Art & Architecture
Beauty
What is capable of restoring enthusiasm and confidence, what can encourage the human spirit to rediscover its path, to raise its eyes to the horizon, to dream of a life worthy of its vocation — if not beauty?
Beauty pulls us up short, but in so doing it reminds us of our final destiny, it sets us back on our path, fills us with new hope, gives us the courage to live to the full the unique gift of life… Beauty, whether that of the natural universe or that expressed in art, precisely because it opens up and broadens the horizons of human awareness, pointing us beyond ourselves, bringing us face to face with the abyss of Infinity, can become a path towards the transcendent, towards the ultimate Mystery, towards God.
Sacred Art within the Shrine Church
There are six paintings along the side aisles within the Church, depicting saints who are honored at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe for their particular patronage. For the artist’s statement (as it becomes available) about each of paintings, please click on the title of each painting.
Saint Faustina and Divine Mercy
Painting: Saint Faustina & Divine Mercy
“Helen Kowalska was born in Poland in 1905. She would one day become ‘Saint Faustina’ when canonized in the year 2000, by Pope John Paul II.”
While alone in her cell, one February day in 1931, the apparition of Christ appeared to Sr. Faustina. Christ raised one hand in blessing while the other hand touched his chest where two rays of light shone forth; 1 red ray of light and the other a white ray of light. The light rays symbolized both blood and water: The Blood of Christ, which nourishes the soul, and the Water, which cleanses the soul.
At that moment, Jesus dictated a prayer for Sr. Faustina to record and recite, which became known as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The goal of the chaplet is to: obtain mercy, to trust in Christ’s mercy, and to show mercy to others. Additionally, Christ emphasized His love of mankind and His commitment to the forgiveness of the soul who has turned away from God, should they ask for His mercy.
Jesus implored Sr. Faustina to have the image of Divine Mercy painted, which she did, though she was never satisfied with the artist’s work.
Side-Aisle Painting in Shrine Church
“During her life, Sr. Faustina recorded in her journal that she received the Stigmata, though she never disclosed how or where she received the wound. Thus, St. Faustina is depicted with the Instruments of Passion: crown of thorns and nails to symbolize her stigmata.
In keeping with the tradition of Divine Mercy imagery, the phrase ‘Jesus, I Trust in You‘ is added to the painting. To honor St. Faustina’s Polish heritage, the phrase has been translated into Polish, ‘Jesu, Ufam Tobie‘.
For added poignance, included in this Divine Mercy image is the Trinity: The Father (the Hand of God), The Son (Christ) and the Holy Spirit (dove).
My depiction of Jesus in this work is that of the Resurrected Christ: He stands upon His burial shroud from the tomb, His wounds are clean and have ceased bleeding.
Divine Mercy has a strong connection with Easter, as Divine Mercy Sunday falls on the Sunday immediately after Easter Sunday. The Divine Mercy Novena is a special prayer which is recited during the 9 days between Good Friday and Divine Mercy Sunday.”
— Noah Buchanan, artist
Saint Maria Goretti
Painting: Saint Maria Goretti
Side-Aisle Painting in Shrine Church
The painting by Noah Buchanan made for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, WI addresses the appearance of St. Maria Goretti to Alessandro Serenelli in his jail cell. She appears above Alessandro, enclosed in the robes of the Madonna, for whom St. Maria Goretti had a special devotion. She is depicted in the act of picking lilies to offer to Alessandro. Each lily that St. Maria Goretti delivers to Alessandro is an act of forgiveness for each of the wounds he inflicted upon her which led to her death. The symbolism at work in “this painting is that the source from which Maria draws her forgiveness is abundant and without end (as shown in the Mandala). Similarly, the white lily is also a symbol for the Virgin. Just as Maria’s devotion stemmed from the Virgin, so does the source of the mandala of lilies which appears to emerge from the Madonna’s robes.
When Alessandro received each lily from Maria, they became lucent and burned his fingers as he received them. The painting depicts Alessandro receiving the 14 lilies, and as he opens his hand to receive the first one, it becomes light, as seen in the lowermost lily. A careful observer of the painting will note that, while there are hundreds of lilies shown in the painting, exactly 14 of them are depicted as glowing, one for each of St. Maria Goretti’s wounds.
