowling, Root Cellar Chapel, South Boston, Massachusetts [3.] Stefanopoulos Family, Greek Orthodox Chapel, Armenia, New York [4.] From Wedding Bells to Bavarian Blessing, Central Wisconsin [5.] Don & Winifred Boynton, An American Stavkirke, Door County, Wisconsin [6.] Janet Williams, An Adirondack Style Chapel, Lake Champlain, Vermont [7.] Little Audrey's Santo's Garage Chapel, Worcester, Massachusetts [8.] Little Rose Chapel Breaks Ground Part Two: Holy Country, Southwest [9.] Patsy Skyline Lowry, Straw Bale Milagro Chapel, Elgin, Arizona [10.] Lori Mendez & Earl Niichel, Rosicrusian Temple, Mowry, Arizona [11.] Gabriel Cousens, Essene Temple, Patagonia, Arizona [12.] Valer & Josiah Austin, El Coronado Ranch Chapel, Pearce, Arizona, and Beyond [13.] Ramon Lopez, Santa Fe Santero, New Mexico [14.] Holy Country, Chimayo, New Mexico North [15.] Zoraida & Eulogio Ortega, Capilla of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Velarde, New Mexico [16.] Ra Paulete, Sandstone Cathedral, Espanola, New Mexico [17.] Little Rose Chapel Underway Part Three: Be Blessed, Deep South [18.] Margaret & Harmon Denis, All Is Welcome Temple, Vicksburg, Mississippi [19.] Bayou Chapels: Our Lady of Blind River, Madonna Chapel, and Noonie Smith's Memorial Chapel [20.] Priestess Miriam, Erzulie's Altar, New Orleans, Louisiana [21.] Ruard Veltman & Friends, A Chapel Made of Tires, Hale County, Alabama [22.] Little Rose Chapel Continues Part Four: Broken Open, Far West [23.] James Hubbell, Sea Ranch Chapel, Mendocino, California [24.] Dunstan Morrissey, A Wine Cask Chapel, Sonoma, California [25.] Shelley Masters, Mother Goddess Altar, San Francisco, California [26.] Jerry Wennstrom & Marilyn Strong, Flaming Stupa, Puget Sound, Washington [27.] A Night of Atonement at The Moonlodge, Northern New Mexico [28.] Hanne & Maurice Strong's Manitou and Barbara & William Howell's Sanctuary House, Crestone, Colorado [29.] Little Rose Chapel Dedication Acknowledgments Notes of Credit Selected Bibliography Visitor's Guide