Florida Catholic | New art for St. Charles Borromeo

New art for St. Charles Borromeo sanctuary

The paschal mystery and Stations of the Cross come to life and light at the hands of artisans.

DEBORAH VISNER | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

Published: 02.22.08

Artisans from Italy install a mosaic depicting the life and death of Jesus Christ. The mosaic is part of renovations to the sanctuary St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Port Charlotte. “Seeing it the first time brought me right into the reality of what our celebration of faith is all about,” said Father John Ludden. “Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we celebrate the paschal mystery.”
Courtesy Photo

PORT CHARLOTTE | Father John J. Ludden’s vision of the paschal mystery has come alive before his eyes.

Father Ludden, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Port Charlotte, imagined a mural depicting the life of Jesus in the sanctuary, which has been undergoing renovations due to the church’s age.

The former windowless, concrete-block church has been transformed through the installation of Italian mosaics, stained-glass Stations of the Cross and stained-glass doors depicting scenes from the life of St. Charles Borromeo.

“It was uncanny,” Father Ludden said of the artwork. “Everything in my head, the artist managed to produce.”

Father Ludden wanted the building to reflect the liturgy of the church and bring a sense of tradition and sacredness to the space. He asked the Italian artists to design a mural of the paschal mystery with scenes of the baptism, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, using Venetian or Murano glass.

The pieces of the triple mural arrived in a box about 2 feet by 3 feet in size, holding layer after layer of small tiles.

Two Italian artisans soon arrived at the church to assemble their creation. Their first task was to remove the tiles and assemble the mural like a jigsaw puzzle on the floor of the sanctuary.

The first time Father Ludden saw the mural laid out on the floor, he felt a “slight panic.”

“The colors were not as I imagined them,” he said. Unbeknownst to him, the artisans assembled the mural upside down and he was looking at the back side of the mural.

After the mural was laid out, it was then pressed into place on the wall behind the altar with a mallet. At that point, the mural was still covered with a mixture of cornstarch and sugar for protection.

“When they washed off that mixture and the vibrant colors came through, it came alive. The best word to describe it is illuminating,” Father Ludden said. “Seeing it the first time brought me right into the reality of what our celebration of faith is all about. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we celebrate the paschal mystery.”

Father Ludden has watched parishioners, one after another, come into the church for the first time since the mural and stained-glass windows were installed. Many put their hands to their hearts and cry, he said.

One person likened the new sanctuary to “coming into the quiet from the busyness of this life. It is a sacred space where God dwells and you just want to stay there.”

The church renovation is nearly complete.

The official blessing of the sanctuary will take place at a Mass celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane on Easter Monday, March 24.

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New art for St. Charles Borromeo sanctuary

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