Frank Thomas Kacmarcik (12 March 1920 - 22 February 2004) was an American artist, designer, calligrapher, liturgical consultant, and collector of fine art and manuscripts.
"Much of the progress that has been made in [religious] architecture and the arts in this country can be attributed to Frank Kacmarcik.
"[1] Also "No one has had a greater influence on the development of American religious architecture and art in the past four decades than Frank Kacmarcik.
Thinking that St. John's sounded like a place he could develop his interest in religious art, he wrote to the abbot who invited him to visit.
He regarded his honesty as a sign of integrity; however this was also seen as lacking in tolerance for other's opinion, a trait necessary for the communal life in the abbey.
When the war ended, Kacmarcik was discharged and returned to the Minneapolis School of Art to complete his fourth year, 1946-47.
Bill, Kacmarcik spent 1947-1950 in Europe, continuing his education at the Paris schools, Academie de la Grande Chaumiere and Centre d’Art Sacre, painting, traveling, and coming in contact with other artists producing contemporary religious art.
Although Kacmarcik's return to the St. John's campus as a faculty member was a welcome one to his friends in the abbey, he still had his detractors among many of the monks.
[8] That did not happen and he moved to St. Paul, MN, in late 1954 to begin a career as a liturgical consultant for church architecture projects and graphic artist.
For the interior design there are decisions to be made, e.g. placement of the altar in relation to the congregation, where should the Blessed Sacrament be kept, how to provide for devotions to the saints, etc.
In working with an architect he functioned, depending on the circumstances, as teacher, artist-maker, artist-designer, theologian, art consultant and coordinator.
"[10] Perhaps the most dramatic change in church interiors mandated by Vatican II was the directive that the priest is to say Mass facing the people.
The Abbey decided to build and they contacted several well-known architects inquiring if they would be interested in the church project.
Breuer wanted to understand the "function of the space as well as the supporting theological foundation" in order to aid him in getting things right.
[14] In the lower level of the church the plans called for 34 private chapels to be used by the monks to say their daily Mass.
[27] Kacmarcik designed a variety of printed works from the covers for Worship, a periodical promoting the liturgical movement published by St. John's Abbey, from 1951 through the 1990s, to ephemera e.g. cards, stationery logos, etc.
Early influences were his instructors at the Minneapolis School of Art, especially Alexander Masley and Frank Kofron.
In the graphic arts the influence of Byzantine icons and English engraver Eric Gill's work can be seen.
Among writers admired by Kacmarcik were Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain and H. A. Reinhold, columnist and author of books on liturgical matters.
Kacmarcik aligned himself with the writings of European leaders of the liturgical movement especially Pius Parsch and Romano Guardini.
Thus Kacmarcik's ties to the abbey were an important source of information and inspiration in his work as a liturgical consultant to architects.
The North American Academy of Liturgy, an ecumenical association of liturgical scholars promoting research in public worship and extending this scholarship to benefit worshiping communities, awarded Kacmarcik its Berakah Award in 1981 in recognition for his "distinguished contribution to the professional work of the liturgy."
In the field of the graphic arts Kacmarcik has received more than sixty national and international awards.
Kacmarcik's alma mater, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, gave him an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1970 In 1986 Kacmarcik approached the abbot of St. John's Abbey about returning to live in the abbey as a claustral oblate.
(Oblates are persons who seek to integrate their daily life with the ideals of a religious order, in this case the Benedictines.
[33] He continued to do a little consultant and design work, especially for the Liturgical Press, the publishing arm of St. John's Abbey.
[37] Another called his criticism of artistic mediocrity "trenchant"[34] And still another "acknowledged Kacmarcik’s ability to be an annoyance, a gadf...this type of counsel was able to open people’s eyes wider to a broader vision and spur them to action that would have far-reaching results.
"[38] As Kacmarcik's long and successful career of working with architects and church building committees attests, he got results.