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New Church Pews at Sacred Heart

The redecorating project plan For Such a Time as This includes new seating to replace the existing veneered pews. Today, most of us attending Mass take for granted that upon entering the church we will see rows and rows of pews and associate them with the building’s beauty. That has not always been the case.

History of Pews in Catholic Churches


In the United States we see pews as a necessary and basic part of every Catholic church, even though they are a recent invention and didn’t even originate in Catholicism. For most of Church history, worshipers stood during the celebration of the Mass. During the early 13th century sporadic churches started carving a few benches into the stone walls for limited perimeter seating, called sedilia.


Later, seating in the form of a few scattered benches were added for the elderly to sit on, but in general the nave of the church was entirely void of places to sit. This practice made practical sense, especially when kneeling became a common posture of the laity. Additionally, in medieval churches the pulpit was typically placed in the middle of the church, apart from the sanctuary. This meant the laity had to physically walk over to the pulpit to listen to the priest's very brief homily. There was so much movement during Mass that no one, including the priest, ever had a chance to sit down.


The Protestant Reformation issued in the common use of pews. In most Protestant churches the emphasis during worship services was the sermon given by a preacher. The interpretation of the Bible by the local pastor was a chief focus of Protestant liturgies and led to long discourses at the pulpit.


As Homilies became longer in Catholic churches and sitting was more common during various parts of the Mass, pews were gradually introduced. Later when churches could afford the installation of pews, they relied on parishioners for additional income and began to "rent" pews. This practice was common during colonial times and was phased out during the later part of the 20th century.

What We Have Planned For New Pews


Currently, in first two rows in the Nave, we have installed “sample” pews. All the sample pews are manufactured from solid wood, either red oak or African sapele, and have cushioned kneelers. Only one of the sample pews is upholstered, but any of them could be. Each one includes an end cap with a design routed into the wood. Here is a description of each sample pew and a layout of where they are located .



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Pew #1        First Pew left side facing the Altar

This is pew body 64SS and is constructed from plain sawn red oak lumber species with a refurbished end cap from the existing pews. Note that while the Basilica is Romanesque architecture the routed design in the end cap is Gothic or pointed not a rounded arch.

Pew #2        Second pew left side facing the Altar

This is pew body 64US[RB1]  with pew end 187 and is constructed from rift sawn red oak lumber species. This end cap is a rounded arch that is Romanesque in design, like the arches in Sacred Heart. This pew has a cushioned seat with a shaped solid lumber back.

Pew #3        First Pew right side facing the Altar

The is pew body 64SS with pew end 188 and is constructed from plain sawn African sapele lumber species. This end cap’s routed design essentially mimics the curve of the cap’s shape.

Pew #4        Second pew right side facing the Altar

This is pew body 64SS with pew end 187 and is constructed from quarter sawn African sapele lumber species. This end cap is a rounded arch which is Romanesque in design like the arches in Sacred Heart.

Which pew do you like? Give feedback.
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Our goal is to create a welcoming environment that supports the various liturgies that occur within it, is balanced and appropriate for a Basilica, follows current liturgical guidelines, and respects the history of Sacred Heart.