William J. Turner

Rev. William J. Turner is a presbyter and pastor in the Diocese of Lansing, MI. He continues post doctoral research in the field of cultural anthropology, Catholic identity, and ritual.

Articles by William J. Turner

Everglade Oratory

The campus of Ave Maria University has been carved out of the tomato fields and drained Everglades of rural southwestern Florida…

Crown Jewel in the Hills: Saint Hugo Stone Chapel, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

If you are looking for someone to preserve and protect Crown Jewels, a visit and conversation with Monsignor Anthony M. Tocco may resolve any concerns as to how it may be done. As he led a 2001 project to restore this chapel “to its original glory,” as it is titled in the short history of the event, the emphasis was to prepare a defense against the ravages of time. Not only has that aging been addressed, but even more has been accomplished. In what the American Institute of Architects in 1937 called “one of the hundred representative and distinguished buildings in the United States,” this chapel stands as an example that the former can be retained when the new is built. Here is found a visible testimony to the symbols and the Catholic identity held dear by parishioners in an over 75 year history.

A Cathedral’s Treasure

This bishop is in the forefront of what I hope will be a modern movement to encourage in this age what the people of the Middle Ages believed and understood. They were willing to support and express what they believed in their sacred buildings.

House Chapels: An Expression of Catholic Identity

The dissatisfaction that many Roman Catholics have expressed concerning the renovation or construction of church buildings within the last thirty-five years has often been attributed to the eye of the beholder.

Catholic Identity, the Building, the Reactions

It has become evident recently that a plethora of opinions and reactions to liturgical renewal exist, especially as it applies to sacred space. This fact is reflective of the concern of many Catholics, and it needs to be seriously addressed.