St. Elizabeth statue inspires giving

A family at Our Lady of the Rosary commissions Portuguese sculptor to create wooden statue of the saint, also known as Queen Isabel, beloved for her generosity to the poor

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PROVIDENCE - When John Medina served last year as president of the Holy Spirit feast at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Providence, his wife Eduarda felt something was missing in the decoration of the church hall. "We always have a real garden and real flowers, mulch, pebble stones" for the three-day event, she explained last week. "But a statue was missing. I always like to have a St. Elizabeth statue. So I asked Father Joe [Escobar, parish priest] if we could borrow a statue from St. Anthony Church in Pawtucket. They let us do that, and that's when my family decided to have a statue made and donate it to the church."

John and Eduarda, along with their 20-year-old daughter Amanda, asked Father Escobar's advice on how to proceed. "Father Joe found the artist," Eduarda said. "He called a place in Lisbon."

The 51-inch statue was carved from a single piece of wood and hand-painted by Fatima sculptor Ilberto Sousa, then carefully crated and flown to Boston, where Father Escobar picked it up. And at the 11:15 a.m. Mass on March 4, the statue was formally dedicated.

"It was amazing," Eduarda Medina recalled. That first day that Father Joe blessed the statue, I got a lot of hugs and kisses from parishioners. For many, she is their favorite saint. And the statue is amazing; everything looks so real ¬ her fingernails, her face; she just looks alive!"

The saint is special to Eduarda because "my mother used to talk about how she liked to help the poor; she liked to give to the poor. She is a great symbol; we see her and know and recognize what we are here on earth to do."

Elizabeth ¬ known also as Isabel or Isabella of Portugal ¬ lived in the 14th century and became queen at the age of 12.

Her devotion to the poor was legendary, agreed Father Escobar. "Every year on Pentecost Sunday, she would invite the poor to the castle for a meal. She would allow one of the children to wear her crown as a sign that we are all equal in God's eyes. This act of charity has been preserved within the Portuguese community to this day."

With its large Azorean and Portuguese community, Our Lady of the Rosary naturally has a Holy Spirit Society. "For the seven weeks of the Easter season, seven families have the parish's Crown of the Holy Spirit in their home," Father Escobar explained. "They have an open house each evening at which people gather to pray the Rosary and to socialize. Many families choose to host a dinner, free of charge, to which they invite family and friends in imitation of Queen Elizabeth's act of charity. On the Sunday, the family brings the Crown to church. At the conclusion of the Mass, a child, or children, are crowned. It is a very cultural expression of our Catholic faith," he concluded.

This season, the statue of Queen Elizabeth is bringing an added dimension to the observations. For now, Eduarda said, the statue is "upstairs in the sanctuary near Our Lady of Fatima." She isn't certain whether it will remain upstairs or be placed in the church hall, near the crown. Wherever the saint is placed, she will continue to inspire. "It is such an honor to have had her made and to have donated her," said Eduarda. "I'm so happy!"

Our Lady of the Rosary Church is located at 463 Benefit Street, Providence. For further information, call 421-5621.

(This story originally published in The Providence Visitor)