Robert E. Rambusch’s influence on the shape of worship endures

Robert E. Rambusch’s influence on the shape of worship endures

National Catholic Reporter

Robert E. Rambusch, a liturgical artist, designer and pioneer in the profession of liturgical design consultation, died May 23. He was 93.

He quite literally influenced the shape of worship in the United States and Canada in a career that spanned more than 65 years, participating in the design and renovation of 24 cathedrals and 400 churches.

Formed in the scholarship of the Liturgical Movement after the Second World War and deeply influenced by the challenge of the Second Vatican Council to embrace the world outside and engage in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, Rambusch’s work and influence is often linked with that of Frank Kacmarcik (1920-2004), from the Benedictine abbey at Collegeville, Minnesota; William Schickel (1919-2009), whose family-owned sacred arts studio continues to function on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio, of the Belgian-born Adé Bethune (1914-2002) who had long ties with the Catholic Worker Movement; and the Lutheran architect and writer, Ed Sövik (1918-2014).

As a liturgical design consultant, Rambusch developed an open, inclusive process in which the faith community was invited to participate in the sharing of ideas on the image of themselves and the church.