In 1997 Father Mike noticed that nothing had been done to the interior of the church since the building was built in 1967 except for a new roof, new carpeting, fresh coat of paint and a new Bose sound system.  In May of 1997 he presented an Improvement plan to the Sacred Arts Commission of the Washington Archdiocese.  One of the items in his presentation was a proposal for a new cross. 

Why a new cross?  Father Mike felt that the current cross was woefully and obviously inadequate in scale.  It could barely be seen from the rear of the church. The cross was of German origin and did not speak to the African American culture of the community. 

Then in August of 1997 he attended the National Black Catholic Congress in Baltimore with about a dozen parishioners.  The Congress showcased several artists and he came to a deeper appreciation that art should reflect the culture in which it is created and used, and that sacred art in a church is not simply a matter of “decoration.”

It was at this Congress that he met the artist and sculptor, Wiktor Szostalo, who designed and sculpt the beautiful crucifix that we now have in our church.  Next week we will continue with the explanation of the crucifix, the materials used, what the artist hoped the crucifix would achieve and comments from the parishioners.