More Photos of Mosaics at Resurrection Cemetery

A SERIES OF outdoor mosaics decorate Resurrection Cemetery in Affton, Missouri. These monuments, which date from about 1974, illustrate salvation history and were among the last commissions of the famed Ravenna Mosaic Company.

Quickly changing weather during my last visit prevented me from photographing all of the mosaics, so I was only able to show the mosaics on the eastern side of each monument. Here I present the western mosaics:



Pentecost.



The Ascension.



Jesus teaching.



The Crucifixion.



The Last Supper.



“I will be your God, you will be my people.”



King David.



Moses and the Burning Bush.



The Blessed Virgin Mary.



I'm not sure what this represents. [Update: this is most likely Creation.]

Click here to see the other mosaics.

“Catholic STL” for Apple Mobile Devices

The Archdiocese of Saint Louis today released a new application for Apple mobile devices, Catholic STL:

Catholic STL provides the easiest way for the faithful of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO to find parish information, mass and sacrament times, and see what's happening in the Church in St. Louis!

You can view parishes on a map, search for parishes around you, and see Mass, Reconciliation and Adoration times. You can view the latest news from the Archdiocese, and you can see and send in your own prayers. This App is a great way to keep you connected to the Archdiocese and to your Catholic faith on the go!

This app is a free download that you can get here. More information is here.

Photos of Saint Joseph Church, in Louisiana, Missouri

HERE ARE PHOTOS of Saint Joseph Church, in the Pike County town of Louisiana, Missouri. Located on bluffs high above the Mississippi River, and part of the Diocese of Jefferson City, this church is about 85 highway miles northwest of Saint Louis.



The parish was founded in 1865, and the beautiful church features a rare decorative roof. The parish is named after Saint Joseph, foster-father of Our Lord Jesus, husband of the Virgin, and patron of the universal church.



The front door.



The interior of the church. The pews are angled somewhat towards the center. Artistically, the church features a decorative ceiling and fine stained glass windows. I didn't use a tripod for these shots, so these pictures are bit blurry.



Tabernacle of Our Lord, surrounded by eucharistic symbols of wheat and grapes, and below woodworking tools of Saint Joseph and the fleur-de-lys of Saint Louis.



One of the windows behind the altar — the agony in the garden of Gethsemane.



Crucifixion.



Saint Joseph.



Saint Louis.



The confessional.





A view of the street near the church. Louisiana was founded in 1817, and was a prosperous river port. Many Victorian homes are preserved here.



A view of a the church from a block away. Turning the camera around, we get this view:



The Mississippi River from Riverview Park. This beautifully scenic region is favored by many artists.

Address:
508 North Third Street
Louisiana, Missouri 63353

Sculpture of De Smet

A bronze sculpture of Pierre-Jean de Smet (1801-1873), Belgian Jesuit and missionary to the Indians. The sculpture is at the front entrance to De Smet Jesuit High School, in the suburban Saint Louis County town of Creve Coeur, Missouri.

From a history of the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus:

Seven novices, two brothers and two priests walked from Maryland to the Ohio River and then set off in two humble rafts tied together. Keelboats, skiffs and barges crowded the river but did not cow the eleven Jesuits who bought a book called The Riverman's Guide and trusted they could learn enough to make their way where less adventuresome (or less prayerful) travelers would have declined to go.

The faith of the pioneer Belgian Jesuits was justified when they arrived safe, tired and footsore after walking across Illinois from the Ohio River to the banks of the Mississippi. Before long they turned a log cabin on a primitive farm north of the village of St. Louis into an adequate but spare home for their new community.

De Smet, one of the founders of the Missouri Province, exhibited the exemplary courage typical of the Jesuits of that era. He was a missionary to the American West, was called the best friend the Indians ever had, and would often act as an intermediary between the natives and the United States government. He travelled frequently between Europe and the Americas in support of his mission.

According to Jesuit historian Fr. William Barnaby Faherty, despite Fr. De Smet's holiness of life, it is unlikely that he will ever be canonized, for he was known as an administrator and an “empire builder”, rather than a man of quiet contemplation. However, he was greatly encouraged by the prayers of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, whom De Smet considered the “protector” of his missions.

Some of Father De Smet's writings are available online:

• Western Missions and Missionaries: A Series of Letters
• Oregon missions and travels over the Rocky mountains in 1845-46
• Life, letters and travels of Father Pierre-Jean de Smet, S.J., 1801-1873
• De Smet's Letters and sketches, 1841-1842
• Travels in the far West: 1836-1841, Volume 1
• Voyages aux montagnes rocheuses chez les tribus indiennes du vaste territoire de l'Orégon dépendant des Etats-Unis d'Amérique
• Notice sur le territoire et sur la mission de l'Orégon
• Voyages dans l'Amérique Septentrionale, Orégon
• Lettres choisies du révérend père Pierre-Jean de Smet de la Compagnie de Jésus, missionnaire aux États-Unis d'Amérique