St. Mary Catholic Church will unveil several sculptures from Spain during a special mass on Tuesday celebrating the Ascension of Mary and the parish's 33rd anniversary.
The mass is open to the public and will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the church, located at 1998 U.S. Highway 412 in Siloam Springs, and will be followed by a reception with the artist in attendance. The exact sculptures installed in the church will be a surprise for parishioners when the statues are unveiled.
The sculptures are the work of artist Angel Pantoja who lives in the Port of Santa Maria in the Andalusian Province of Spain. The installation of the artwork will make history in two ways, according to Father Salvador Marquez-Munoz, priest at St. Mary Catholic Church. The super realistic style sculptures will be the first of their kind in Arkansas and the southern region of the United States, and it will be the first time that Pantoja's artwork, which is used in churches across Europe, has crossed the ocean, he said.
Pantoja hand carves sculptures from cedar wood and paints them to look completely lifelike, including real clothing. Marquez-Munoz saw Pantoja's work during one of his trips to Spain. He took photos of the statues and shared them with his parishioners when he returned home, who showed interest in getting something similar for the Siloam Springs church.
Marquez-Munoz was able to connect with the artist using social media. They worked together to decide the type of art the Siloam Springs church wanted and last year, Marquez-Munoz traveled to Spain again to see the sketches that Pantoja and his wife had created.
The realistic style of the sculptures helps people connect with their personal devotion and their relation to the saints, Marquez-Munoz said. It is a way for people to express their faith and for the artist to express his faith, Marquez-Munoz said.
Pantoja said he is very pleased that the community and the parish is interested in his production for Arkansas.
"This religious art will help (my) mission to awaken the voice of the people's hearts," he said through Marquez-Munoz' translation.
St. Mary Catholic Church was originally a mission of the Tontitown church, Marquez-Munoz said. The church became a parish 33 years ago, he said.
Examples of Pantajo's artwork can be found on his website www.angelpantoja.com. More information about St. Mary Catholic Church and the upcoming mass is available at www.stmarysiloamsprings.com.
General News on 08/13/2017