Laying at the feet of the Saint, is the palm branch of Martyrdom. Maria is also depicted wearing her confirmation veil to convey her innocence, purity and chastity, as well as the sweetness of her young age; she was confirmed at the age of 6.
Biography
Born in 1890, St. Maria Goretti was a peasant girl who lived in Ferriere di Conca in Lazio, Italy.
She was known for her loving and kind spirit, complete devotion to God, and wisdom far beyond her years. Because of her maturity, She was affectionately known as the “Little Old Lady” by her community, and was often seen with rosary beads wrapped around her wrist (seen in the painting).
Alessandro Serrenelli, a fellow farm worker, attempted to sexually assault 12-year-old Maria. She courageously stood up to him saying, “Alessandro, this is a sin against God, and I refuse to let you do this to me.” With his knife, Alessandro stabbed Maria 14 times during the attack.
The following day, as she lay on her deathbed with her family around her, she said, “I too forgive him, I too want him to be in paradise with me someday,” making reference to Jesus’ words on the cross.
She died on July 6 in 1902, with her eyes transfixed on an image of the Blessed Mother.
An unrepentant Alessandro suffered in prison for many years.
While imprisoned, a change of character fell upon Alessandro one night, when he had a dream of Maria gathering lilies in a garden. She handed the lilies to him one by one. Each lily symbolized the forgiveness of each stab wound he inflicted upon her. As he accepted the lilies they transformed into light. She handed him exactly 14 lilies, one for each wound.
Maria Goretti was canonized in 1950. Present at her canonization was her mother. Upon his release from prison, Alessandro begged Maria’s family for forgiveness, which they gave. He lived out his life as a gardener, cloistered from society in a monk’s abbey.
St. Maria Goretti is the patron saint of children, murder victims and rape victims. She champions the traits of virtue and chastity… but above all, she is the patron saint of Forgiveness.
Saint Therese of Lisieux
Painting: Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Théophane Vénard
Side-Aisle Painting in Shrine Church
Saint Théophane Vénard was a French priest martyred in Vietnam. While imprisoned waiting for his execution, he wrote a series of letters to family, including his father. One of those letters contained a line which said, “We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks in His own good time: some a little sooner, some a little later . . . Father and son may we meet in Paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu.”
Saint Therese read this letter and was inspired by Saint Théophane, someone who lived her own image of a martyr and missionary. From this letter, particularly the line quoted above, Saint Therese came to use the image of being a little flower.
Painting: The image presents Saint Théophane and Vietnamese martyrs (carrying the palms) presenting a flower to Saint Therese at Carmel. Therese was invited to join a Carmelite mission in Vietnam (then French Indochina), but was unable to travel because of tuberculosis.
The background is a depiction of Ha Long Bay, a highly recognizable location in the northern part of Vietnam.
Above the saints is the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.
Blessed Miguel Pro
Blessed Miguel Pro
Church Painting
Father Pro was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1925 and had a great devotion to Christ the King and Our Lady of Guadalupe. He willingly risked his life to continue his sacramental ministry to the people of Mexico when the government closed all of the churches. Falsely accused of an attempt on the life of Mexico’s President, he was executed before a firing squad. His last words: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”– “Long Live Christ the King!”
The artist has incorporated several aspects of Father Pro’s life into this work.
The scene depicts Fr. Pro the second before his execution, arms outstretched, with his last words contained in the radiance around his head.
The two Mexican children at his sides offer a laurel wreath symbolizing victory, and a red crown of thorns symbolizing martyrdom.
The floating cherubs encircle him with red fabric, symbolizing the shedding of blood, leading his spirit to glory in the upper part of the canvas where he participates in the Divine Liturgy for eternity. Both cherubs carry red roses and one holds a palm branch, both symbolic of martyrdom.
Father Miguel Pro was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II on September 25, 1988.
Blessed Miguel Pro’s relics were placed in the main altar of the Shrine Church during the Dedication of the Church on July 31, 2008.
In addition, a relic was installed at the side-aisle shrine, beneath this painting.
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
Painting: Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
Side-Aisle Shrine, Oil on Linen – 133″ x 54″
“When I received the commission, I was told only one thing by Cardinal Burke: ‘Think the Sound of Music’.”
Thus, the scene in this painting depicts Saint Gianna in the hills above Magenta, Italy, surrounded by the “Gianna Babies,” children whose births were attributed to her intercession. Saint Gianna is depicted as wearing her lab coat with stethoscope in her pocket, accoutrements of her profession as a pediatrician. What might not be readily noticeable is that she is wearing a maternity top and is, therefore, pregnant.
