Polish Catholics have a special devotion to St. John Paul II. After his canonization, Father Lucjan Stowkowski started planning for a statue and altar to honor him. Father Lucjan is the pastor of St. John Cantius Church in Cleveland, a Polish church founded in 1898. The church is rich with ornate decoration, from large wood altars, to detailed paintings on the walls. The bar was set very high at St. John Cantius for beautiful religious items.
Fr. Lucjan approached Henninger's for a design for this new statue and altar. The image above was agreed upon. The statue was to be 6 feet tall, and the altar was to be 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep. Both were to be hand carved in white Carrara marble in Italy. With the help of generous donors, the statue and altar were commissioned and work began in May of 2014.
The following pictures show the design and carving process of these wonderful pieces:
The statue's area on the side of the church was renovated while the statue and the altar were getting worked on. Extra support was needed in the basement to support the weight. Finally, they were installed in December of 2014.
The finished statue and altar installed in place at St. John Cantius Church:
