The Church Visible:

The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church [Hardcover]

By James-Charles Noonan Jr.

Sterling Ethos, 2012

512 pages, $23

To order: amazon.com

 

In the last month, with the abdication of Pope Benedict, the sede vacante (empty chair of Peter), the gathering of the cardinals in Rome and now the conclave in session, the ceremonial life of the Catholic Church has held the attention of the world. The protocols, the rituals, the symbols each have ancient, and sometimes not so ancient, meaning.

The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Catholic Church by James-Charles Noonan Jr. (first edition), published in 1996 by Viking, has been a Catholic bestseller and has remained the reference book on all manner of the externals of the Church. Upon the death of Blessed John Paul II, many journalists, scholars and those in the media turned to it for guidance on the impending obsequies, interregnum and conclave that ultimately elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Now a thoroughly revised (second) edition has been published by Sterling Ethos, and it is far more than a mere re-execution of an old favorite. More than 150 new pages of text have been added, and every existing chapter has been updated, with nearly 70 new photographs of historic import added, far surpassing the original in every way.

The author was a favorite of the late Pope Blessed John Paul II and of his private secretary, Stanisław Dziwisz, now cardinal-archbishop of Kraków, who appears in a photo with the author on this edition’s dust jacket. As the quintessential Vatican insider, whose late godfather, Cardinal Jacques Martin, was prefect of the papal household under three popes, Noonan’s new Church Visible brings alive all of the inside history and ceremony of the Catholic Church.

Sterling has produced a handsome hardcover edition, rich in color illustrations of not only the coats of arms of many of the bishops, monsignori, priests and parishes for which the author has designed insignia, but of vesture, awards, decorations, attire and various accoutrements pertaining to both the clergy, religious and laity.

The book — divided into five parts: on the Vatican, papal honors, Church protocol, vesture and insignia, and the papacy and the Church universal — provides insightful answers to most any question concerning those topics.

In the chapter concerning papal diplomacy — a wonderful précis on that topic — Noonan notes that the “Holy See’s diplomatic service has existed for centuries and is, in fact, one of the oldest continuous services in the world.”

We learn in the expanded chapter on the history of papal titles that “all popes have laid aside their baptismal name for a new one chosen in conclave” since the reign of John XIV (983-984). 

The revised edition contains additional text on the growth of the religious orders of the Church and on numerous protocol items, as well as an extensive glossary and index, bibliography, endnotes, detailed notes to all illustrations and 64 pages of appendices containing primary source documents, the most touching being the English translation of the rogito (record of life) that accompanied Blessed John Paul II into eternity.

There are, however, a few minor errata to be noted. The publisher claims that Noonan earned his Church history doctorate from The Catholic University of America. Although he began his studies in Washington, Pope John Paul II personally presented Noonan with the ad eundem (honorary) doctoral degree for his work on the first edition. Also, two images were mistakenly captioned. 

Church Visible puts accurate information within reach of readers, a depth of information that one is hard-pressed to locate on the Internet. This massive magnum opus is a worthy reference addition to the bookshelf of anyone interested in the Church’s externals and is a useful companion during this historic and ceremonious time in the life of the Church.

 

Jeffrey Gluck writes from New Jersey.