Saint Francis Sculpture
Also on the terrace outside the glass hallway is this powerful bronze statue of St. Francis reaching for the sun that celebrates the strength of his devotion to nature, for which he serves as Patron Saint honoring his boundless love for animals and the natural environment. More traditional statues of St. Francis include birds, bird baths and small woodland creatures. The statue was given in memory of Ed Nunes, who was active at Christ Church for over 50 years, had close family ties in Italy and purchased this statue from the sculptor Padre Andreas Martini at the artist’s studio on Tiber Island in Rome. In 1984 Padre Martini created a larger than life sized version of the statue entitled Fratello Sole (Brother of the Sun) that overlooks the Cagliari Harbor in Sardinia, Italy. It is a popular tourist attraction.
The Prayer of St. Francis quoted on the plaque is in the Book of Common Prayer in the Prayers and Thanksgiving section; it is prayer number 62 on page 833.
Emily Ragsdale
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
The Rev. Pam MacGregor, Science of Mind Spiritual Center