Alcove Mosaics
The two full-size mosaics in the alcoves of our church were custom-made for our parish. Here is the story behind them. Both were installed on December 5th, 2023, an icon of St. Francis (right) and a mosaic rendering of Our Lady of Guadalupe (front cover), just in time for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12th)!
Why Mosaics?
After careful discernment considering different styles of artwork, we opted to search for mosaics for our church for several reasons:
Stylistically timeless, and does a great job at bridging the gap between traditional and modern. Our church’s architectural style is fairly modern, and so not all art styles would fit well. Mosaics are an ancient form of art, but are still used regularly in modern constructions. You find mosaics in all sorts of buildings, from cathedrals to government buildings, from ancient Greek structures to modern train stations. In all cases, mosaics (if done well) feel just right.
Materially timeless. Mosaics are created from durable natural elements (stone, marble, glass), and retains its beauty over time. Unlike paintings, they rarely fade with sunlight or camera flash .
Who Crafted the Mosaics?
We commissioned the work through a company called Mozaico. Through them the works were made to order in a workshop called Phoenician Arts in Beirut, Lebanon. To test the quality of their products we first commissioned a smaller piece of art, the Sacred Heart of Jesus mosaic that will decorate the prayer room of the new rectory. This piece was custom made after a photograph we submitted. We were so pleased with the result, we moved on to looking for large scale pieces for the alcoves. This company pioneered a shipping method where they lay the mosaic on a tile mesh, roll it and send it in a tube. This makes prices much more affordable, and allows us to install it with local resources. In all cases, the mosaics arrived without any broken parts.
How Was the Artwork Selected?
Guadalupe: The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is dear to our parishioners. Years ago we were gifted with a beautiful copy of the original image which hung in that alcove since 2019 (and now hangs prominently in the Narthex by the office), so we wanted to honor this devotion. Also, since the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the result of her appearing to St. Juan Diego, one could argue that Our Lady herself is the artist! With this in mind, we sent the artist a photograph of a version of Our Lady of Gualadupe we thought could be done well in mosaic form. It took a few rounds of revisions, but we are very pleased with the final product, and presume that the Holy Spirit inspired the artist.
The resulting work is unique: each marble stone cut and laid by hand, carefully designed to match the right color and shape. The details are exquisite: the flower pattern in Our Lady’s dress is intricate and beautiful, honoring the original apparition well. The gold stars, the rays of the sun, and the hem of Our Lady’s cloak, were all done with embedded glass tessera that contrast beautifully with the stone and reflect the light of the room with unique patterns. Some say the stars seem to be carrying Our Lady’s mantle, rather than the mantle carrying the stars.
St. Francis: The image of St. Francis was much easier to choose. We selected it from a portfolio of images Mozaico offers. Take note of how well the artist portrayed the stigmata on St. Francis’s hands. Like with Guadalupe, the halo is brilliantly crafted in glass, creating a wonderful contrast with the marble stone. The photograph does not do it justice, you have to experience it for yourself.
The Frames
The frames are made of the same type of marble as the tiles in the sanctuary.
Who Installed It?
Giovanni Taormina from Italian Legacy Stone and Tile, is a third generation Italian artisan, referred to us by a parishioner. He has extensive experience with commercial tiling, including in churches. Giovanni visited our church to scope the job and when asked for his labor rate, he replied, “Nothing, this is the house of God!”.
Who Paid For This?
The parish set aside a fund for beautification, partly based on donated funds. But we are convinced The Lord ultimately provided the means and the ways for this to happen. First, using Mosaico to commission the work already made it much more affordable than hiring an artist to create a mosaic on site, while still keeping the quality! Second, we were able to benefit from a 20% additional discount. Third, we were able to source the marble to frame the mosaics from a discount store, at a 3rd of the price of other stores. Fourth, and much to our surprise, the installation was gifted to the parish by a local Catholic tile installer! In the end we paid less than $4k for both mosaics. A custom set of mosaics like these can easily cost ten times more!
Beauty to Witness the Glory of God!
Father Jim, our pastor, has shared how one of the strategic anchors is fostering intentional beauty. The process of acquiring these mosaics for our church has been a testimony to how God is blessing our parish family. Shortly after receiving shipment, we opened the mosaics to make sure they had arrived in good condition, and laid them one at a time on the work table by the offices downstairs. Parishioner Kathy Kawulok happened to be in the hallway so we invited her in. Upon seeing the mosaic, her reaction was so pure and so beautiful, that we asked her to write it down to share it with our parish family:
“My heart was in my throat and my eyes were welling up with tears, and I felt a bit of a tremble. I was gazing at a large mosaic of St. Francis of Assisi. Thousands of tiny pieces, each placed with love and care converging into a true, shimmering masterpiece. His face, at peace, looking lovingly at us, his habit, the folds so realistic that I reached out to touch them. And if that was not enough, in a few seconds Our Lady of Guadalupe was in front of me, with the same effect. She was stunning! Each tile glistening separately, yet merging and mingling into a sight to behold.
I sensed the spirit of the Saint, and the love and care the Blessed Virgin has for us, and the power in that overwhelmed me. Isn’t this what religious art is for? All the beautiful artwork in cathedrals and basilicas all over the world-raising our eyes to our heavenly home, transporting us out of our earthly concerns and cares. Take a moment to reflect upon these treasures and be inspired.”
Beauty has a tremendous power to catch us off guard and elevate our gazes to eternal things. It is our hope that many more parishioners can encounter the Lord through beauty, like Kathy did.