A Season of Angels

For me, December is the season of angels. As a child, I loved to hear my sweet mother read the New Testament stories of the angels and the birth of Jesus. As a mother, I have shared these stories with my children. I love to place the angels in the nativity scenes. “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is my favorite carol. My interest in angels was passed to me from my mother and, amazingly, my mother was the inspiration for an angel.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels http://www.olacathedral.org was built after the original cathedral was deemed unsafe due to earthquake damage. Numerous artists were commissioned to create tapestries, sculptures, and other works of art. MaxDeMoss, a sculptor from southern California, was asked to design  twelve Dedication Candle Holders. http://maxdemoss.com DeMoss chose to use the images of angels for the candle holders. He conducted interviews about angels with twelve individuals. As each person shared their thoughts about angels, he observed their gestures as they spoke. He then was able to create the angels based on each of the people interviewed. My brother is a friend of Max DeMoss and he introduced my mother to the artist. As a result, my mother’s spirit is embodied in the bronze angel sculpture on the wall of the cathedral. It is the second angel on the left side of of the altar. My mother said that angels are ministering spirits who are there to give and to receive.

My mother is with the angels now. This was our first Christmas without her but we know that we can always visit the cathedral to be reminded of her gentle spirit.