A Tale of Two Sacred Spaces Part III: Walking Tour of St. John's Lutheran Church and St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church
Back by popular demand, the JES will offer a follow-up to its successful series of tours of Erie church buildings of July 2024 and July 2025. Once again, our guide will be Dr. Michael DeSanctis, JES Scholar-in-Residence and Gannon University Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts and Theology. This time, participants will tour two churches in the city of Erie: St. John's Lutheran Church, once home to a large German-American congregation; and, St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, a building also dear to Erie's German-American population just on the opposite side of the block and a place where The Bread of Life Community worships. The tour will focus on the connection between aesthetic and spiritual experience as embodied in the language of church architecture and leave participants with a better sense of the important role Erie's places of worship continue to play in the life and culture of the city.
Please Note: Participants should be able to do light walking. The two churches are located on adjacent streets, approximately two blocks apart. Check-in will take place at 9:30 a.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church, and the tour will begin at 10 a.m.
Location: St. John's Luther Church (2216 Peach St., Erie, PA 16502) and St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church (147 W. 24th St., Erie, PA 16502)
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 25, 10AM-12:30PM
Admission: FREE
*If you do NOT receive a letter from info@jeserie.org within 24-48 hours regarding your registration, please check your spam or junk folder. Thank you!
Michael DeSanctis, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael DeSanctis is a Professor of Fine Arts and Theology at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses in the history of art and architecture. He is the author of Building from Belief: Advance, Retreat and Compromise in the Remaking of Catholic Church Architecture (Liturgical Press, 2002) and Renewing the City of God: Catholic Architectural Reform in the United States (Liturgy Training Publications, 1994), as well as numerous popular and academic writings on the topic of contemporary Catholic Church architecture. He is a member of the Commission on Sacred Art and Architecture for Diocese of Erie and has established an international reputation for his work as a liturgical educator and design consultant.
