Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity share comments from Kelsey Eyers, the Communications Coordinator at Lumen Christi Parish in Mequon, WI regarding a beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe Mosaic found here. Photos include one of the mosaic being constructed in Italy, the blessing of the image by Fr. Matthew Jacob in August 2021 and a stand alone image of it as it looks today in the church.
History
Lumen Christi Catholic Church was a result of the merger of two long time parishes – St. Cecilia (Thiensville, WI) and St. James (Mequon, WI) in 2005. Lumen Christi operated at the two sites until the fall of 2014 when it began plans to unite all parish facilities at the Mequon site. The new worship space was dedicated on December 22, 2019 – just in time for Christmas! Since the dedication, the remaining unfinished mosaics have been completed with the final piece being the Our Lady of Guadalupe mosaic, which was installed and blessed in August 2021.
Why a mosaic of Mary?
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a central figure in the story of salvation. From the opening chapters of the Gospels of Luke and Matthew to the “Hail Mary” prayer recited by our children preparing for their First Eucharist, Mary has been an example of faith and trust in God, and an inspiration to believers struggling to understand how God is calling them to follow Mary’s Son Jesus Christ. Over the centuries many cultures and peoples have adopted Mary as their patroness. From Our Lady of Lourdes to Our Lady of Altagracia to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, devotions have been prayed, hymns have been sung, and images of stone and wood and mosaic have been gracing our churches and homes.
Therefore, it is vital that an image of Mary be visible to all who worship in our renovated church, because Mary is so important to our relationship with her Son. To accomplish this, our worship space includes an Italian handcrafted mosaic featuring Our Lady of Guadalupe which is located in main nave near the prayer chapel. Our Lady of Guadalupe has been declared the Patroness of the Americas, and Protectress of the Unborn. She connects the Marian devotion of our twinning partners: The Center for Working Families in Quito, Ecuador, the Missionary Fraternity of Mary of Guatemala, and the Parish of San Jacinto (St. Hyacinth) here in Milwaukee.
