Essentially the most hanging characteristic of Valuable Blood Church in Culpeper is
an enormous stained-glass window within the form of a cross, set into an arched alcove
behind the altar. The pictures on the stained glass depict Jesus’ Valuable Blood
— crimson droplets falling right into a golden chalice, from a coronary heart surrounded by a
crown of thorns.
The stained glass is gorgeous — however due to the church’s
architectural constraints, there was no everlasting crucifix within the sanctuary.
“The church was not constructed to have a crucifix within the sanctuary,”
mentioned Father Kevin B. Walsh, pastor. A processional cross was at all times displayed
close to the altar throughout Plenty, an possibility allowed below church regulation.
However ever since he arrived at Valuable Blood 5 years in the past,
parishioners had been asking if the church may have a everlasting crucifix,
Father Walsh mentioned. Earlier than he arrived, the parish was staffed for a few years by
monks of Missionhurst-CICM, the Congregation of the Immaculate Coronary heart of Mary.
Now, after a yr of fundraising and plenty of parish conferences, the
church is lastly getting its crucifix — a virtually life-size crucified Christ.
Will probably be put in earlier than Ash Wednesday, excessive on a wall to the
left of the sanctuary’s alcove, the place it is going to be seen from wherever within the
church. In that location, Father Walsh mentioned, it gained’t hinder the view of the
Valuable Blood window or compete with a historic crucifix displaying Christ the
Excessive Priest. That crucifix, from the earlier church, hangs on a facet wall.
The brand new corpus of the crucified Christ, produced from high-quality
poured resin, is 46 inches tall by 43 inches broad; it was bought from
UsedChurchItems.com, mentioned church employees member Julie Canavan. However Jesus didn’t
include a cross.
Parishioner Fred Falgiano, a retired Air Power pilot turned
woodworker, volunteered to tackle that customized venture, calling it an honor. He
constructed the cross out of two items of cherry wooden, 6 foot 3 inches by 4 ft,
the most important the wall house may accommodate. Falgiano chronicled the venture
on his Flyingwoodshop.com Facebook page.
The crucifix is “very shifting, in my view,” mentioned Canavan.
Particularly arriving now, because the season of Lent begins, “I believe it’s going to
be a really significant addition.”
