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Shrine of Saint Catherine
THE FATHER PETER LAISTER MEMORIAL
he
veneration of S. Catherine of Alexandria has had a long history in
our parish. The cultus of our holy Patron S. Clement has close ties with
that of the holy Virgin Martyr. The feasts of the two Saints are, of course,
only a few days apart in the Kalendar. In the Church of S. Clemente in Rome,
built on the site of the Saint’s house and housing his relics, there
is a major chapel in honour of S. Catherine, adorned with a series of famous
frescoes. Here at S. Clement’s in Philadelphia, the Catholic revival
brought an active devotion to the holy Pope and Martyr as Patron and devotion
to the holy Virgin as minor Patroness. We find her image together with that
of S. Clement on the High Altar reredos and the triptych in S John’s
Chapel, as well as in the window of the Lady Chapel, and we find her “Catherine
Wheel” here and there throughout the buildings together with S. Clement’s
Anchor.
Until the present Lady Chapel was built in 1910 there was an altar dedicated
to S. Catherine at the head of the South Aisle. It was removed to make way
for Our Lady’s Chapel and we need have no fear that S. Catherine gladly
gave way to the Mother of God. Still, the lack of a major centre of devotion
to the Saint has been long felt. Father Peter Laister, whose incumbency
is so warmly remembered by many, often expressed this wish and Father Offerle,
lately reposed, suggested that the restoration of such a Shrine would be
a fitting memorial to this priest whose memory is so dear to the hearts
of many parishioners and the numerous friends whose lives he touched.
Planning for this Shrine has occupied several years, since it was essential
that it be of the quality of the other ornaments in the Church. Some thought
was given to commissioning a new statue, but this suggestion proved problematic.
It was fortunate that through the good offices of David Gwesyn Smith a fine
image of late 17th or early 18th century French work was secured. The statue
was in need of considerable restoration and the work of polychroming and
gilding was undertaken by Matthew Szczepanowski at his studio on Callowhill
Street. It seemed appropriate that this image be restored to a prominent
place in the South Aisle. This has required the moving of the statue of
King Charles the Martyr to another site, but as S. Catherine gave way to
Our Lady, we can hardly feel that Blessed Charles would not rejoice in giving
place to a Saint whose cultus was so popular in Catholic England. The new
shrine has been designed by Davis d’Ambly, the well-known ecclesiastical
artist whose Altarpiece is in S. John’s Chapel. A large part of the
woodwork of the shrine has come from the bishop’s chair which had
been in the apse of the Church before the erection of the new High Altar
and Sanctuary in 1903 in memory of Father Moffett. It has been kept in storage
for these hundred years and more and was designed by John Notman, the architect
of our Church. The candlesticks at the Shrine are from the Estate of the
late Robert N. Mattis, who served as a Vestryman of the Parish from the
1940’s and who devoted much labour to the preservation and beautification
of our Church.
