CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Mandala Paintings
by The Rev. Mary Weatherwax
Mary was a parishioner at St. Barnabas in the 1970's and 1980's. During this time, she was studying for the Episcopal priesthood and was ordained. She served as priest at Prince of Peace in Salem, West Virginia until her husband was transferred to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mid 1980's. She is now retired and living in Pittsburgh.
In recent years Mary has painted many mandalas. At the invitation of the Rev. Anne West, Mary gave 28 of her mandalas to St. Barnabas Chapel to be arranged in the shape of a large cross on the back wall of the church's nave. Each mandala is one square foot.
Mandalas are an ancient tool for guiding individuals along the path to enlightenment through meditation. They are generally depicted as a tightly balanced, geometric composition. Mary has incorporated a cross, a Christian symbol, in each of her mandalas.
Nursery Room Wall Mural
Painting by Doris Shay
The nursery rhyme themed mural on a wall in the nursery room was painted by a church member, Mrs. Doris Shay, in the late 1960's or early 1970's soon after the church was built.
