Week Fifty-Three - Mother of God (Covington)
11:30 Sunday morning mass, Mother of God. Located in Covington, Kentucky, Mother of God is almost 160 years old, so immediately, you know you're headed for great things. The exterior is grandiose, certainly making its presence known in a neighborhood of less intimidating row houses. A parking lot across the street included a statue of a head (yes, a head) on its perimeter, gazing up at the church. Neither my husband nor my son nor myself could determine exactly what kind of head it was - angel? lion? dementor? - but it was both delightfully amusing albeit a bit disturbing at the same time.
Opening the doors to Mother of God reminded me of the doors at the Cincinnati Art Museum - they're huge, and what's behind them was amazing. Mother of God is without a doubt the most ornate church I've been in to date (or, at least, tied with St. Monica-St. George). Everywhere you look - and I mean everywhere - is another meticulous detail. There's Latin. There's gold. There's columns. There's an abundance of trompe l'oeil. There's tiled floors. There's painting after painting after painting. And the stained glass windows? Oh, the windows. By far, the best I've seen. The size and detail is truly amazing. They're beautiful.
In spite of all the history and classic elegance, Mother of God was still oddly contemporary. A casual crowd strolled in on this particular Sunday morning. They were a chatty and neighborly bunch, raising the conversation volume considerably, so much so that during the call to worship, the lector invited everyone to pause for a moment in silence to prepare for the liturgy. The music was also contemporary and quite good. The occasional inclusion of trumpets should be employed more often. Their sound resonated in the church beautifully.
Sign language interpreters stationed at the front of the church served what appeared to be a number of hearing-impaired parishioners in the pews. It was a joy to see those parishioners "singing" along with their hands. It was even more touching to see quite a large number of other parishioners, including the priest, deacon, and music group, occasionally join in with the signing.
It looks like Mother of God has taken good care of itself and is continuing to do so. When we visited, a section of pews had been replaced with folding chairs. This must be the norm recently as the section we were in included beautifully restored (or new?) pews, new upholstery on the seats, and new carpeting under our feet. However, again, there was an odd oxymoron here as there were no kneelers. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that too many contemporary trends never detract from the grandeur and stateliness of this historic gem.
ATTENDANCE: Comfortably full
DURATION: 1 hour, 10 minutes
11:30 Sunday morning mass, Mother of God. Located in Covington, Kentucky, Mother of God is almost 160 years old, so immediately, you know you're headed for great things. The exterior is grandiose, certainly making its presence known in a neighborhood of less intimidating row houses. A parking lot across the street included a statue of a head (yes, a head) on its perimeter, gazing up at the church. Neither my husband nor my son nor myself could determine exactly what kind of head it was - angel? lion? dementor? - but it was both delightfully amusing albeit a bit disturbing at the same time.Opening the doors to Mother of God reminded me of the doors at the Cincinnati Art Museum - they're huge, and what's behind them was amazing. Mother of God is without a doubt the most ornate church I've been in to date (or, at least, tied with St. Monica-St. George). Everywhere you look - and I mean everywhere - is another meticulous detail. There's Latin. There's gold. There's columns. There's an abundance of trompe l'oeil. There's tiled floors. There's painting after painting after painting. And the stained glass windows? Oh, the windows. By far, the best I've seen. The size and detail is truly amazing. They're beautiful.
In spite of all the history and classic elegance, Mother of God was still oddly contemporary. A casual crowd strolled in on this particular Sunday morning. They were a chatty and neighborly bunch, raising the conversation volume considerably, so much so that during the call to worship, the lector invited everyone to pause for a moment in silence to prepare for the liturgy. The music was also contemporary and quite good. The occasional inclusion of trumpets should be employed more often. Their sound resonated in the church beautifully.
Sign language interpreters stationed at the front of the church served what appeared to be a number of hearing-impaired parishioners in the pews. It was a joy to see those parishioners "singing" along with their hands. It was even more touching to see quite a large number of other parishioners, including the priest, deacon, and music group, occasionally join in with the signing.
It looks like Mother of God has taken good care of itself and is continuing to do so. When we visited, a section of pews had been replaced with folding chairs. This must be the norm recently as the section we were in included beautifully restored (or new?) pews, new upholstery on the seats, and new carpeting under our feet. However, again, there was an odd oxymoron here as there were no kneelers. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that too many contemporary trends never detract from the grandeur and stateliness of this historic gem.
ATTENDANCE: Comfortably full
DURATION: 1 hour, 10 minutes
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