Saint Mary’s in Geneseo, New York is a charming little church in a college town 40 minutes south of Rochester. It has changed very little over the years as far as I know. I suspect there was once a communion rail which has, sadly, disappeared. Fortunately, The Tabernacle has not been moved from its central location on the permanent altar. The floor of the church is still, delightfully, creaky wood.
The architecture of the church is Medieval Revival with Gothic and Romanesque characteristics. The front facade of the church is Romantic, arranged asymmetrically with the towers unequal in height. Brick is often the material of choice for Medieval Revival.
The sectioning of the apse and side chapels reminds me of the dome of the Cathedral of Florence and even the dome of Saint Peter’s in Rome.
The funeral Mass I participated in recently was, for the most part orthodox, if celebrated a little too informally by the priest. Unfortunately, not much was used from the rich musical tradition of the Church but the young woman who was the cantor has a beautiful voice.
Tags: Church Architecture, Liturgical art, Liturgical Environment
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Beautiful church!
It is lovely. I once attended an Sunday 8am Mass there a few years back. I was surprised to see how many people were pouring in and how hyped up they were at that hour. The priest practically speed-read the Mass! A mini-homily! The quick loud & friendly “meet n’greet” at the sign of the peace! Everyone pouring out en masse the second mass was over! A bit stunned, I commented to someone on the way out how quick the Mass was. “Fastest Mass in the area!” she quipped happily… … 🙁