Everything you wanted to know

What happened to all the statues?

Many Catholic churches have an abundance of statues, paintings, and stained glass windows. We have these for the same reason homes have pictures of relatives and friends. They remind us of people we love and respect.

We don't pray to them, but sometimes we ask them to add their prayers to ours. We profess in the Christian creeds a belief in "the communion of the saints." That means we believe that after death there is still a bond between us and those who have gone before us. We are all the living church, spanning centuries, praising God, and, through prayer and activity, working with the Lord in building his kingdom.

Some older churches have removed some statues and newer ones are built with fewer. This is done to help center our attention on the main purpose of our worship space - to celebrate the Eucharist. The focal points are the altar, the Word of God, and the assembly space for the people. Statues around the altar can distract from the altar itself.

Everything you ever wanted to know But thought you should already know, so didn't ask
By Fr. Ron Luka, CFM

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