The Peacefulness of the Church of the Fishermen

We continue our study of some of the details of Biloxi's St. Michael Catholic Church.

Suspended above the main altar are the Cross and Corona (photo below). "The Corpus on the cross is cast in bronze and is the creation of Lin Emery," who aimed to "...incorporate in it the spiritual conception of the resurrection as well as the crucifixion."

"The Corpus floats in front of the cross, while the Corona, which is gold leaf, assumes the character of a nimbus."

A netting-like material surrounds the altar of the Church that is also known as the "Church of the Fishermen."

In conjunction with the Blessing of the Fleet, children were invited to place models of boats, especially shrimp boats, by the altar.

Two companion statues, done in marble dust, grace the south end of the church; they are the inspirations of artist Harry Reeks from Ocean Springs, MS.

On the statue of Mary, Reeks "...visualized a face that expressed tenderness, compassion and maternal love of humanity with hands joined in a prayerful, reflective mood."

"Gazing at Joseph, one becomes aware that here is the strength, the manliness, the humility of the tradesman...."

Squares of lead with scenes depicting the Stations of the Cross were mounted on bars in front of some of the windows.

An example of the artwork on one of these squares is shown below.

The lights of the ceiling and

the ceiling supports(?) were as graceful as they were functional.

But it was the stained glass windows that we returned to again and again as we walked around the church. Close-up views of these windows are shown below. (See yesterday's entry for the full window photos.)

In our travels over the years, we have been fortunate to have visited houses of worship from the Duomo in Florence, Italy to early Spanish missions in California. The sense of peacefulness and solemnity was palpable in some and, interestingly enough, was unrelated to the majesty or humility of the structure.

Some of the feeling of serenity is drawn from the architecture, but I think it is how the architecture fits the culture of the people who worship there that is essential for the experience of peacefulness.

St. Michael reflects the life of this community that lives with the waters of the Gulf.

Maybe this association with the Gulf--as a source of the residents' livelihoods and a reminder of its destructive power--is the source of the strength of the interdependence among its members.

Just sitting among the colors of the abstract designs and the representation of human figures produced a calmness and promoted a setting conducive to contemplation and reflection.

The beauty of this church was special. We hope to return someday.

The quotes were drawn from the brochure on St. Michael.