New issue of the journal Salve 2/2012 – space of liturgy

The new issue of the Salve magazine deals with sacred architecture. As the Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Dominik Duka OP, reminds us in the editorial, it doesn't come out of the blue, but rather builds upon ongoing reflections on the topic at many different forums.
The topic of liturgical space has appeared in the pages of Salve, as well as in debates and conferences that have taken place in collaboration with the Center for Theology and Art at the Catholic Theological Faculty, with Dominican 8, and others in previous years (see Salve 4/2004: sacred architecture; 2/2008: music and liturgy; 1/2007: and art (and) theology). Primarily, this issue arises from an international conference organized in October 2011 by the Center for Theology and Art at KTF titled "Contemporary Liturgy in an Old Church".
The presented issue of Salve should serve as an incentive for a responsible solution to the question of liturgical space in our country, encouraging not only priests but also the community of believers to start looking at their church with new eyes, so that the liturgy celebrated here would truly be the pinnacle of their religious life.
Benedikt Mohelník OP reflects on the place of spiritual worship in Salve, theologian Jan Kotas discusses liturgy as a driver of change, Dom Samuel from Nový Dvůr reminds us that our mind should be in harmony with our voice, the director of the Kolín Museum of Art Columbus, Stefan Kraus, focuses on art and liturgy, theologian and art historian Walter Zahner on the construction of churches and liturgy after the II Vatican Council, Parisian Cardinal André Vingt-Trois writes about the cathedral at the heart of society, architects Josef Pleskot and Norbert Schmidt present a proposal for the liturgical adaptation of the parish church of the Holy Trinity in Dobříš, Petr Tej proposes to integrate a retreat house into the Church of St. Cajetan in Prague, and Jan Alinče draws the convent of the Dominican Sisters in Prague-Lysolaje.
As Dominik Duka concludes, there is no shortage of new proposals; what is lacking is the ability to competently evaluate these proposals, to lead a quality dialogue between the community of believers and the pastor on one side and the architect and artist on the other, at the end of which there would be actual realizations that would stand as true monuments for subsequent generations, just as Gothic or Baroque churches do for us. Perhaps this issue of Salve will contribute to the cultivation of our environment in this regard.

Salve can be obtained online at http://www.krystal.op.cz/salve-periodika/list
or at the Oliva bookstore on Husova Street 8: http://www.oliva.op.cz/