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

"The Church Visible" is not about Catholic theology or doctrine, but it does concern an area of no less fascination and interest: the ceremonial life, protocol, and ritual of the Roman Catholic Church. Although late 20th century Catholics might tend to think of the Church as a purely spiritual entity, for nearly 1500 years it was also a political powerhouse and the source of almost all of the culture and customs of Western Europe. "The Church Visible" examines the present-day incarnation of the Church in her external life: ceremonies, traditions, vestments, insignia, protocol, and temporal and spiritual governance.

The book is divided into five sections: the Vatican itself, papal honors including orders of knighthood, Church protocol, vestments and insignia, and a brief history of the papacy. A glossary, a name and subject index, and a variety of appendices including several Church documents are included. Several impressive Catholic figures also have brief forewords including John Cardinal Krol, John Cardinal O'Connor, and Archbishop John P. Foley.

Noonan has done a wonderful job of answering those niggling questions that never seem to be answered in the standard Catholic Q and A books, such as the reason why cardinals have their title placed in the middle of their name and how exactly a papal election is performed. For the latter, the author leads the reader step by step through the protocol that follows the death of a pope, citing examples from recent history, and then to the election process and then enthronement of a new pope. He even includes sample liturgies and ceremony programs that have been used in the past. The chapter on the College of Cardinals is especially a gem.

Moving on, he examines the different papal honors, who may receive them, how they should be worn, and their relative precedence to other honors. He then studies the two major equestrian orders, the Knights of Malta and the nights of the Holy Sepulcher. For any readers entranced by the idea of knighthood and chivalry from the time they were children, as this reviewer was, these chapters are a joy to read as they reveal that true knighthood, that which begins with Christ, still exists in the world today, and that chivalry does have a place in the 20th century.

The section on protocol is very interesting and especially helpful for Americans who are not used to matters of rank, protocol, and etiquette. Here Noonan even provides sample dinner menus and invitations from past functions. The chapter on forms of address is also a practical guide for anyone who may have an opportunity to write to any clergyman. Overall, this section will be mainly interesting for those who are curious about orders of precedence and etiquette, even if most will never have the chance to be part of formal pomp and circumstance.

The final section that will be of general interest is the coverage of vesture and insignia. Do you know what a zuchetto is? Do you know when it is worn? Now you will know. A nice addition to this section, and the whole book, is a series of color plate pages on heavy stock that illustrate the various vestments, insignia, awards, historical occasions, and other illustrations that bring to life the written descriptions.

Bottom Line: "The Church Visible" is a fun, interesting, and educational experience that any Catholic interested in the temporal life of the Church should pick up and peruse. It is a fascinating introduction to what might otherwise be an intricate web of inscrutable customs, but are now clearly illuminated as the logical product of the Church's long history as the centerpiece of Western civilization.

Fascinating work detailing the sometimes bewildering and archaic sights, sounds and ceremonies of the upper echelons of the Roman Church. A "must-read" for Vatican watchers and liturgists. This book describes the proper forms and protocols of upper-Church functions and rites and relates the history and proper usage of the emblems and insignia. This book is decidedly traditional... if you're looking for expressions of post Vatican II liturgical experimentalism, you will not find it here.

For starters, this isn't a general interest book. Only people who have personal interest in protocol, vestments, precedence, ceremony, etc. If you're looking for something lighter, this isn't the way to go, especially with almost no copies around being sold for less than $100.

If you're like me and you're into these things, this book is a pretty good investment. It's also a must-have reference books if you're, say, an organizer for a party that will have Catholic clerics as guests. The book even gives proper seating plans and the proper order for processions.

It offers more than what you can find by simply looking on the internet. Like, the most authoritative source on the net is probably the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, but the problem with the Catholic Encyclopedia is that their articles are ridiculously ancient, having been written before 1920. Remember that after Vatican II, a lot of the rules, procedures and vestments changed, so a lot of what the Catholic Encyclopedia has is just irrelevant today. The Church Visible has more current info.

It has a few flaws. Even with the ridiculously-high market price that's out for this book these days, it's still rather lacking. The author tells us about the vestments and clothes, including their histories. However, he fails to tell us why the vestments are the way they are, what symbolism was put into why they look that way. If the vestments had no reason for being the way they are, then they're useless. There is great symbolism in them and we must not forget that.

It would have been nice if the author could have included info about the Eastern Catholic vestments, rites, protocol, precedence, etc.

A couple extra bonuses in the book, in the back they have the names and addresses of various Roman tailors where you can buy the goods, and the beginning section of the book has some stuff to do with Conclaves. In the case of the latter, however, the info on Conclaves isn't as in-depth as you'd probably like. For books that give a deeper study into Conclaves and current events with the Church, look for books by John Allen, which are far more in-depth than The Church Visible.

This book came out ten years ago. I think it's a good idea for them to make a new edition of it, not only to keep everything updated, but also so that the high prices for the book can be lowered.