News & Events

 

Sculpture Dedicated at Stone Gables Estate in Lancaster County, PA

by Cor Immaculatum Heffernan, IHM

"Let All Creation Praise the Lord" Sculpture Dedicated

Deep in the forest, located within the 275 acres of Stone Gables Estate in West Donegal Township, Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, PA, there is a sacred space: Mercy Glen. Three years ago, I was commissioned by David and Tierney Abel, owners and stewards of Stone Gables Estate, to create
a sculpture in loving memory of three premature infants buried there.

When I saw the immense space and realized that it was hallowed sod, I envisioned a shrine to St. Francis of Assisi… Francis with arms uplifted, head thrown back, a song to the Creator on his lips… animals following his spirit and, in their own way, praising the Creator who made them so wondrously. It trumpeted: Let all creation praise the Lord!

The sculptural group includes seven life-size bronze figures: St. Francis, doe, wolf, rabbit, squirrel, and two birds—all created through the lost wax method. Blessed and dedicated at the Stewardship Retreat and Conference, September 12-16, 2021, “Let All Creation Praise the Lord” invites the viewers to touch the Divine in all of creation, and to respond with reverence, care, and gratitude.

cor-sculptures
all sculptures: deer, rabbit, St. Francis, wolf
Cor-rabbit sculpture
rabbit
Cor-deer sculpture
deer
cor-st francis sculpture
St. Francis