With the erection of the new artwork in the sanctuary of our church, questions surface concerning their origin.  In this column I will make the attempt to deliver a clear account so as to allay your curiosity and give credit where it is due.

When plans were made to refurbish the church, I wanted to freshen up the side walls of the sanctuary.  I brought this aspiration to Mark Cousineau, the representative from Henninger’s Church Decorators, who came up with several plans, each having their drawbacks. These solutions were mainly heavy tapestry or brocade hangings, which I was afraid would begin to sag after a few years of continuous hanging.  My thought then was to have Symbols of the Virgin Mary painted on some of the blocks of the existing grillwork based on the Litany of the Virgin Mary.  Mark brought samples and they just didn’t work out at all.

A week or so later, Mark called me with a new idea.  It was to be painted roundels, each one with an image of a significant event of Mary’s life.  We chose two such events: the Annunciation and the Coronation of Mary.  The Annunciation gives tribute to the ministry of the Sisters of Incarnate Word who worked in our parish from 1942-2018.  The Coronation is the affirmative result of the Assumption.  Since we already have two images of the Assumption in church, (the window and a statue) this was a logical choice of image for our church. Both pictures were painted and crafted in Italy, like the majority of the other artwork we possess.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all those who donated toward the refurbishment of Assumption Church.  I have heard only positive comments about the improvements.  May God bless you for your generosity.

This Thursday, November 10th, we welcome Bishop Roger who will offer the School Mass at 8:30am to celebrate Veterans’ Day.  We cordially invite all veterans to join us for Mass and to register for the breakfast following in the Family Center.