Liturgical Consulting

Liturgical Consultantation and Design

LITURGICAL CONSULTATION AT GENESIS STUDIOS

From its founding in 1989 Genesis Studios has been devoted to fostering the creative design process among the People of God.  Ronald Zawilla, our resident liturgical consultant, is uniquely qualified to guide parish staff and parishioners through the building or renovation process.

With a B.F.A. in interior design and an M.S.L. and Ph.D in liturgical studies, Ronald speaks the language of the faith community and the language of the design profession.

He helps the community articulate its own unique vision.  Then he works with the architect to translate this vision into archi-tectural forms and to apply the liturgical guidelines of the Church.

Ronald is both an educator and a good listener.  He takes the time to get to know the community and to understand its ethos.  He shares his extensive knowledge of liturgy in down-to-earth language people can understand.

The people at St. Bruno parish in Dousman, WI, wanted were looking for a design to reflect the rolling, wooded hills of SE Wiscon-sin and the monastic simplicity of their patron saint.

As the pastor, Rev. John Schreiter put it:"When Ron and the architect presented their first rendering of the new church, an entire roomful of people just stared and said 'that is exactly what we want.'  Ron had an excellent working relationship with the architect and they were able to design a beautiful church while staying within our very strict budget." 

This modest church, dedicated in the spring of 2004, was shaped by the vision of the people of the parish and now, in turn, the building is shaping them by providing a prayerful place for them to celebrate Eucharist and the important moments in their communal and private lives.

The church as been honored with numerous awards, including a Gold Medal from the Association of Licensed Architects.  It is a source of pride and satisfaction to Genesis Studios and Plunkett-Raysich Architects.

The one of which we most proud is an Honorable Mention in the 2007 Ministry and Liturgy Visual Arts Competition for the Eucharistic Chapel. 

The chapel, adjacent to the sanctuary of the church, was designed so that it could be fully visible from the church and accessible by a separate entrance.  It is open 24 hours a day and serves not only the community but the entire town as a spiritual oasis.

LISTENING TO THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY / FINDING CREATIVE DESIGN TO MEET THOSE NEEDS.

Liturgical Consultation Projects

2005 - St. Gabriel Catholic Church

The building of St. Gabriel Catholic Church presented unique challenges - the parish had just been formed from three small parishes.  Ronald Zawilla, our liturgical consultant, guided the peope through a visioning process that allowed them to grieve the loss of their beloved old churches even as they engaged in the design of a new parish home.  By the end of the process, not only had a new church been built, but also a new community.

2003 - St. Mary Catholic Church 

St. Mary parish had outgrown their existing church, built in the 1950s, but everyone feared the loss of intimacy they assumed would be the result of doubling the size of the church.  Ronald and the architects from Plunkett-Raysich worked with the arrangement of the space and created a space in which no seat in the church is farther from the altar than in the old church.

The soaring space, with two sets of clerestory windows that intersect over the altar, forming a cross of light, does not feel overwhelming.  On the contrary, it embraces the community with a warm, inviting atmosphere.  In the words of the pastor, Rev. Art Heinze, it is a space that "prays well."

Like St. Bruno Church, completed two years later, St. Mary Catholic Church has been honored with numerous awards, including a Merit Award from the Association of Licensed Architects in 2004.

2001 - Resurrection Catholic Church

Located in Destin, Florida, near the beaches, Resurrection serves a small resident community, many "snow birds," who pass the winter there, along with young families who visit during the summer.  By designing a space in the round, we were able to replicate the intimacy of the old church that seated 200.  The most striking feature of the church is undoubltedly the 7-foot cross of translucent glass that casts its relfection in the pool of the baptistry.

Basilica of St. Paul

Our first project was the renovation of the this magnificent space built in the late 1920s in Daytona Beach, Florida.  When we first saw it, however, it was anything but magnificent.  For starters, the Great Depression had stopped work before the plans for the interior were realized and years of neglect had left the interior dark and dingy.

We recreated the original color scheme, using warm ochres in the nave and sanctuary with slate grays in the aside aisles to set off the wonderful stained glass windows.

Then, we moved the altar forward and used the original design for a baldacchino over the altar to create a Eucharistic Tower to house the restored tabernacle from the original church, which we found in the basement.

We used the marble from the 1950s altar to fashion a new baptismal font.