The design leading up to Our Lady is based on the double-helix, alluding to her position as the Patroness of the Unborn. The flowers offered by the children are pink, a color which is a combination of red (symbolizing the life Saint Gianna offered for her child) and white (purity of spirit).
I wanted the color of the flowers to progress from pink to white – from earthly to spiritual. Thus, the color transitions from solid pink (flesh) to white (purity). The children above who attend Our Lady in purity and bliss hold white flowers.
The three children in the air around Saint Gianna’s shoulders are “Gianna Babies”, born through the intercession of Saint Gianna, as are the children at her side and the child in her arms. In the original design, the child in her arms was supposed to be Laura, Saint Gianna’s third child. The child in her womb is Gianna Emanuela Molla.
Saint Peregrine Laziosi
Blessed Miguel Pro
Church Painting
Father Pro was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1925 and had a great devotion to Christ the King and Our Lady of Guadalupe. He willingly risked his life to continue his sacramental ministry to the people of Mexico when the government closed all of the churches. Falsely accused of an attempt on the life of Mexico’s President, he was executed before a firing squad. His last words: “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”– “Long Live Christ the King!”
The artist has incorporated several aspects of Father Pro’s life into this work.
The scene depicts Fr. Pro the second before his execution, arms outstretched, with his last words contained in the radiance around his head.
The two Mexican children at his sides offer a laurel wreath symbolizing victory, and a red crown of thorns symbolizing martyrdom.
The floating cherubs encircle him with red fabric, symbolizing the shedding of blood, leading his spirit to glory in the upper part of the canvas where he participates in the Divine Liturgy for eternity. Both cherubs carry red roses and one holds a palm branch, both symbolic of martyrdom.
Father Miguel Pro was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II on September 25, 1988.
Blessed Miguel Pro’s relics were placed in the main altar of the Shrine Church during the Dedication of the Church on July 31, 2008.
In addition, a relic was installed at the side-aisle shrine, beneath this painting.
Iconography
Saint John Neumann
In the realm of iconography, Reverend Paul G. Czerwonka, of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, has adorned the Bishop’s Vestry with an original icon depicting the many noteworthy works guided by Saint John Neumann (1811-1860). He immigrated to the United States from Bohemia in 1836, was ordained and later joined the Redemptorist Order. In 1852 he became the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. He was the first United States bishop to be canonized in 1977 by Pope Saint Paul VI.
Reverend Paul G. Czerwonka
The composition of this icon depicts Saint John Neumann as Bishop of Philadelphia, who is credited with the first Diocesan-wide 40 Hours Devotion, as well as establishing the first parochial school system in the United States. He demonstrated a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, writing numerous prayers to the Mother of God, and, on December 8, 1854, he was present at St. Peter’s Basilica when Pope Pius IX solemnly defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Saint John Neumann experienced, in his innermost being, the need to proclaim by word and example the wisdom and power of God, and to preach the crucified Christ. Thus it was in the Passion of the Lord he found strength and the inspiration of his ministry: Passio Christi, conforta me!
Saint John Vianney
Iconographers from the Nazareth Studio at the Institute of St. Joseph in Boyd, Wisconsin, have written a beautiful icon of Saint John Vianney (the Curé of Ars) which is appropriately enshrined in the Priest’s Sacristy. Saint John Vianney (1786-1859) is known for his work as a confessor, giving of himself for 11-16 hours daily in the confessional. He is the patron saint of parish priests and all priests. He as canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI.
“The composition of this icon of Saint John-Baptiste Marie Vianney integrates both traditions of the Christian East (Byzantine) and Latin West… He stands with hands folded around the Holy Rosary, eyes lowered in prayer. He wears the confessor’s stole as a reminder of his exemplary dedication to the Sacrament of Penance. The buildings in the background symbolize the church and the rectory in Ars, France, the place Saint John Vianney lived his priestly consecration.”
– Nazareth Studio
The Reredos, located in the Pilgrim Center
Icon used on a prayer card
“Art, in all its forms, at the point where it encounters the great questions of our existence, the fundamental themes that give life its meaning, can take on a religious quality, thereby turning into a path of profound inner reflection and spirituality.”
– Pope Benedict XVI