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Liturgical
Furnishings at Saint Miriam
Our Liturgical Furnishings were commissioned and designed in
the very-recognized style of renowned artist Alberto Giacometti
(1901-1966) by local artist and blacksmith, Edward Worthington.
Giacometti’s style was famous especially such sculptures
as "Man who Walks in the Rain" (1948). His
visions were very unique and his statues became stretched out;
their limbs elongated and dimpled by the stroke if a hammer
to bronze. We couple the sacred history of our Catholic faith
with a modern ethos that melds the haunting style of Giacometti
to fashion a renewed understanding of our life at Saint Miriam
and our call to serve others in the world, despite our imperfections.
Yes, we are made wonderfully by our God and are loved deeply
by our Creator!
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 The
Saint Miriam Altar:
As Catholics, the Altar is for us the body of Christ and is
treated with deep reverence. The Catholic altar is both a sacrificial
altar, and a table for a communal meal. The sense of the Catholic
altar as a table calls to mind the last supper and the tables
around which the early Christians celebrated the Eucharist,
as well as the fact that we as a faithful community are sharing
in the saving meal.
The hammered iron rods along with the ‘scarred’
solid natural Maple wood altar top used for our Altar allows
us to visualize how, despite our wounds and imperfections, we
are still beautiful and serve God’s good use! |
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A Brief History of Processional
and Altar Candles
Processions, as an element in all that is ceremonial, are
to be found, as we should expect, in almost every form of
religious worship. The example of the processions with the
Ark in our shared Hebrew Scriptures, and the triumphant entry
of our Savior into Jerusalem in the New Testament were probably
not without influence upon the ritual of later ages. Even
before the age of Constantine, the funeral processions of
the Christians seem to have been carried out with a certain
amount of solemnity. The solemn entrance of the celebrant
as he proceeded from the sacristy to the altar, later as we
progressed, was a procession on a smaller scale, but this
also is minutely described in the first "Ordo",
or rules of worship. The celebrant, or presider,
was again surrounded by deacons and preceded by the subdeacons,
one of whom swung a thurible filled with incense, and a conspicuous
feature was the group of seven acolytes carrying large tapers
(candles). Later, at the "little entrance"
the Book of the Gospels is carried in by a deacon and accompanied
by acolytes bearing torches. All of this is to say that there
are several important times during our liturgy where the light
of the Altar Candles is an important element in our respect
for God and liturgy. |
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 The
Saint Miriam Altar Candles:
Our Altar Candles carry on the theme present in all of our
beautiful pieces: The larger upright stock serves as reminder
of God our Father. The smaller strand, woven together and
around the larger, bears marks of scourging, this is Jesus.
And, finally, the last piece curves at the top for a bit of
whimsy and free-flowing style and reminds us of the Holy Spirit
that comes to us daily. Together, they intertwine to form
the Blessed Trinity! Our Iron bases are topped with solid
natural beeswax candles to add form and function to the light
of God!
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The Saint Miriam
Processional Cross:
 Saint
Miriam began in 2008 and unknown to us there was a lot happening
that brought us together! One of the most enlightening was
our processional cross. You see, Father Jim wanted each liturgical
piece of furniture to have a ‘story’ behind it.
So, he commissioned a local blacksmith to come up with a drawing
for each piece. When the Altar and Processional Cross were
done, we began to hold services. The cross is made from ‘wood
steel’ and while it looks like wood it is actually iron
rods twisted into a branch shape. The idea was simple for
Father Jim – the cross that Jesus hung on was not perfect.
It was than likely two large tree branches of some sort. So,
our cross was made imperfect, twisted, and yet beautiful…just
like our lives!
After about year, Father went to work at the hospital where
he serves as a trauma chaplain, and his boss showed him a
video by Louie Giglio. Giglio introduces the molecular cellular
structure called “laminin.” This stuff literally
holds us together – holds our skin on and makes our
organs work – and, it’s all because of this molecule
in the shape of Jesus’ cross!
“Laminin” is a protein. Proteins are the basic
building blocks of the body. We have not yet scratched the
surface on the number and function of the proteins that can
form in the body. Among those proteins we do “know,”
whose identity we have isolated and whose importance we recognize,
is a protein called “laminin.”
