The National Shrine of our Lady Queen of the Universe in East Boston is one of the oddest religious structures around: built into a hillside, it doesn't have a church on top, but an open plaza and outdoor chapel. When you enter the building, you go down two floors to the main church, a broad auditorium, and to the Shrine's function rooms. On the same floor as the church is this locked doorway:
When I was there, the Christorama wasn't open, but I'll be back. What other well-intentioned displays of tackiness can you think of at parishes and shrines?
Ok, the Pope says that you should take what good insights and scholarship you can find, even if it comes from Evangelicals. Fair enough.
But please, don't take the tackiness?
:-)
The Christorama Museum actually contains a Diorama of life during Christ's time. I do not believe it is open to the public anymore. However, I am not sure. I happened to be there on Thursday and found they were cleaning the room and, therefore, was for the first time able to see the unlighted Christorama Museum.
I do not know which is tackier, the name Christorama Museum or the ad for the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Aurieville New York with the words "See The Hill of Torture." Strange ad for a wonderfully sacred place.
By the way, the Shrine in East Boston, known by the locals as the Don Orione Shrine, is a great place to visit and pray.
Fr. Bob Carr
Canada has one, too:
http://www.cyclorama.com/eng/histoire.htm
It's beside the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupre, east of Quebec City. Since we didn't visit the panorama, I can't comment on its tackiness (or lack of the same.) The basilica, though, is beautiful.
I've been to the Cyclorama, and it has wax-figure exhibits: some devotional and some about the settlement and saints of Quebec.