By Gretchen Keiser

The renovation of the Cathedral of Christ the King is being raised again for study and discussion in a statement sent to all parishioners by Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM.

Members of the Cathedral parish were mailed copies May 1 of a liturgical reflection that addresses the nature of worship space, the modifications that followed from the Second Vatican Council, and the reasons behind them. The archbishop, in a cover letter, said he wrote the text to enable parishioners to have “a friendly and frank conversation about these matters.”

“This letter initiates a dialogue,” he said. “No decisions have been made.”

In addition to the text, which is reprinted in this issue of The Georgia Bulletin, the topic of liturgical renewal will be discussed at the Cathedral during the next week by a visiting liturgist, Father Charles Faso, OFM.

A Chicago pastor, Father Faso holds degrees in music and liturgy, and has given parish missions and liturgical renewal programs throughout the country. Last December he spoke at St. John Vianney parish in Lithia Springs. He taught liturgy at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago for 10 years and has been pastor of St. Peter’s Church there since 1988.

Father Faso will speak at all weekend Masses at the Cathedral May 9 and 10, including Spanish Masses, according to Peggy Stapleton, who serves on the Cathedral staff as an associate for music and liturgy. Father Faso will also lead three evening reflections at the Hyland Center adjacent to the Cathedral on May 11, 12 and 13. Each will begin at 7:30 p.m. with evening prayer, Ms. Stapleton said, and will be catechetical. Each evening will build on the prior meeting’s discussion.

Archbishop Lyke himself galvanized the discussion about renovations at the Cathedral, said Ms. Stapleton, who is a member of the parish liturgy committee and chairing an “ad hoc committee formed for catechesis” in the end of 1991.

The archbishop said that he wrote the document, called “Preparing the Upper Room,” “to provide the theological and liturgical grounding for any reflection on the study of church renovation.” He dedicated it to the memory of Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan.

At the Cathedral, Archbishop Lyke said, there is a need for renovation, but, in addition, he is constantly blessing new church buildings and reviewing plans for additional structures and sanctuaries throughout the archdiocese. No document is in place in the archdiocese to provide a framework for liturgical renewal or for new structures, the archbishop said.