The Community of Jesus

Visual Arts

The creation of art is recognized as a gift of the Holy Spirit, whose creative power is infinite. Sacred art transcends cultural and linguistic barriers, revealing God’s relationship with humanity and his redeeming purposes. The visual art in the Church of the Transfiguration lies within this context – helping to draw the viewer in a deeper relationship with Christ.

The Church of the Transfiguration bears the imprint of artists whose experience and skills portray the vision they helped translate into reality, understanding the spiritual implications and dimensions of the images they were depicting, both as instruments of teaching and as expressions of the Community’s faith and life.

These master artists created their art with the most authentic materials and with superb craftsmanship. They trained Community members in their specialized skills and collaborated with other artists to achieve the richly integrated iconographic program in the Church of the Transfiguration that includes stone, bronze, glass, mosaic, and fresco.

More than two dozen members of the Community of Jesus worked alongside the professional artists. Guilds in the media of fresco, mosaic, stone carving and organ building were formed to assist with fabrication and collaboration. Community members also created the designs and drawings for some of the art in the church, specifically the column capitals in the church, atrium, and cloister; the exterior lintel; and the design and drawings for the sanctuary floor mosaic, to name a few.