Retired Diocese of Sioux City priest Fr. Brian Hughes joins the Catholic Morning Show to explain why church buildings are "sermons in stone," drawing on his University of Virginia thesis on architect William L. Steele. Fr. Hughes explores how sacred architecture uses stone, glass, and light to express the invisible realities of God's kingdom, sharing which northwest Iowa churches are most worth a visit. It's a rich conversation on beauty, sacrament, and how buildings can form the faithful in prayer.
Fr. Brian Hughes, a retired priest of the Diocese of Sioux City who studied sacred architecture, joins Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell to talk about the meaning behind church design. Fr. Hughes's own master's thesis in architectural history at the University of Virginia was titled "Sermons in Stone: The Ecclesiastical Design of William L. Steele," examining the Sioux City architect who designed a number of Catholic churches across northwest Iowa in the early 20th century. Fr. Hughes was drawn to the program at the request of then-Bishop Lawrence Soens, who wanted a priest equipped to guide the diocese's church construction and renovation projects.
Fr. Hughes explains the sacramental logic behind church architecture: just as the Church uses water, bread, wine, oil, and gesture to express invisible spiritual realities, so too can stone, iron, glass, and mosaic be crafted to "express the invisible realities of heaven." He traces how mid-20th-century church architecture, especially after World War II, often lost that sense of transcendence, and reflects on his own path — a teenage interest in architecture that led, after ordination, to formal study and eventually to coordinating the major renovation of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.
For listeners hoping to see this history firsthand, Fr. Hughes recommends a northwest Iowa church tour: the Gothic Revival Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City; smaller Gothic Revival churches in Remsen, Willey, and Roselle; William Steele's Sacred Heart Church in Fort Dodge, Holy Name Church in Marcus, and St. Joseph's Church in Milford; a Rambusch-designed church in Vail with windows depicting St. Anne; St. Mary's in Storm Lake, with stained glass and Stations of the Cross by Fr. Edward M. Catich, a Diocese of Davenport priest who founded the St. Ambrose University art department; and the contemporary 1960s-era St. Patrick's Church in Estherville. More on church architecture and design is available at LumenMedia.org.
Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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