I have always enjoyed critiquing various altars and tabernacles wherever I go, but the most entertaining ones are found in . . . any guesses?
Yes! The Diocese of Rochester!
I would like very much to have a bit of a tournament as to which altars/tabernacles are the worst and which are the best. We’ll start with which are the worst.
First up: St. Christopher in Chili or St. John the Evangelist in Rochester (not Greece or Spencerport).
St. Christopher’s: 
St. John’s: 
While both are hideous and obscene, I think that my vote for the worse of the two would go to St. John's. At least St. Christopher's has a sanctuary candle.
Pictures of many Tabernacles in the Diocese of Rochester are posted on this website:
http://tabernaclesofrochester.com/tabernacleintro.html
Go to the title Tabernacles of Rochester and click on the link below, "Photos With Quotations about Jesus' Real Presence", to view pictures of the Tabernacles.
God Bless the wonderful lay servant of God, who constructed this website.
Could you imagine how many new souls we could bring into the Church, if all of this energy was put into evangelizing our neighborhoods, instead of fighting to protect our precious parishes and Catholic schools?
The choices are abysmal. I guess I'd vote for St. Christopher's too because of the sanctuary candle. Notice how all the chairs do not face the Blessed Sacrament. This is just so pitiful and lame.
SHAMEFUL
Who would allow for the construction of such unworthy houses for our Lord? Was it Bishop Clark?
It might have been either Hogan or Kearney, although I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be the current bishop of Rochester.
Truly a pity.
If any of you have photos of any Rochester parishes before their "renovations" please let me know.
I thought St. John had 24 hr a day adoration in their chapel. This picture does not look right to me?
There are three "St. John the Evangelist" parishes in the diocese. This is the one in the city limits. I've never been there, so I will leave it to you to discern.
There are two other SJE in the diocese. One in Clyde, the other Owego (not Oswego, that's Syracuse diocese).
The tabernacle picture identified as ST. John's might actually be from St. James, as the type of wood around the tabernacle looks like that at St. James.
Speaking of Oswego above, an unusally beautiful church is St. Mary of the Assumption, English Gothic. It's relatively untouched and the Tridentine Latin Mass Group in Oswego has Mass there.
Check this link out for old pictures of HOly Ghost. Also notice the School Sisters of NOtre Dame in their traditional habit.
http://www.holyghostrochester.org/photoalbum.html
HAHAHAHA, that must have been embarrasing, Dr. K. Did you wonder why the priest was staring at you?
Oh man, Dr. K, I would have seriously bust a gut if I was there.
There is a St. John the Evangelist in Newark Valley, not Owego. Newark Valley is about ten miles north of Owego.
For a before after comparison you should get pictures of St. Patricks in Owego. They put the altar on the side of the church…sort of like trying to reproduce the feel of mass in the gym.
Susan Peterson
Oh no 🙁