DETAILS, DETAILS!

Throughout the planning process of the renovation, we have consistently made an effort to develop beautiful designs while honoring the history of  St. Francis de Sales church.  Two curious items were what looked like the letter "B" above the Mary and Joseph statues on the side altars.  You can see here in this photo that they are some kind of grate with a wire dangling down.  They were really grimy!  Should they stay?  What did they mean?

It was our pastor, Bishop Schuerman, who taught us that those mysterious letters are actually a stylized version of a Marian symbol.   If you look carefully you can trace out the letters M-A-R-I-A.  At some time a clever craftsman created those to cover an air duct while honoring the Blessed Mother!  Here are some other examples of Marian Symbols:

The symbols above our side altars will still be there only they've been cleaned up, painted, and highlighted.   Here is the "after" photo of one of the symbols in our church. You can see now that there was a cross behind the letters that was barely visible in the past!  Just one of the beautiful "new" details in our historical building! 

We're on track to be ready for Holy Week to be celebrated in the main church.  Keep praying that there won't be any last minute obstacles to prevent the re-opening of the church on Holy Thursday!  Things are coming together quickly!  Stay tuned to our blog for frequent updates over the next few weeks.