Laminin is a protein which has a distinctive shape, giving
it the ability to adhere easily to other laminin molecules
and thus producing “sheets” of protein. These
long, strong sheets of laminin molecules are essentially the
“glue,” the “stuff” that holds us
together. Laminin keeps our separate organ systems bound together,
yet kept apart. The cross-like shape of laminin is in the
distinctive cross shape because there is an over-arching divine
Creator guiding the universe, involved in all of existence,
and according meaning and message to all life. Laminin does
not echo Christ’s cross. The cross of Christ echoes
laminin!
That which God designed to hold us together within our physical
body works to hold us together spiritually as well. Each of
us has a divine stamp on the cellular structure of our lives!
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The Saint Miriam Processional Cross is designed
of solid wood-iron and istwisted to form its unique and imperfect
shape. It resembles wood and even has a leaf to show it is
of God’s own created nature; and yet, it is imperfect
and joins our Altar Table to show that beauty is found even
in that which is less than perfect and made for God’s
glory!
(For your own copy of this cross, please visit our
products page and see “Saint Miriam
Holding Cross”) |
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 The
Saint Miriam Baptismal Font:
Our Font, from which all life flows, was designed with the Altar
Candles in mind and base ties directly into that concept. Like
the Candles, the larger upright stock serves as reminder of
God our Father. The smaller strand, woven together and around
the larger, bears marks of scourging, this is Jesus. And, finally,
the last piece curves at the top for a bit of whimsy and free-flowing
style and reminds us of the Holy Spirit that comes to us daily.
Together, they intertwine to form the Blessed Trinity! The bowl
is designed by renowned artist Bill Campbell. His studio is
housed in a century-old barn that has been lovingly restored,
surrounded by 22 acres of emerald fields, including 9 acres
of colorful daylilies in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, near
Father Jim’s hometown of Erie, PA.
Campbell
Pottery provided this beautiful work of art piece. It is
a one-of-a-kind Flambeaux Art Pottery Bowl in a beautiful wavy,
five point design and has a never ending pattern of stars and
light that dance in its hues of blue and green. The contrast
between the iron base and pottery bowl is stunning! |
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  The
Saint Miriam Thurible Stand:
Every good parish needs a thurible to throw a little incense!
And, every good thurible needs a stand worthy if its function!
Our Thurible Stand maintains the theme of the Alberto Giacometti
and fuses together the larger strand from our Altar Candles
to produce this unique shape and structure. It serves to remind
us of the mystery of God and that our prayers, like incense,
rise to meet God in Heaven where we will all be with God in
glory one day. Until then, we relish in the smells and sights
produced by these pieces.
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 The
Saint Miriam Paschal Candle:
 Our Paschal, or Easter, Candle is made of the same wood-iron
from our processional cross in a three-strand thinner design.
The flame of the Paschal candle symbolizes Christ as light
of the world and his presence in the midst of his people.
The Paschal candle is sometimes referred to as the "Easter
candle" or the "Christ candle." The term "Paschal"
comes from the word Pesach or Passover.
The tall white candle in many ways signifies the Divine pillar
of cloud that was present by day and the pillar of fire at
night that led the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt
in the Exodus. There are three stands, representing
the Holy Trinity, that arrive from deep within the ‘earth’
and rise to hold the Candle at it apex! The stunning piece
is used during the holiest time of year for Christians, the
Season of Easter, and is also present at all baptisms and
funerals as a reminder that our birth and death are inseparable
from the Life and Light of Jesus as our Christ and Savior!
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 The
Saint Miriam Advent Wreath:
The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk
practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during
the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths
of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming
spring and renewed light. Christians kept these popular traditions
alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout
Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in
Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent
wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world.
Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle
of evergreens. Three candles are violet and the fourth is
rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also
be used. Each Sunday of Advent, the candles are lighted, --
one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding
week until December 25th. A short prayer is said to accompany
the lighting.
The Saint Miriam Advent Wreath is made of the same wood iron
that is found in our other liturgical pieces except that ours
is intertwined with thorns to represent the crown of thorns
on Christ’s head. And, the center candle is a Resurrection
Candle, and is also lighted each week of Advent. Together
they remind us that as Christians our life and death all wound
in the inextricable love and embrace of God.
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