Mary Mother of God

The Church of St. Mary in Chardon, Ohio approached Henninger's for a custom statue of the Virgin Mary in June of 2011.  Fr. Tim Kalista, along with a committee dedicated to "Making Mary Matter" in their church had some definite ideas about the statue.

Mary should be pregnant, and joyful as the birth of Jesus was getting closer.  She should be standing on a pedestal, behind the tabernacle, her open arms presenting Jesus, her Son, to the church, as well as watching over the church.  They wanted it to fit into the theme of the church, carved in wood, stained in different shades of brown.  Mary should have a blue sash with gold stars and gold trim throughout her garments.  With this direction, Henninger's artists designed several options for the statue.  The drawing displayed was chosen. Her title was to be "Mary Mother of God."

Henninger's commissioned Demetz Art Studio in Italy to fabricate this statue, designed with love and adoration of the Blessed Virgin.  Demetz's talented artists first designed a small scale clay model - a Bozzetto - for approval.  With a couple of edits, the Bozzetto was given the go-ahead. 

Next, Demetz moved on to carving the linden wood statue.  They made sure that it was apparent that Mary is about seven months pregnant.  The Demetz family has been carving statues for generations, so this custom statue is the type they truly enjoy making.

 

Demetz photographed progress pictures of their work and emailed back and forth for approval.  The face had to be changed to give Mary a more "joyful expression".  Once the carving was complete, the statue was stained in different shades of brown.  Mary's white garment was painted in softed white, and the sash painted blue.  Finally the gold trim was added to complete the statue.  

Mary Mother of God was crated and shipped overseas, and delivered to St. Mary Church in Chardon on Friday, December 9.  It was dedicated by Fr. Dan Redmond that weekend, for Gaudete Sunday.  This was an appropriate time for dedication, since we recognize the joy and gladness of Jesus' coming birth.  The Mary Mother of God statue clearly displays the Virgin Mother, with child, and a joyful expression as she anticipates the birth of her Son.

The statue is situated on a pedestal, with Mary's arms open to the tabernacle, presenting her Son to the Church.  The parishioners of the Church of St. Mary in Chardon will celebrate a joyful Christmas with this new statue to accompany their prayer.