Towards pastoral application of contemporary art spaces: the Chapel of Disclosure (Belgium) facilitators' views
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/pch.15204Keywords:
contemporary art, pastoral applications, process facilitation, pre-evangelisation, silenceAbstract
The Catholic Chapel of Disclosure is a contemporary art space established in 2011, responding to the decline of religious practices in Catholic schools in Belgium. The Chapel’s pastoral process is structured and organized. It offers perspectives on how pastoral activities may be implemented in other contemporary art spaces and ways to engage with nonbelievers and individuals who have left the Church. Between 2016 and 2022, in-depth interviews with the Chapel’s creators and facilitators examined the process, the significance of “emptiness” and silence, and the range of emotions experienced by participants. The study identified three main elements that contributed to the pastoral approach: participants’ openness to transcendence, lack of active indoctrination during facilitation, and importance of shared communal faith in relating participants’ life stories to Biblical narratives.
References
Alexa A., From Matisse to Turrell, 8 artists who designed transcendent chapels, 10.04.2017, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-matisse-turrell-8-artists-designed-transcendent-chapels (11.10.2025).
British Educational Research Association, Ethical guidelines for educational research, 4th ed., London 2018, https://www.bera.ac.uk/researchers-resources/publications/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-2018.
Callebaut T., Kapel van de Ontluiking, 2021, https://www.vai.be/en/buildings/onderwijsinfrastructuur/kapel-van-de-ontluiking-groot-bijgaarden (11.10.2025).
CEEC [European Committee for Catholic Education], 2021, https://cogree.org/members/ceec/ (25.04.2021).
Francis, Evangelii gaudium: Apostolic exhortation on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world, 24.11.2013, http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html (30.12.2020).
Hilken Ch., Belgium – The Chapel of Disclosure: Spiritual rest and discovery in the De La Salle Centre in Groot-Bijgaarden, 4.10.2016, https://www.lasalle-relem.org/belgium-the-chapel-of-disclosure-spiritual-rest-and-discovery-in-the-de-la-salle-centre-in-groot-bijgaarden/ (01.08.2020).
Kelly E., Chapter 4: Conceiving Austin: 1986–2015, 2018, https://blantonmuseum.org/permanent-collection/austin/primer/conceiving-austin/ (11.10.2025).
Lombaerts H., The Chapel of Disclosure: Discovering a new self-understanding via emptiness, trans. by J. Arblaster, 2020.
Pollefeyt D., Bouwens J., Dialogue as the future. A catholic answer to the ‘colourisation’ of the educational landscape, 2013, https://theo.kuleuven.be/apps/press/ecsi/files/2019/04/7.-Pollefeyt-Bouwens-Dialogue-as-the-Future.pdf (11.10.2025).
Teugels K., Kapel van de ontluiking bekroond, 03.10.2012, https://kriesteugels.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/kapel-van-de-ontluiking-bekroond/ (11.10.2025).
Van Grieken G., FSC, The Chapel of Disclosure, 2021, https://lasallianresources.org/product/the-chapel-of-disclosure/ (11.10.2025).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ausra Karaliute Cane
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions, and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
