In the hustle and bustle of Victory Blvd on Staten Island lays a quiet sanctuary. Sitting behind a religious bookstore, which is the distribution center for the books that all Catholic schools on Staten Island receive, is a prayer garden/devotional area. It is well maintained all year round, and often is decorated in recognition of holidays or important dates in the Christian faith. This prayer garden is not only limited to those who are in the Christian faith; people of all religions come by and enjoy the bliss of quietness for the moment being. The sanctuary is lined with trees and bushes, and plenty of benches to accommodate those who sit there and take in the beautiful scenery. This area is known for deer to wander into, and plenty of deer have been seen throughout the past couple of weeks. Besides the deer, an abundance of wildlife is free to roam around, and are not bothered by the human presence. Plenty of people provide the animals with food and love. From the lined trees, a tiled path leads you into a circular devotional area. A devotional area is a section where those who believe in the saints can go to pray, honor, and show devotion to the saints. A devotional area is usually inside of the church itself, but this devotional area is outside, experiencing the elements of life. If you stand in the middle and look around, there are twenty different statues of saints. The most popular are Saint Peter, Padre Pio, Saint Jude, Saint Anthony, Saint Theresa, and Saint Lucia. Each saint has a prayer card that you are allowed to take. Most people use the prayer card to pray to the saint then and there, but other bring it back home with them for private prayer. People also leave things of symbolism for the saints. Often there are flowers and candles left out, but I’ve seen teddy bears, necklaces, and notes. Around the holiday time, people put out more festive decorations, such as decorated miniature Christmas trees or poinsettias.
On the far right side, there is another tile path that leads to a brick devotional room for the Blessed Virgin Mary. While there are statues of her outside, this area houses a beautiful colored version of La Pietà. This room is beautiful; the stain glassed windows on each side of the statue gives off beautiful light that creates a warm feeling within yourself. What strikes me, however, is not the inside of the devotional area, but on the outside, right above the doors. A detailed mosaic made out of ceramic tile welcomes you to the devotional area. As seen in the image above, there is the sun casting light on three triangles. Each triangle contains at least one shade of blue and red and a circle. In art, blue is cool tone and is usually representing the earth. In art, red is a warm tone and is usually representing the divine. Mary is generally seen in a blue garment with a red garment on top, symbolizing that she not only of the Earth but also a divine being. Each circle represents that there is no beginning or ending with faith or God; it’ll always be there for you.
Each triangle represents an element of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The dark blue triangle has an image of the Bible with the words "My Words Are Spirit and Life"…"The Word Became Flesh." These are both from the Book of John. "My Words Are Spirit and Life" is from John 6:63. It was Jesus who said these words, saying that the flesh is nothing, but the words that he speaks are everything we need to live. "The Word Became Flesh" is John 1:14. In this part, we understand that the word became flesh, meaning that Jesus became flesh from the words of his father. I thought it was interesting how they paired these two quotes. Initially, I interpreted this as Jesus saying how his words are spirit and life, and that his words became flesh and will carry around in all of us who are left on Earth to carry out his mission. However, it's about Jesus saying that his words are spirit and life, but God gave Jesus life by just his words. This encompasses the idea that God is the almighty being who can have his son become flesh and carry out the spirit and live to others.
The red triangle has a chalice with some thing coming out of the chalice, a mystical thing that brings us to the center. It is colorful, and I think the meaning behind that is everything in life is contained within that circle. I think it could be the Holy Spirit above the chalice that we drink out of. It shows that Jesus is with us always, and the Holy Spirit will be there to guide us through it all. Something that strikes me about this red triangle is that in the corners, there is the Alpha and Omega. This means that God is the beginning and the end. I found this interesting because personally, I've never seen the alpha or omega in a religious artwork beforehand. It was a nice reminder that in the Christian faith, you will start with God and end with God. It is a nice parallel from the first triangle because God made the word into flesh, and word gives spirit and life.
The light blue triangle is probably my favorite triangle. There is a beautiful white circle as if it was a light showing us the primary purpose of life. In the center, there is another chalice with the Eucharist on top of it. The Eucharist is usually depicted as having a tiny cross in the middle, but instead, we get the sacrificial lamb. It is a little morbid how it shows the sacrificing of the lamb, but intriguing when you realize the lamb's blood is being poured into the chalice. I like how this representation of Jesus is both the body and blood was shown.
I want to take a moment and thank whoever did this beautiful mosaic piece. I can't imagine how the artist did this. The colors blend perfectly with each other, and the vision they had comes out clearly. They relayed important messages in a way that allows everyone to understand what is being shown here. It is the perfect addition to a blissful garden for all to enjoy.
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