Skip to main content

Liturgical Design and Consulting Files, Ade Bethune Papers

 Collection
Identifier: ABC-01-LDC

Scope and Content

This collection includes over 800 manuscripts, sketches, drawings and plans relating to Ade Bethune and her work with liturgical and church architecture and design. Materials span the years between 1935 and 2000, with the bulk of the collection from 1950 to 1990. The collection includes churches from the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, and Jamaica. The majority of the material focuses on the United States, in particular, churches in the Northeast. Churches of particular interest and depth of material include St. Lucy’s Church in Middletown, Rhode Island; Our Lady of Peace Church in North Augusta, South Carolina; St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy, New York; and St. Edward the Confessor Church in Medfield, Massachusetts.

Dates

  • 1935 - 2000
  • Majority of material found within 1950 - 1990

Creator

Biographical Sketch

Ade Bethune was born in Brussels, Belgium on January 12, 1914 and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1928. Raised by progressive Catholic parents, even at a young age Bethune had a strong interest in Catholicism, liturgical art and the Progressive movement. She attended Cathedral High School in New York and later, the National Academy of Design and Cooper Union.

Her early years as a young artist in New York were spent with Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, and her designs of Biblical scenes and common, working class individuals were often published in the Catholic Worker. This early work helped lead to her first church commission in 1935, for St. Paulinus Church in Clairton, Pennsylvania. Her first work consisted of three crucifixes to be placed within this new church. This work expanded to include churches throughout New England and the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines.

A strong proponent of Vatican II and its architectural and procedural changes within the Catholic Church, Bethune worked to design and renovate churches to meet these new, open guidelines. Her liturgical design work encompassed a wide variety of mediums, including stained glass; woodcarving; painted murals; mosaics; vestments, banners, and other textiles; and metal and pottery chalices. She incorporated her artistic designs into all aspects of church liturgy and architecture, ranging from a simple banner to the design of the building itself. Her work was not limited to artistic design; she also worked as a liturgical consultant for other church architects.

In particular, Bethune worked with several churches quite intensively throughout the years. In some cases, she designed entire churches, including St. Leo’s Church in St. Paul, Minnesota in the 1960s; St. Michael’s Church in Troy, New York in 1981; and St. Lucy’s Church in Middletown, Rhode Island in 1986. In her later years, Bethune concentrated more heavily on liturgical design, but she remained active up through 1999 when she created designs for Our Lady of Peace Church in North Augusta, South Carolina. Her work as a liturgical artist and consultant spanned several decades and influenced many others to incorporate her ideas into church architecture.

Bethune died in her long time home of Newport, Rhode Island on May 1, 2002.

Extent

20.5 Linear Feet ((39 boxes) plus 16 flat file drawers)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Includes writings, correspondence, sketches, drawings, and plans by Ade Bethune relating to her work with liturgical and church architecture and design.

Organization

The collection is divided into two sections.

Other Information

A list of the church projects Ade Bethune was invovled with prior to 1983 is at the end of Series 1.

Acquisition

Ade Bethune donated her personal and business papers, sketches, artwork, books, and artifacts to the College of St Catherine (now St. Catherine University) over the period from 1984-2002.

Processing Information

The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Jamie Martin, April-May 2005. Oversized materials were added to the finding aid by Elizabeth Nelson, April-May 2008.

Creator

Title
Guide to the Liturgical Design and Consulting Files Ade Bethune Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Jamie Martin, MLIS graduate student
Date
May 2005
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the St. Catherine University Special Collections Repository

Contact:
St. Catherine University
Archives and Special Collections
2004 Randolph Avenue
St. Paul MN 55105 U.S.A.
651-690-6423