With in the last few years it is not uncommon for me to dedicate a project to someone who has an open cause for Sainthood. This is done by including a picture or statue that is placed somewhere inside the project. Over they years I have featured Saint John Paul II, Fr. Michael J. McGivney, Fr. Patrick Peyton. I didn't do one for Season 17. Not fully sure why. Wasn't even planning on doing it for Season 18. However God had something else in mind. If I am going to include someone it is done in the early stages so I can make the picture more visible. I want people to see the image clearly so they can get an idea of who I have included. By the time I had the project half way built. It normally would have been "too late" with out some kind of major redesign.
Ever have something placed on your heart in such a profound way that it cannot be easily dismissed or ignored? That was the moment I had when I called the monastery down in Detroit. I suspect the people answering the phones had no idea who I was or why I was asking for a "wallet sized photo". You mention "Lego Church" or "Lego Church Project" and your bound to get a lot of confusing looks. But once again God clearly had an idea in mind. They sent me some pamphlets and sure enough. One of the images once cut and sized would work. The image was a bit larger than normal. But it fit into the frame I built with out much trouble. I decided on the location. Even with the image/frame being bigger than I would have preferred. It still worked! Even with the walls, not even finished, from a distance you could look in the back and see who it was. Also even being over sided it comes across as a bigger than life painting when next to one of the mini-figures. I can't even begin to describe my emotions when they announced that Fr Solanus was going to be beatified. Mind you the Season 18 project build was finished by that point. Clearly God had a plan in place.
Their is a deep connection between Fr Solanus and my family. My late Grandmother, Margret, was a strong supporter of his and knew him in life. I knew about him before most people did. After she passed I got one of the small prayer cards with a small cutting of cloth that had been touched to his tomb. It remains in my wallet and is always with me. So in some ways I have taken up her devotion. It is a cause that I am drawn to more so than others. This past Sat was the Mass for Fr Solanus. I was unable to attend. But that is not what God had planned for me. What I do know is that this has been one of the busiest seasons of the project in a very long time. I firmly believe that Fr Solanus had a direct hand in that.
Soon the Season 18 project will be nothing more than a memory and will be taken down in Jan. Such is the nature of the project. A full life cycle from start to finish. However in this case that will not be the end of Season 18's impact. The image and the frame will be pulled out and a small stand will be constructed that the frame can sit in. That will go on to a shelf where I keep the statue of Saint John Paul II that was used in Season 14. A humbling reminder of the blessings of Christ and away of saying thank you to Fr Solanus for hearing my prayers.
Till Next Time.
-JM
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