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By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic
Wall hanging shows St. Elizabeth in a typical pose, giving bread to starving peasants.
An iconic picture of Jesus ruling in the clouds takes center stage at St. Elizabeth. He holds a book of the Gospel, open to part of John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth and the life."
Elisha pauses in his plowing to witness his teacher, Elijah, ascending to heaven in a fiery chariot. The picture is meant to show the hope of salvation even while doing earthy tasks.
The hand of God offers life, symbolized by a hibiscus flower. The window is titled "Right to Life - Victims of Abortion."
Symbols abound in this window on aging. The central figure is framed by a purple passion flower, into which is set a prison window, The flower in turn is surrounded by a cogwheel, which stands for loss of food, warmth and mobility, and for the fear of neglect or mistreatment. Yet the woman is spiritually free by the dove and heart above her, and by Christ's sacrifice, symbolized in the upper corners by a chalice and tools of crucifixion.
A person is nestled in a garden of Florida flowers, including hibiscus, alamanda and bougainvillea. But the deceptively peaceful picture, titled "Fatal Diseases," also has him standing amid balance scales, deciding whether to accept suffering as a gift from God as a chance to "win the crown of heaven."
A treelike wall sculpture of wrought iron serves as a shrine for the saints. It shows the world as a tree, which has borne a crop of saints. The tiny bas-reliefs show not only better-known saints, like Francis and Patrick, but also lesser-known ones like Aloysius and Cecilia. Devotees can light candles of intention before the shrine.
A ruthless soldier stomps through a jumbled scene, sword raised, heedless of a terrified man and a grieving mother in "Victims of War." But over the scene hovers the thorn-wreathed heart of Christ, shedding an enormous tear for humanity.
In "The Homeless," a man and his child try to build a cardboard shelter under an overpass, with Mary watching protectively. Behind the overpass looms the Church, as a reminder of the need for missions of mercy.
A storm surges through a household, tossing about the members of a family. Despite this "Broken Family Life," Christ appears as the legendary pelican symbol, perching on a cross and shedding his blood for people. Superimposed over the cross is a yoke, standing for Christ's readiness to bear our burdens. And unnoticed by the family, the hands of God extend down to hold them all.
History's many "boat people" - from Columbus and fellow explorers, to the 19th century "coffin ships" that brought many Irish immigrants, to refugees from Cuba, Haiti and Vietnam - is the theme of this window. Despite the turbulent sea, and the draining money standing for material loss, Christ goes before the ship as the victorious Lamb and behind it with the cross.
The Christ Child meets the tender gaze of Mary in this statuette on the wall at St. Elizabeth.
The word "Peace" - in English, Spanish, French, Latin and Hebrew - greets visitors to the office of St. Elizabeth.
Wooden crucifix is framed in a spiky double orb reminiscent of the Crown of Thorns at St. Elizabeth parish.
Photography: Jim Davis
POMPANO BEACH | The patron of St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish is honored for her sensitivity to the poor. Born in Hungary in 1207, she was betrothed to Ludwig of Thuringia at the age of 4, then married him at 14.
Among Elizabeth's deeds was disaster relief after floods and famine struck Thuringia while her husband was away. She distributed aid, built a hospital and visited the sick there daily.
Exiled from her home at the Wartburg castle after her husband died during the Crusades, Elizabeth was ostracized and ridiculed on the streets. Finally she was taken in by an uncle in Bamberg, then eventually accepted back at Wartburg when her husband's companions returned from the Crusades.
Thereafter, she joined the Franciscan Third Order, which is open to laity. She built a hospital at Marburg, founded a convent and devoted herself to the care of the sick � a full life that ended at the age of 24.
St. Elizabeth parish in Pompano Beach, founded in 1959 by Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll, first worshiped in a restaurant, then a skating rink. Its current sanctuary was dedicated in 1990.
The building reflects the belief that God is present in the worship space as manifested in the Eucharist, so the place is considered holy ground. Homelike on the outside through use of brick and stone, the building acquires the feel of a holy site with an airy, cloister-like walkway leading to double doors of red oak bearing crosses.
True to St. Elizabeth's patron saint, the art in the church depicts social and personal issues � including war, poverty, immigration, aging, disease � while emphasizing God's care and protection.
