168 A commission for a church or for worship affords artists an opportunity to join their creative gifts to those in a long history of artists who have placed their talents at the service of God and who have enriched the Church's treasury of sacred art and architecture. All artists who, in view of their talents, desire to serve God's glory in holy Church should ever bear in mind that they are engaged in a kind of sacred imitation of God the Creator, and are concerned with works destined for use in Catholic worship and for the edification, devotion, and religious instruction of the faithful. The Church needs art and artists to communicate Christ's message, and artists need the Church to inspire their investigations of the material world, their own inner lives, and the fabric of the community. Before an artist is selected, the parish will want to carefully consider and evaluate the artist and his or her work with the assistance of those best qualified to advise the community. Once a community has chosen artists to assist them in worship, they should give the necessary direction and then trust those they have selected.
Artists deserve the independence appropriate to their gifts.
In order to create art that truly serves the liturgy, the artist must have an understanding of and reverence for the liturgy. There is both a distinction and a connection between devotional art and that designed for public liturgy. Liturgical arts are integrally related to the sacraments of the Church while devotional arts are designed to enrich the spiritual life of the community and the personal piety of its members. The primary norm is that sacred art be functional, that is, the felicitous expression of what the liturgy is meant to be, the worship of God and the language of the community at prayer. 171 Parishes will want both liturgical and devotional art.