Before being “touched” by Grace and Nature, St. Mary's Church in Westville, Ill., (Diocese of Peoria) had a certain austere elegance — but, in the words of Father David Erickson, the pastor, it was “very simple.”

A little too simple. Father Erickson believed that his parishioners would be more easily drawn to the glory of God if the church and adoration chapel were more beautifully adorned.

In came Grace and Nature Inc., a church-restoration company started in April 2002 by Robert Jackson and Father Erickson's brother, Chris. Their goal is, quite simply, to give glory to God by rebeautifying churches — and do so at a very reasonable price.

First step for St. Mary's: the less-than-inspiring adoration chapel. In Chris’ words, “the chapel's cream-colored plaster walls and ordinary windows were more akin to a day room than the prayerful and sacred setting Father Erickson envisioned. He wanted to create a sort of mini-sanctuary to make the chapel sacred, a place worthy to honor our Lord in the tabernacle and to set the right mood conducive to prayer.”

They raised the floor, framed in the walls, installed maple flooring and railing, crafted walnut paneling with 90 maple inlays of two alternating custom-designed crosses and a stunning alpha and omega, precision wood-burned the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts into the panels, filled the four windows with beautiful stained glass, and the adoration chapel was fit for a king, indeed, the King of kings. Two weeks of long hours, but years of holy inspiration for St. Mary's.

“I think it was a pretty spectacular thing,” comments parishioner Bob Clifford. “It turned out great.”

Next step, the sanctuary. Chris and Bob saw the 40-foot archway framing the space as a canvas awaiting a masterpiece. After careful consultation with Father Erickson and the benefactor, a masterpiece was chosen, the 16th-century work by Raphael called “Disputation on the Blessed Sacrament.” The original adorns the Pope's library at the Vatican in the Stanza della Segnatura. Two weeks filled with 14-hour days later, Raphael's “Disputa” graced the archway.

Such beautiful sacred art is all too rare in churches today, according to Father Erickson. “Unfortunately, misinterpretations of Vatican II have, among other things, left us with a loss of the sense of the sacred in Church art and architecture. For many years our Holy Father has been calling us to recapture the sacred and reclaim Catholic culture. Sacred art, such as this depiction of Raphael's “Disputa,” will not only bring glory to God but touch people's hearts and inspire them to become living icons of Christ in their own lives.”

The glory did not stop with the “Disputat” alone. “We painted the archway's front and back trim in royal purple, and on the back trim we added the names of the prophets and saints depicted in the mural in 23-carat gold leaf,” Chris says. “We lettered the prophets’ names in Hebrew and the New Testament saints in Latin.”

“The idea was to exude royalty. On the front royal purple trim — spanning nearly 60 feet of the archway from the floor on the left side of the arch reaching to the ceiling and returning down to the floor on the right — we gold-leafed 39 titles of God: The Faithful and True, Adonai, Yahweh, Rock of the Ages, El Shaddai, Elohim, Good Shepherd, Redeemer, Just Judge, Righteous One, Savior, etc. A gold-leafed cross separates each title.”

The reward for artists dedicated to glorifying God goes beyond monetary compensation. “When I sat back and looked upon all those titles, it brought an incredible sense of awe as to who Jesus is,” Chris says. “What man can boast just one of those titles, much less 39? The Scriptures tell us Jesus received 40 lashes minus one. Those 39 titles represent a title of adoration for each stripe he received.”

The reward for the parishioners? A real sense of elevation. “I love it,” parishioner Sylvia Nicklas says. “It makes my eyes look up and makes you feel the presence of God and the saints.”

To further enhance the majesty of the sanctuary, Grace and Nature marbleized the existing white columns and sidewalls. They are indistinguishable from real marble, a magic transformation at a fraction of the cost.

Notre Dame architect Duncan Stroik, who is also the editor of Sacred Architectural Journal, is quite impressed with the work of Grace and Nature Inc. “This is a firm that is seeking to restore the sacred in existing or new ecclesiastical projects,” he says. “They have a Catholic sensibility, in that Catholics appreciate material beauty which points us to the immaterial and eternal.”

Stroik sees Grace and Nature as a laudable “part of a general resurgence among Catholics to return beauty to the house of God,” and adds, “I wish them much success.”

Leon Suprenant, president of Catholics United for the Faith, is equally effusive in his praise. “In his 2003 encyclical on the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II points out that, historically, the Church's Eu char-istic faith has not only been manifested in-an interior disposition of devotion but also in tangible, outward-expressions that evoke and emphasize the grandeur of the Most Blessed Sacrament. In this context, the Pope acknowledges the Church's ‘rich artistic heritage,’ including the ‘fine craftsmanship’ that brings together creative genius and authentic faith. In other words, the happy marriage of grace and nature. Grace and Nature is aptly named, as it-puts top-notch artistic skill at the service of divine worship.”

Benjamin Wiker writes from Hopedale, Ohio.

Editor's note: Grace and Nature