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Crucifix
Above Altar
 The dramatic crucifix suspended above the altar was designed by Harold Balazs (pronounced "blaze"), a nationally known artist from near Spokane, WA.
Acquired in approximately 1970, the crucifix is composed of cast
white concrete aggregate with inlayed figures made of baked enamel on
copper. The piece weighs
approximately 400 pounds. Although
Jesus is the obvious focal point of the design, the four Gospel writers
are also depicted, one on each end of the crosspieces. To represent the Four Evangelists, Balazs has employed
the traditional symbols used by artists throughout the history of
Christian art: the angel (or
human) holding a book stands for St. Matthew; the eagle represents St.
John; the ox stands for St. Luke; and the lion symbolizes St. Mark.
Balazs
received his Fine Arts degree from Washington State University in 1951.
Utilizing a variety of media, he has exhibited and completed public
and private commissions throughout the United States, and has received
numerous accolades and awards.
Of note, in the year 2000, the NW Designer Craftsmen organization named Balazs a "living treasure," and began production on a documentary film about his work.
Balazs
also created the Stations
of the Cross, described below.
 Altar
Relics
The
identification of the relics contained within the Altar in Latin are
"Ex ossibus SS Victoria et Zenonis MM". The translation is
"from the bones of Saints Victor and Zeno, Martyrs". The record
in the parish archives is dated May 25, 1960 and signed by Denis D. Foudy,
SS. For more information on
St. Victor and St.
Zeno please click on the names and you will be forwarded to websites
with information on these saints.
Tabernacle
 Our
beautiful new tabernacle was created in Acedo, Spain by Artistic Silver
Co., which is known throughout the world for its fine liturgical objects.
There are just eight tabernacles of this particular design in
existence.
In fact, ours is only the second one crafted for a church in the
United States; all of the others are in Europe.
The
St. Madeleine Sophie tabernacle is made of brass and is finished in gold
and silver.
Engraved on the door is an original work of art depicting the
Annunciation. Engraver/chiseler
Antonio Garcia has offered his interpretation of Mary receiving news from
the angel Gabriel that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Our
Lord. Since
Mary was, in essence, a kind of tabernacle from this moment until the day
Jesus was born, the Annunciation is a particularly meaningful scene with
which to grace our tabernacle.
Garcia
has created several other outstanding silversmith works for churches and
cathedrals throughout Europe.
He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Madrid, obtaining
his degree in 1964.
Our
tabernacle was donated in the year 2000 by a group of St. Madeleine Sophie
parishioners who pray regularly here before the Blessed Sacrament.
It is kept in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, which is located just
inside the Sanctuary on the left as you come through the main entrance.
Shrine
of Our Lady
 The Shrine of Our Lady, located near the windows on the north side of the Sanctuary, includes a 48" tall hand-painted Madonna statue made of fiberglass and resin by Dolfi Statuary in Italy.
The design was derived from an oil painting by Italian artist
Roberto Ferruzzi.
Ferruzzi called his 1897 painting "La Madonnina" or "Little Mother," but through the years it has become known as the "Madonna of the Streets."
His original painting was inspired on a cold winter night when he
noticed in the light of a lamppost an alabaster-skinned young Italian
woman holding her blond baby boy.
Ferruzzi was so moved by the scene that he asked the young mother
to pose for his masterpiece.
As in the painting, this statue of Our Lady depicts Mary dressed in
simple peasant clothing.
She gently and lovingly holds baby Jesus in the secure warmth of
her arms, while seeming to beckon us to come to her Son.
This shrine was a Jubilee Year gift to the parish from the "Our People Around the World" ministry.
The group cares for the shrine, providing candles and fresh flowers
to help keep it a special place of prayer.
St.
Madeleine Sophie Figure
 The
bas-relief sculpture of St Madeleine Sophie was commissioned in 1996.
It measures 26" X 36" and can be found on the wall between the East and West bays in the Sanctuary.
Fr. George Rink (pastor at St. Madeleine Sophie from 1990-1997)
wanted the parish to have an image of our patroness that would especially
capture the quality of her character.
When Fr. Rink's vision came to the attention of artist/parishioner Betty Stanford, she responded enthusiastically.
Stanford studied St. Madeleine's life*, gathering as many images and descriptions of the Saint as were available. In this way she was able to create a faithful a reproduction of the Saint's features and dress. In fact,
the artist even worked from a model who wore an historical habit on loan
from the Religious of the Sacred Heart.
The sensitively realized result shows St. Madeleine at her favorite
work--teaching children. Indeed,
the children of differing races depicted in the piece symbolize the
worldwide teaching efforts of the Religious of the Sacred Heart.
(Stanford used youngsters from the parish as inspiration for the
figures.)
To
create the bas-relief, Stanford began by sculpting the figures in
oil-based clay. A mold of the
sculpture was made and the final cast was created using liquid stone
composition. Waxing and
polishing completed the project. Stanford
created the sculpture in loving memory of Sister Jeannette Kimball, RSCJ,
who gave many years of dedicated service to our parish.
Although
Stanford received Fine Arts degrees in both sculpture and painting from
the University of Washington (1982), painting remains her favored medium.
