St Anthony Church at Streator, Illinois. There are three classic churches in Streator. I went there to engage in another hobby of mine, the watching trains. (The old ATSF line still runs through Streator, though now under the BSNF banner.) We discovered these churches after talking to locals. As was common the parishes developed largely along ethnic lines. St Anthony served the German and Italian-American in the city. Unfortunately these churches may soon be gone, casualties of consolidations brought on by a rapid decline in the number of priests in the Peoria diocese. Streator like many Midwestern towns has endured a loss of manufacturing jobs and subsequent economic and demographic declines.One would hope they would just shutter the buildings, perhaps even temporarily, rather then demolish them. Here are some links on the situation
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=316614218852
http://www.cdop.org/post/PostArticle.aspx?ID=1691
The interior is also splendid. The high altar is magnificent, the stained glass excellent, and statues of the twelve apostles crown the pillars of the church.
http://picasaweb.google.com/DocMeadows85/82909StAnthony#5504160435345139986
The saddest thing about the impending destruction of the churches of Streator is that church buildings are essential to tradition. The Church lives in tradition; and we all live in tradition, insofar as we truly live. Living in tradition does not mean living in the past, but living in CONTINUITY. Past, present, and future in a living chain, dependent on each other.
ReplyDeleteMan truly lives only in community. And if you destroy tradition, you destroy the community. Because we are creatures of body and soul, the past of a community is carried by physical things, primarily buildings, on account of their permanence and impact. Physical things that tie to the past are vital, are fundamental to the preservation of a community. You destroy churches, you destroy that community.