MASS TRANSFORMED
BY GENEROSITY
What began with a vision for creating a more meaningful experience of Mass for our students resulted in a beautiful work of art to be enjoyed by all.
A few years ago, a Moeller family approached the school with a desire to enhance the experience of Mass for the students. They pledged a six-figure gift to help make that vision possible. From there, the campus ministry, administration, and development departments met to discern how best to use the generous gift.
As part of that process, a team of faculty and administrators visited other schools to learn about best practices and see how other communities had created sacred spaces for worship. During those visits, they encountered several schools that featured artistic backdrops created by New Jerusalem Studio in New Mexico.
That discovery led to a new chapter in the project. A committee began corresponding with the artists, sharing ideas, and exploring how the artwork could reflect Moeller’s own Marianist philosophy and vision. The committee wanted the painting to be more than a beautiful backdrop. They wanted to tell a story and invite the students into the mystery of the Eucharist and the life of the Church.
One of the central elements they requested was the wedding feast at Cana, focusing on Mary’s words to the servants to be a part of the story: “Do whatever He tells you.” There were numerous conversations, versions, and drafts as the vision developed. Ultimately, the final design was approved, but the process itself took approximately a year and a half.
Last year, the committee was able to complete the staging and chairs that would accompany the artwork. Then, over the summer, the painting arrived. Moeller’s Facility Director, Mike Wagner, worked with a professional rigging company to create a safe way to install, preserve, and present this beautiful and significant work of art.
The Story Within the Painting
There is a great deal happening within the painting, and each detail has meaning.
In the lower right, Mary is speaking with Jesus about the couple who has run out of wine at the wedding feast. At the bottom of the painting, the jars of water are becoming wine, recalling Christ’s first public miracle at Cana.
The artists wanted to make a clear connection between the wedding banquet and the Heavenly Banquet. The walls of Jerusalem evoke the New and Eternal Jerusalem, while the table represents the heavenly feast. At the center of that symbolism is the Eucharist—the bread and wine, along with the water becoming wine, pointing toward Christ’s blood and the sacramental life of the Church.
The Eucharistic context is essential to the purpose of the entire art project. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the lives of Catholics, and the painting is meant to draw our eyes and hearts toward that reality.
The saints are also gathered at the banquet, representing the Communion of Saints. Among them are St. Joseph, identified by his staff of lilies; St. Benedict, with the crow on his shoulder, and Father Chaminade. The wedding couple is present as well.
All of this takes place beneath the Holy Spirit, symbolizing the joining of the heavenly and material worlds. The image ultimately represents Christ gathered with His Church—a people invited to the heavenly banquet and united through the Eucharist.
Entering into the Sacred
The Moeller community is blessed with this beautiful piece of art and many other gifts that help one enter more deeply into the sacred. The hope is that this painting will do more than decorate the worship space. May it help the students, faculty, and visitors experience the beauty and mystery of the Mass, recognize themselves as part of the Communion of Saints, and remember Mary’s invitation: “Do whatever He tells you.”
To see more photos from Mass, click here.