She is now retired from teaching art at Bellevue Community College.
Stanford, however, continues working on private commissions for
portraits and figurative works in her home studio.
For information about St. Madeleine's life, see Who Was St. Madeleine Sophie? under More About Our Parish.
Stained
Glass Window
 The dramatic 10' by 12' stained glass window, found in the rear of the Sanctuary near the Prayer Wall, was created in 1970 to enhance the Baptistery that was originally located near there.
Donated by Roy and Lena Fiorito in memory of Sean Timothy Fiorito,
this striking window was designed by the renowned architectural stained
glass artist, Jean-Jacques Duval of Saranac, NY (www.duvalstudio.com).
Duval was trained at Ecole des Arts Decoratif in Strasbourg,
France. He uses a unique and powerful abstract style that employs 1" thick faceted glass set in epoxy grout.
According
to the artist, he intended the design for the St. Madeleine window to
correlate baptism with the Fountain of Life and/or Tree of Life.
"The design suggests a Tree of Life forming a continuous flow of the life cycle."
Fully-grown flowers or fruit are depicted to represent mature
persons, and buds--the smaller round forms--symbolize the regeneration of
life. The
Tree is superimposed over yellow vertical forms signifying woman and man,
on the left and right, respectively.
The clear background glass suggests the vast space of the universe.
The richly evocative nature of Duval's abstract design, however, makes it possible to derive other meanings as well.
In fact, the stained glass piece also has been referred to as the "Holy Spirit Window," the rounded forms having been interpreted as being the "fruits of the Holy Spirit" or the "fruits of baptism."
(Of
note, a photograph of the St. Madeleine Sophie window was used as the
cover of the December 1971 issue of Progressive Architecture
magazine. The
cover story on post-Vatican II churches also included several other photos
of our church.)
Stations
of the Cross
 The
colorful and boldly designed plaques depicting the Stations of the Cross
were created by well-known Northwest artist, Harold Balazs*.
The Stations are positioned inside the perimeter of the Sanctuary.
As are the figurative works in the large crucifix, the Stations are
made from baked enamel on copper tile.
Four 8" X 8"tiles were used to create each Station.
*(For
information about the artist, see Crucifix
Above Altar, described above.)
Holy
Family Plaque
The simple sandstone-textured wall plaque (approx. 21" X 18") that graces our Holy Family Chapel* offers a depiction of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
This humble family scene reflects something of the intimacy of
family life to all who enter the chapel.
As each of us live out the Gospel in both the joys and struggles of
our own particular family situation, we grow from the affirming example of
the loving relationships in the Holy Family.
*(The
Holy Family Chapel is just inside the Sanctuary as you enter on the right
through the main entrance.)
Outdoor
Shrine of Our Lady of Knock
 Located
to the right of the main church entrance is an outdoor shrine to Our Lady
of Knock.
Based on a similar statue at the Shrine in Knock, Ireland, this life-sized carved and painted wooden figure* was commissioned by St. Madeleine Sophie's first pastor, Fr. Jarlath Heneghan, pastor from 1968 to 1977.
Having
grown up in Knock, Fr. Heneghan knew well the story which inspired the
original shrine in his hometown:
On August 21, 1879, Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the
Evangelist appeared on the roof of Knock Parish Church.
In pouring rain, fifteen people of varying ages witnessed the
complex apparition for a period of two hours.
Since that miraculous occurrence, Knock has grown into an
internationally recognized Marian Shrine (www.knock-shrine.ie/).
Because Fr. Heneghan held a special place in his heart for Our Lady
of Knock, he wished to bless our parish with this lovely outdoor shrine.
*(Unfortunately,
parish records do not list the name of the artist, but it is believed that
he was from our geographical region.)
Our Lady of Guadalupe
 The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is imprinted on a simple wooden plaque (21" X 34") that can be found just inside the Sanctuary (on the wall between the doors to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and the Reconciliation Chapel). The image is a
reproduction of the one that Juan Diego discovered on his mantle, or tilma,
after the Mother of God miraculously appeared to him just outside of
Mexico City in 1531.
At
that time in history, Christianity was not popular among the indigenous
peoples and very few had converted to the Christian faith. Then the miracle happened:
Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian, and asked him to
tell the Bishop about the apparition.
Although it was winter, she filled his tilma with fresh
roses to take to the Bishop. Diego
presented the roses to the Bishop as a sign from heaven.
However, when the flowers tumbled from his tilma, the
beautiful brown-skinned image of Our Lady was seen imprinted on the cloth.
Among other signs, it was this beautiful image on Diego's tilma that
convinced the people to reconsider Christianity.
Particularly meaningful was the fact that Mary appeared to Juan
Diego not as a European Madonna, but as a beautiful Aztec princess
speaking to him in his own language.
Indeed, millions of conversions to Catholicism are attributed to
the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, now known as the Patroness of the
Americas. To this day, Our
Lady of Guadalupe remains an immensely important figure not only to the
people of Latin America, but also to people all over the world.
The plaque of Our Lady was donated to St. Madeleine Sophie parish in 1997 by Daisy Neves, member of the "Our People Around the World" ministry.
(For
more information about Our Lady of Guadalupe, see http://www.sancta.org/)
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