When our parish church was designed and constructed in 1976, there was a great deal of excitement as well as uncertainty as to the future of church architecture. Much of this was generated by the Liturgical Reforms of the Second Vatican Council that were attempting to respond to the needs and concerns of the modern world. After centuries of ceremonial rigidity and architectural uniformity, there was an eagerness to embrace new artistic styles as these affected ritual language, places of worship, sacred music and other forms of visual expressions of faith.

With this eagerness there emerged, for lack of a better phrase, a period of “liturgical experimentation” which sometimes resulted in welcomed innovations, and at other times, tremendous embarrassment. But this is often times how change happens in the church and the world. This brings about growth and the realization of new opportunities of service to the human family.

Our St. Joan of Arc church building is a product of that “experimental era.” One of the trends of this time was to simplify the design of buildings and emphasize a strong visual focus on the primary liturgical furnishings of altar, ambo, presider’s chair and baptismal font. Other, more secondary appointments such as, the tabernacle, crucifix, candle stands and images of saints were seen in relation to these four main objects. This was not an attempt to downplay the sacred significance of items like the tabernacle or statues, but rather, was an attempt to put them in the proper liturgical and historical perspective. Looking back on those years, we can identify extremes and abuses that came about, not out of malice, but because of an inordinate desire to move beyond the boundaries of tradition. In recent years, there has sometimes been an equally inordinate desire to reclaim traditional features some of which modern innovators never knew but discovered in their search for signs of identity. One can only hope that in time we will reach a healthy balance between the old and the new. This is why I appreciate our parish tagline, Tradition with Vision, coined by our former principal, Sr. Carolyn Sieg, OSB, may she rest in peace.

Our present worship space was re-configured from its original design by Fr. Tivy who also embellished it with exquisite stain glass windows. The walls of the church, however, leave little space for other devotional items such as statues and icons. I have always regretted that we do not have more imagery in our church particularly because our parish cultivates a rich devotion to the saints beginning with our first graders and their annual All Saint’s Day celebration in October. What prohibits the inclusion of more images is the lack of wall space.

But then four years ago, I was made aware of St. Elizabeth Seton church in Carmel, IN that featured the artwork of Wiktor Szostalo, an acclaimed sculptor from Poland. (Wiktor is also the artist who produced the Stations of the Cross that adorn the back wall of our church.) In this church, there was a side chapel that housed a custom made statue of the Virgin Mary surrounded by glass panels depicting various saints. The entire ensemble of statue and panels is intended to give a glimpse of heaven where Mary and the saints reign in other worldly splendor – a world of divine beauty – a world of mystery – a world where our mortality and our physical bodies are transformed into a glorified state after the likeness of the Risen Christ.

I had already been familiar with the artwork Wiktor Szostalo from my years of service as Director of Worship in the Diocese of Superior, WI. During that time I had a major role in the renovation of the diocesan cathedral in which we incorporated some of Mr. Szostalo’ s work. When I returned to St. Joan of Arc, I had the privilege of continuing my relationship with Mr. Szostalo and upon one of his visits in Lisle, asked if he could envision a shrine of Mary and the saints, in our church, similar to the one in Carmel, IN. He was enthusiastic about the proposition and proposed the design seen here. I shared his proposal with the newly established Art and Environment Committee of our parish that responded favorably. Shortly thereafter, a generous benefactor, wishing to remain anonymous, offered to purchase the statue of Mary. Thus began what I have come to refer to as our “Parish Shrine Project.”

It is important to recognize that this project began as part of an overall effort to enhance our worship environment, much like the project to refurbish and relocate our church bells. Neither this shrine, nor the bells, were ever intended to become part of the current capital campaign that has as its threefold focus refurbishing the pews, replacing the carpet with terrazzo, and re-painting the walls. In fact, both the bells and the shrine were purchased as discrete donations before the present capital campaign was launched.

“The Shrine” of Mary and the saints will be incorporated into our present church within the next few months and will be located in the area where the present statues of Mary, Joseph and the Infant of Prague are placed. This will entail re-locating these statues to another spot on our campus where they will continue to be appreciated and honored just as we do the statues from the original parish church. I am aware that there can be profound attachment to sacred images before which people have prayed with heartfelt devotion and loving hearts. This is why the new placement of these statues will be carefully chosen. What I believe will happen is that a new appreciation for these images will emerge for people who did not notice them previously or for people who appreciate them in a new way. This is one of the remarkable effects of relocating artwork from time to time and from place to place – a fact of history that occurs throughout the world, the church, the parish and in homes. This is why art is the gift that keeps on giving.

In future articles I will share more details on this “Shrine Project” and also introduce you more fully to the person and artwork of Wiktor Szostalo.

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