Eclessial Furnishings & Appointments

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The bearing of the presider's chair is intended to signify the Person of Christ; it is less a measure of the stature of the individual occupying it, but more of the necessary humility by which the presider ought to approach it. 

The sacramentality of this sacred space is overtly evident in its stark and daring use of the iconic imagery of the Ark of Covenant and the radiating force of the aggregate wood reredos that cascades from thirty feet above and spills out onto the tabernacles surrounding dais, emphasizing the dynamic force of God filling the Holy of Holies.    

This tabernacle depicts the Four Gospels imaged in the illuminated manuscript, Book of Kells.  It celebrates the early origins of English Christianity, its monastic roots, including the influence of St. Bede the Venerable and his impact upon the English heritage.

                      

These devotional votive candle elements carry in word and the movement of composition a prayerful disposition. I, most often, prefer to integrate Scripture directly into the elements I create so that the meditation of God's Word is an actual adornment in our sacred spaces.

This is a carved metal door for the ambry to the right.  The Orans figure is based on the image in the Santa Priscilla catacombs.  With the descending Spirit above, it images ecclesiae and is symbolic of its spiritual anointing.  The ornate carved perimeter detailing is somewhat Celtic and gives the overall piece an ancient and handcrafted feel.

Every element that composes a worship space

 ought to reflect our intimate relationship to Christ

These  Stations of the Cross are simple and clean in their modern elegance and were a collaborative effort with a monastic confrere.  The hand hewn character of the carved thematic text adds thoughtful dignity.

This Prayer Petition Niche gives sacramental emphasis to the investment of each prayer intention of the spiritual community.  Our sacred spaces must constantly remind us of the essential sacred character of each aspect of our lives, so that all of our concerns are encompassed by faith.

My preference is to design elements that reflect simplicity and elegance; that are modern and relevant, yet imbued with the richness of our spiritual heritage. The aesthetic I will always strive for is one of timelessness: so that we speak with and for the ages. 

Like the  matching ambo, above, I designed this altar to be elegant and simple.  Its early Romanesque influences give it a substantive quality, yet space freely flows through its arches and filigree; it speaks both of solidity and transcendence.  With intentionality, it is the primary image of Christological emphasis in the worship space.

                     My eldest son, while in his late teens, modelled for me in creating this sculpture of a Young Jesus. Too often, we forget just how like us Jesus really is, and, just how like Him we must be willing to become.

A Young Jesus: 'I Come to Do the Will of Him Who Sent Me'

  

This very large tympanum sculpture of the Conversion of St. Paul does not compliment the extremely busy architecture of this church façade in the way it  should. My preference was for the smaller more intimate composition (left) but the client preferred something grand.

The conceptual design, above, is a renovation of the existing font, below.  The parish needed to better accommodate infant baptism and gain a better sense of the sacramental character of the rite of baptism.  This design attempts to address those concerns, and establish the font as a primary liturgical focal point. The upper basin would spill over into the font, below, and acts as the worship space's main Holy Water stoop.  The integration of the perimeter stone cap and sculpted organic symbol of the Holy Spirit dramatically suggests a sense of the outpouring of grace, spiritual purity, and sacramental elegance.

This font could be mistaken for an atrium fountain.  The steep tiered waterfall would  be reduced and modified to include an elemental image of the descending Holy Spirit.

This image was taken at the time I was installing the grille cover which would seat slightly below water level of the same emersion baptismal font, above.

These ornamental door pulls adorn a Eucharistic Chapel; they beautifully and dramatically suggest the sacred character of the prayer space. 

This tabernacle integrates a chiseled green  marble into its gothic arches and is adorned with  filigreed accents to compliment the chapel's original Tiffany stained glass window  

This is the processional cross I created for a Mission style sanctuary dedicated to St. Isidore the Farmer.  The cross, in the form of wheat sheaves, is indicative of its agricultural emphasis.

In the polychrome tradition of the Mission style, this painted sculpture images the Guadalupe Virgin showing forth the Incarnate Son.  Her dark complexion and indigenous features celebrate the richness of the Mesoamerican heritage.

Elegant and simple prie-dieu kneelers integrated into steps 

This floor medallion centers a narthex and is intentionally passed over when approaching the font's Holy Water stoop.  It celebrates the Rite of Signing, 'In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.'  The mosaic images the pre-Christian rhythmic symbols of New Grange and, here, suggest the Trinity.

'He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge'

Psalm 91:4

This worship space lacked a permanent ambo. The stone of an ancillary side altar was re-purposed to fabricate an ambo of the same bearing and character of the main altar.  The imagery of the four gospels are a carved metal.