Sacred Art

The Church of St. Timothy has a long history of valuing the arts - vocal and instrumental music, visual art, and theatre - and using the arts to enhance on our communal worship of God and draw us into contemplation of the mysteries of our Catholic faith. 

The crucifix was created by Stillwater-based iconographer Judy Symalla. It is a legacy gift from Jan Trustheim, a longitme parishioner and staff member who died in June, 2023. We are grateful for Judy's and Jan's generosity in bringing our community this beautiful piece of sacred art that now graces our sanctuary. 

Click here to view an eight-page booklet that details the various steps of creating the icon and a bit of history about the use of sacred art in liturgy.

This five-minute on our YouTube channel shows the process of the icon's creation and installation.

In 2022, the Church of St. Timothy used funds from a Lilly grant administered through St. Catherine's University as part of their Thriving Congregations initiative to purchase 27 new pieces of sacred art. A middle school student asked her faith formation teacher about an image of Jesus in one of our faith formation classrooms that depicted him as European. "But Jesus didn't actually look like that," the student pointed out. Her comment led her faith formation teacher to contact staff, who then entered into a discernment process of what pieces of art might enhance and enrich not only our faith formation children and youth's educational environment, but also serve to inspire all members of our parish. Twenty-seven pieces of art by contemporary artists John August Swanson, Janet Mckenzie, Robert Lentz, Fr John Giuliani, Laura James, and Br Mickey McGrath, OSFS were purchased, framed, and hung during the spring and summer of 2022. 

To view a self-guided tour booklet digitally with reflection questions for each piece of art, click here. Printed copies of the self-guided tour booklet can also be borrowed from the parish office for those who want to come view the art during office hours. We encourage you to come spend some time viewing and reflecting on these pieces of art, and hope they will draw you into a deeper appreciation of the mystery of Christ's presence in each and every human being.