Patron Saint

St. Luke the Evangelist

St. Luke is known as the apostle of the Gentiles, his inspired writings are the most authentic commendation of his sanctity, however, few facts are known about Luke's life from Scripture and from early Church historians. Scholars disagree about his birth, his profession, and his death.

Luke was a native of Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, a city famous for the riches of its traffic, its extent, the number of its inhabitants, the politeness of their manners, and their knowledge and wisdom. Its schools were the most renowned in all Asia and produced the ablest masters in all arts and sciences. It is said that St. Luke acquired a great deal of knowledge in his younger years, which was improved by his travels in Greece and Egypt. However, it is assumed that Luke was born to a very poor family; in fact, it is thought that he was a slave to a wealthy family. In those days, it was not uncommon for families to educate slaves in medicine so that they would have a resident family physician. St. Paul calls him his most dear physician. Legend has it that he was also a skillful painter who may have done portraits of Jesus and Mary but none have ever been correctly attributed to him. He is known as the painter of a portrait of Mary, some say his painting is the true portrait of the Virgin that emerges from the Evangelist's writings.

Our Statue

St. Luke was a gentile of Greek origin. His name, written in Greek on the base translates to Evangelist Luke. The ancient symbol for Luke the Evangelist is the ox. This symbol is also located on the statue’s base.

St. Luke was a dynamic man, a traveler on a journey he shares with all of us – the quest for the eternal. Sometimes God is symbolized by the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet, the Alpha, and the Omega, recognizing God as both the Beginning and the End. I have represented St. Luke’s quest for the eternal by his active pose, the right foot climbing higher – a journey toward the Omega. In his journey through life, Luke wrote not only his own Gospel addressed to pagans thirsty for knowledge of Jesus and His way, but he also traveled with St. Paul and wrote the Acts of the Apostles. In the figure’s pose, I’ve included our parish logo, originally designed by parishioner Roy Dupnick, which shows the flame of divine inspiration in Luke’s writings.

Luke was an educated man, a doctor. He is the patron saint of doctors. The caduceus, the Greek symbol we now use for doctors, is at his left foot.

St. Luke never met Jesus during his lifetime. He is believed to have stayed with Mary and learned from her stories of her son. It is said that he painted a portrait of Mary. He is the patron saint of artists, so I have a symbolic artist’s hand holding brushed at the statue’s base.

St. Luke’s warmth and special regard for Mary and all women are reflected by the image of Mary on the statue. The symbol is taken from Candace Knapp’s wood base relief sculpture which depicts the Annunciation and is hanging in our church.

My sculpture of St. Luke is made of cement over a Styrofoam and reinforced steel core. It is over seven feet tall and weighs over half a ton.

My prayer is that by weaving all the symbols and rich traditions of our patron saint together in the sculpture, we will all find the joy and peace of St. Luke as worshiping members of our Catholic Community. St. Luke, the evangelist, the person, and the parish, present us all with exciting possibilities right here, right now. Enjoy.

by Mary Ellen Rouen, Artist