"The Catholic cathedral, basilica or church, then, is neither mere meeting house nor temple. It is a sacramental building. This means that God is indeed intensely present in the sacramental place of worship, but this prescense is of a character that meditates, reveals, and celebrates the holiness and action of God in creation, history and culture."
-- M. Francis Mannion, Masterworks of God: Essays in
Liturgical Theory and Practice (Chicago, IL, Hillenbrand Books, 2004)