In this installment of “Working in the Vineyard” Pray Tell presents Blackfriars Gallery and Library, in a conversation with Fr. Christopher Renz, OP the Director of Blackfriars Gallery and Library and Academic Dean and Professor of Liturgical Studies and Science & Theology at GTU.
Describe why your institution/program was founded. Has your mission evolved overtime?
I am director of Blackfriars Gallery and Library, originally founded as “Liturgy in Santa Fe” by one of the Dominican friars of my province, Fr. Blase Schauer. His original ideas and concerns were to help college students at the University of New Mexico, Las Cruces engage with their faith through a “hands-on” experience of the liturgy. The tag line was “symbol, season, and heritage.” The program was so successful that it moved to Santa Fe in 1970 and became a national liturgy training program for priests and religions in the post-Vatican II climate. The project continues today through a small collection of art procured by another friar, art historian Fr. Michael Morris. After his death in 2016, I assumed responsibility with the goal of bringing art, culture and resources to seminarians and lay students at our school.
Who is your main “audience”? Whom do you hope to include in the future?
The Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, which houses Blackfriars Gallery, has a two-fold mission: the intellectual and ministerial formation of our student brothers (seminarians) and the education of lay women and men for service in the Church and society. It is one of the few Centers of Studies of the Dominican Order that offers graduate degrees in both philosophy and theology, and the only one to offer a concurrent study option that combines both disciplines. Through the Gallery, we also hope to develop a program of studies for Christian artists who wish to explore philosophical and theological foundations for sacred art, specifically as it relates to Catholic worship and culture.
What initiatives are you focused on at present? If people want to become involved/attend, how would they do so? Whom should they contact?
My current research focuses on deepening our understanding of “active participation” in both liturgy and daily life (“domestic church”) so that, as Benedict XVI observed, we might “be liturgy.” With a background in the natural sciences, I explore contemporary studies in cognitive science, specifically in an area called “neuroaesthetics.” The goal is to develop an anthropological foundation for both why and how art – as well as other experiences of beauty – are vital to developing an authentic “liturgical piety” that combines the symbolic heritage and language of the Church, with both the natural and liturgical seasons, so as to enliven the cultural dimension of the faith (“symbol, season, and heritage”).
Those interested in exploring these ideas in an academic context could consider study at DSPT. Those with a more “casual” interest could watch for a series of adult education learning modules we are hoping to create in the next couple of years. We are also always interested in having artists exhibit work in the gallery (see Blackfriars Gallery web page for examples). Another avenue for engagement includes our collection of first-edition movie posters from Biblical movies that is available for exhibition. A podcast describing the history of religion and cinema is in the works and will be available to accompany this exhibition.
How are you unique, or well-poised, to contribute to the life of the church?
My own knowledge of biology allows me to “think outside the box” in exploring the deeper meaning of “active participation” from an anthropological perspective. My work is at the level of practical theology, with the goal of helping those responsible for education at the parish and diocesan level to bring contemporary understanding of the role of beauty and awe into the catechetical mission of the Church. I am particularly drawn to the vision of the past few popes as articulated in the 2020 Directory for Catechesis and the call for a “kerygmatic catechesis.”
May God prosper your work!
This interview was conducted via email.
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