Ascension of Jesus Christ
News Story by Loci B. Lenar
The Shrine of Saint Jude has a beautiful array of statues on display with lovely stained glass window art. The shrine is located on the premises of Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church. The church is also a short distance from Route 80 and can be found on 100 Fair Street in Paterson, New Jersey. The church pastor is Msgr. Thomas Coletta.
The Virgin Mary
My visit to the shrine on Thursday, February 11, began inside with photographing some eye-catching works of art including a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and a large window which shows the Ascension of Jesus Christ. The same window has a depiction of St Jude on the lower half. In order to appreciate the artwork, I photographed the top and bottom of the window separately.
Saint Jude
The stained glass shown below combines the Ascension of Jesus Christ and Saint Jude into an exquisite window of art. Anyone visiting the church will be delighted with the lovely interior.
Everyone in attendance joined together in prayer for the nine week Winter Solemn Novena in Honor of Saint Jude and Our Lady of Fatima. The novena is prayed every week on Thursday. The novena began on January 21st and will conclude on March 18th.
I mailed my petitions to the shrine in advance of the nine week novena and also requested a devotional candle to be lit for the nine week period. My novena included a request for an era of peace and for violence to be mitigated and extinguished throughout the world.
Our Lady
After the church service, I walked outside and photographed an interesting statue of Our Lady. On the prior day, New Jersey was covered with snow from a storm that had passed through the tri-state era. A small amount of snow from Wednesday's inclement weather covers part of the statue.
However, what I found to be remarkable is the beautiful blue eyes of Our Lady, which I payed no attention to while photographing the icon. It wasn't until I arrived at home and examined the photos that I truly recognized the beauty of the artwork. The statue is also showing some signs of aging with paint beginning to peel off in areas.
Our Lady of Victories Church - Side Entranceway
In any event, the shrine's website indicates that Our Lady of Victories Church had been completed in 1892. With that in mind, perhaps the church is now in need of some exterior restoration, specifically with the statues of Our Lady, and Saint Jude.
If you do decide to visit the shrine, please check the church schedule by calling the rectory at 973-279-0487, since doors are closed immediately on completion of Mass and right after the recitation of novena prayers.
Copyright 2010 Loci B. Lenar
