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Jerzy Kenar is well-known for his figurative
creations in wood, bronze
and stone. One
cannot view one of these finished pieces in St. Ailbe
Church without realizing the artist had something very
special in mind.
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The Altar 2003
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Symbols on the side represent
the bread - Lord of our lord, Jesus Christ - engraved
with the look on the side risen flame which symbolizes
the Holy Spirit. The
altar has inscription of wheat sheaves on the
front symbolizing
the bread which is Jesus’
body
and on each side are symbols of rising
flames which is related to
the Holy Spirit and
the Word of
God |
Ambo - The Lectern
The ambo also has a figure of rising flames which
again
symbolizes the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word
of God.
Jesus
on the Cross, Created 1997
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Jerzy created Jesus on the
Cross, so it could
be flexible
for everyone. The curved strips
and the
naturalistic figure
represent the endless river of
love and the spirit and feeling in heaven. |
The
Adoration Screen Created 1997
Chairs - African American
Decor multi talented multi
Represents the Motherland - In Africa chairs were
designed for tribal
chiefs - In the church the chairs
represent God, The Father and Holy
Spirit.
Book of Gospel designed by Laura James
The Book of the
Gospels contains
the gospel readings, Mathew, Mark,
Luke and John will
be carried in by the Deacon at the procession.
If no Deacon is present it will be carried in by one
of the Lecturers.
Will be placed on the altar – the altar is a symbol
of Christ. This
symbol is
united with the book of his words.
We are showing their oneness.
The
Book of the Gospel will then be processed from the
altar to the ambo
and read.
At
the conclusion of the Mass the Book of the Gospels
will remain in the church.
Once the Gospel is proclaimed, the Word is in
our midst. We
carry it out with us and put it into action.
It is as if the Gospel is no longer in the
book, but in our hearts.
This book rest on the Altar, it is the Book Of the
Gospels and is the only book carried by the Deacon
or Lector. Cover and interior art by Laura James. The
cover dimensions are 11 1/4 x 17 3/8 x 1 1/2 inches. A
two-column page design makes it easy to find the
identification of the reading and the rubrics, thus
preventing mistakes in proclamation. The gospel texts
are printed in large 17-point type, arranged in sense
lines. Page turns have been eliminated wherever
possible. Feasts and many Sundays are illuminated with
full-color art. There are more than 30 original pieces
of art in the interior of the book. Included are all
Gospel readings for Sundays, solemnities, feasts of
the Lord, and all ritual Masses. The edges of the
pages are gilded, and a wide ribbon marker is bound
into the book. The cover art is bold, clearly visible
to those near and far. It bears the traditional images
of the four evangelists in colorful foil: the angel,
Matthew; the lion, Mark; the ox, Luke; the eagle,
John. - Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. Pictures
on the front of the book are of - Humans/Angels
that represent Matthew reaching out to man - A Lion
that represents Mark - An Ox that represents Luke - An
Eagle that represents John. Christian tradition links
the four Evangelists with these four
symbols which are derived from Ezekiel's famous vision
in which he saw four creatures, each with four faces.
The creatures' faces are described in
Ezekiel 1:10:Their faces looked like this: Each of
the four had the face of a man, and on the right side
each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face
of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.
Parts of this vision are rehashed by John in
Revelation. In the fourth chapter, four creatures are
again encountered, and their appearance is described
in
Revelation 4:7: The first living creature was like
a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a
face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle
One theory suggests that the symbols are
related to the life of Christ, it claims that the man
symbolizes the Nativity, the lion shows His power,
royalty and majesty, the ox (calf), as a sacrificial
animal represents His sacrifice on the cross, and the
eagle His ascending to Heaven.
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Laura
James |
In her
illustrations for a book of the
Gospels published in Chicago, all the
biblical characters are black. James,
32, an artist from Brooklyn, works in
the centuries-old tradition of
Ethiopian Christian iconography.
When
Perry approached the Chicago-based
publisher about illustrating the book,
he had a more traditional artist in
mind.
"I was
immediately brought to a sense of awe
with these representations of the
biblical beings," said Auxiliary
Bishop Joseph Perry of the Archdiocese
of Chicago, who introduced James as an
exhibit of her work opened in Catholic
Theological Union last week. |
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"We who are of African heritage see our
faces," Perry said. "We've never
seen anything like this."
Published in 2000 by Liturgy
Training Publications, the book of the Gospels
that James illustrated contains selected
Gospel readings for Sundays, solemnities,
feasts and all ritual masses.
The artist, Laura James,
Born and bred and lives and works in Brooklyn,
New York. She paints Biblical themes in the
iconographic tradition of Ethiopian Christian
art. Her work, with its bright colors and
intricate patterns displays a unique style and
vision.
Laura James is a self-taught
painter of Antiguan heritage. Ms. James paints
religious subjects and visual dramatizations
of Bible stories using iconography found in
Ethiopian Christian Art.
Laura's
work is widely collected and exhibited. In
2000, Ms. James received a major commission
from Liturgy Training Publications to create
35 images for a new reading of the Book of the
Gospels, one of the most sacred books of the
church.
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The Ambry 2003
The
supply is of oils is distributed to local churches is
kept in
the ambry.
Chrism
– used in Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy
Orders as
well as blessing tower bells and baptismal water
and
for consecrating churches, altars, chalices, and
patens.
Only
chrism among the holy oils includes
balsam, or balm, giving it
an unmistakable fragrance.
Oil of Catechumens – also known
as the oil of the saints is used when a catechumen
is initiated.
Oil of the Sick – used in the Anointing of the Sick
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A cabinet that holds
the
Holy oils for anointing
the sick. These oils are
distributed on Holy
Thursday at Holy Name
Cathedral in
down town
Chicago.
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The Processional
Cross
2003
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Signifies
the risen and the crucified Lord.
He is our king - the
most high elevated above all -
there is a stand in the sanctuary
especially designed to hold the
Processional Cross (Background
Cross). The Processional
Cross is
usually lead by either an
altar
server or one of the
participating ministers at the
Mass and
Is
placed in a position of
respect and will remain there
during the
mass and
will be carried out at the
conclusion of mass
The
Vatican's take on crosses demands
that only one is to be
presented
within a space of a sanctuary. A
processional Cross,
However, is
often, too small to carry that
singular power throughout
the
entire space, because of that
Jerzy Kenar was the first to
invent
and to hold the copyrights
to the idea and design of a
"Background
Cross".
The Credence (Table) 2003
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Only the wine and bread
will be placed on the table.
This reflects the Eucharist –
the Body (bread) and Blood
(wine) of Jesus
Christ.
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Frame for Picture of Perpetual Mother of Help
2003
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This pays respect to Mary the
Mother of God.
Willie and Anne Wilbert
Co-founded The Confraternity
of Our Mother of Help and Benediction of the most
Blessed Sacrament Celebration
of Novena at St. Ailbe.
Anne
was devoted to the Blessed
Mother. We shall miss
them
both.
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The Holy Family Shrine 2003
Jesus
in a special light - for he truly
is Christ the King. Jesus
is
depicted at an age which
is very rare, 8-10 years old.
Joseph is
depicted as a strong
man. Most
carpenters are strong.
He is
also surrounding his family
(protection)
Mary is reaching out to
her
son, Jesus.
The
Holy Family Shrine has a haunting
quality
that makes one want to engage in
thought and silent prayer.
Each family member has a face of
familiarity and a deep,
meaningful, powerful gaze. These are
faces you can derive strength
from.
The Water Font 1997
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