Liturgy and the Arts

Focusing on the questions "What is the purpose of worship?" and "Why are the arts an irreplaceable part of good liturgy?" Bishop Rouet, in Liturgy and the Arts, maintains that the arts should disclose holiness within the ordinary. The role of the arts in Christian life and in liturgy is to illustrate God's presence and to release the sacramental potential of the world. He stresses that in order for that to happen, liturgical artists and Church leaders must dialogue and cooperate in providing a faith community with a liturgical environment that leads to meaningful worship. For Bishop Rouet, the arts are indispensable to human existence; they are necessary for the incarnation of faith. Indeed, as he puts it in his introduction, "Faith is not simply an individual thought process, nor personal opinion; nor is it only the public witness of a person. Faith produces a way of living, therefore culture, and thus, art." Readers of Liturgy and the Arts will experience a genuine joy in contemplati