A Wall Hanging with a Story
For the 60th anniversary of St Paul’s, Fr Tim had an idea for a wall hanging to commemorate Saul of Tarsus, a devoted Jewish student of the Law of Moses, who became our parish patron, St Paul. It would also point to our connection with our Jewish neighbours in Menora. While on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, Fr Tim discussed the idea with Patricia Coelho who thought she might be able to assist Fr Tim make this a reality.
Fr Tim had already decided on some of the key elements: the Menorah, the Star of David and the Tablets of the Law. Gordon then put Fr Tim’s ideas to paper and sketched out the design with the addition of the sword of St Paul.
The symbols chosen tell a story in themselves.
The seven-branched Menorah is one of the oldest symbols of Judaism. It was associated with the Temple in Jerusalem, where a Menorah was kept burning as part of the worship of God. Its seven branches have traditionally been associated with light and divine presence, and the Menorah has remained a symbol of Jewish faith and identity.
Above the Menorah is the Star of David, another familiar symbol of Judaism, and above it the two Tablets of the Law, recalling the commandments given to Moses. Together, these elements acknowledge the Jewish foundations from which Christianity emerged. The Cross of Christ radiates from the Star of David.
And then there is St Paul’s sword. The sword is traditionally associated with St Paul, both because of his martyrdom by the sword, and because of the powerful imagery St Paul used where he writes about the ‘sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God’ (Ephesians 6:17).
Patricia chose the colours, using shades that reflected both Mount Lawley and St Paul’s, and Gordon refined the design. Fr Tim approved the final version and, after considerable thought, consultation and preparation, it was finally “good to go”.
But having a design was one thing. Turning it into a wall hanging was quite another.
Fortunately, Patricia had some good friends – and they happened to be exceptionally talented sewers and quilters. She asked whether they might be willing to construct the hanging according to the design. These ‘good ladies’ agreed to take this on as a special project.
Many hours would have gone into the cutting, arranging, sewing and quilting all those pieces. The intricate blue and white pattern surrounding the central symbols alone represents an enormous amount of patient work.
Patricia generously paid for all the materials and labour, which amounted to hundreds of hours of skilled work. Slowly, the design became a real work of art, and eventually it was ready to take its place on the church wall.
There was just one final job: getting it up there!
Tony Bonavita enlisted his son Mark, who joined Lori’s son Stefan in performing the familiar young-man’s trick of “I can do anything” which in this case was climbing ladders and manoeuvring the substantial hanging into position, under the guidance of Tony and Gordon. After a little effort, a little teamwork (and probably a little holding of breath) the wall hanging was safely installed.
When we look up at the wall hanging, we are reminded that St Paul’s story is part of a much older story. The symbols woven into the hanging connect our Christian faith with the Jewish faith from which it emerged, while the sword of St Paul reminds us of the particular heritage and mission of our own parish.
