Reflecting the truth of our faith

LINCOLN PARK  Deacon Lukasz Wnuk had a vision for St. Joseph’s Church here using his artistic interest and expertise to visually inspire the faithful to fully appreciate the truths of the Catholic faith.

Deacon Lukasz is one of six siblings raised in a traditional Polish family in a small village in Northern Poland. As a 9-year-old altar server, he began to consider a vocation as a priest to fulfill his desire to bring Christ to other people and to help others to “feel the same joy and faith that I feel when I am united to Christ and his Catholic Church.”

Father Tom Mangieri, St. Joseph’s pastor, recognized the interest and talents of his seminarian in residence, and fostered his vision and skills by allowing “Deacon Luke” free reign to design the decorations for the interior and exterior of the church with the help of parish staff and volunteers.

“My uncle is a priest in Poland,” explained Deacon Lukasz. “When I was a teenager, I would go to his parish to help him with chores around the church. In Poland it is not unusual to decorate the church for the major holidays, and I would assist in designing and executing the decorations for these celebrations.

“Christmas is a very special time and each year my uncle and I would plan a different theme for the display of the Nativity scene,” he recalled. “My uncle taught me that the Nativity display should be one that reflects the truth of our faith: ‘God became man to save us.’ At the same time, the display should help the faithful internalize the wonderful miracle that is the Nativity.”

For Advent, he prepared a simple and elegant adornment of the sanctuary in the colors of the liturgical season.

For Christmas, his plan encompassed the sanctuary, the Marion chapel, and the outside of the church. “I had a general plan in my mind several months before Christmas and I began to visualize where I could execute my vision in the Church. It was my hope to develop a display that would visually represent the Birth of our Lord 2,000 years ago in the context of our 21st century day-to-day life.”

Creatively utilizing lights, tulle fabric, small statuary, cotton batting and poinsettias, Deacon Lukasz transformed the parish’s Marion chapel into that starry night in Bethlehem when Christ was born. “I just try to represent, as best I can, the truths the Church is teaching during the different liturgical seasons,” Deacon Lukasz said. “In the Middle Ages, the Church used stained glass windows and beautiful frescoes to inspire the faithful. In Poland, we have many churches that date back to the Renaissance and beyond. I have always admired these churches and found that their artistry moved me to reflect on the meaning of our faith.”

The Nativity depiction was unveiled for the Christmas Eve Masses. Through his visual representations of the different liturgical seasons, Deacon Lukasz hopes to help create an atmosphere of worship where parishioners and visitors can fully place themselves in the presence of Our Lord and the sacred traditions of the faith. Deacon Lukasz summed up his many hours of hard work by saying, “The truth is that I enjoy doing these things and hope those who view them enjoy them also.”