Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church

 

Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Port Lavaca, Texas, had just finished renovating their church and were looking for a commemorative keepsake to celebrate the end of this monumental project. Fr. Tommy Chen, pastor, reached out to us to create a custom rosary that would integrate elements of the not only the new church, but also images representing the renovation experience. “The final design of the rosary is simply and magnificently beautiful!  It truly captures OUR parish,” said Fr. Chen. “We can truly boast that there is no other rosary like it on the planet, because each piece is unique to our parish church and created just for us.”

The crucifix of the rosary is a replica of the crucifix in the sanctuary, imposed on a replica of the anchor crucifix in our gymnasium where we had mass during the time of the church construction.  The centerpiece is an image of the statue of our patroness Our Lady of the Gulf imposed on an image of the star that is on the external facade of the church, representing Our Lady being the Star of the Sea.  On the star centerpiece is inscribed “Ave Stella Maris, Felix Porta Caeli” which are the two titles of the Blessed Virgin that are inscribed in the central arch and opening to the sanctuary of our church.  Each of the Our Father beads is actually a four-budded medal which is the shape of the decoration of the underside of our baldachin.  Inside the medal on one side is a fleur-de-lis representing a lily, which is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin and her purity.  On the other side of the medal is an anchor-cross, a symbol of hope.  The beads of the rosary are a deep blue in honor of Our Lady and also in reference to the water of the gulf.  All the metal work is done in an antique bronze, which adds an original vintage look to the piece.