Brickwork, and the Future of Worship Spaces

Friendship Baptist Church, Danville AL

Just in love with the brickwork here at Friendship Baptist Church in Danville, Alabama


Last year, American Catholics and the Church of Tomorrow: Building Churches for the Future, was published by University of Chicago Press. I was struck by the image that America, the Jesuit Review, used to illustrate their article on the book, as they featured Holy Name Cathedral in Steubenville, Ohio — and it has so many similarities to the Abbey church at St. Bernard in my hometown of Cullman, AL:

Abbey Church, St. Bernard, Cullman AL Abbey Church, St. Bernard, Cullman AL

Abbey Church, St. Bernard, Cullman AL


Moshe Safdie’s design group, Safdie Architects, released its vision of the Abrahamic Family House in the UAE, which would house a mosque, church, and synagogue — and their space is ethereal. This design submitted by David Adjaye is also compelling. It’s Adjaye’s design that has been selected: