Construction Update: New Mosaics Installed
Dear family members, friends, and benefactors,
We are pleased to share images with you of our recently installed mosaics. This project was made possible through the gift of a family who desired to honor Our Lady in some way.
This brings to close an arduous process of design, planning, mosaic fabrication, and the installation. It was truly a team effort. Two men from Italy, Stefano and Gabrielle, spent about a week in the installation process with all the brothers assisting.
Most of the mosaics were fabricated in Italy according to our designs by the Poli Giulliani Mosaici Company, located in Pietrasanta, Lucca. This company uses the so-called “indirect method” of mosaic art which involves temporarily gluing tesserae face-down onto sections of paper in reverse with water soluble glue, such as wheat-paste. Afterwards, the sections are pressed into wet mortar starting at the bottom row. After the mortar sets, the paper is moistened and peeled away, revealing the flat, finished surface.
However, because of the long delay between the shipment of the mosaic sections and final installation, the wheat paste glue became brittle. This required a massive effort by all the brothers to re-glue many loose tesserae back on the paper.
In addition, the long delay gave us an opportunity to try our hands at this ancient art, since we were not 100% pleased with the faces on the mosaic of St. Joseph’s Dream. We also redid the lilies and haloes on this mosaic. It was a good experience and gave us the confidence to go forward with our own system in the future. We would like to bring this work in-house and so save money and have better control over the results.
May God reward all of your support! Our hope is that the work may bring joy and especially be a source of prayer.
Recreation scene: the brothers learned quickly how to set tesserae using warm gelatine glue.
Assembling the mosaic on the floor, checking that all the pieces are ready for installation.
The cement is placed on this side and pressed into the wall. Afterwards the paper is removed.
The Dream of St. Joseph. Please excuse the obstructions.
The Annunciation to Our Lady
Josh and Manny from Custom Drywall coat the main apse conch with cement. God willing, this space will eventually depict a mosaic of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
