Custom Easter Brazier for St James and St Leo

Joseph Michniewicz commissioned a custom brazier for Easter Vigil at St. James and St. Leo Catholic church in Solana Beach, CA.

The church is on the coast of California just north of San Diego. The modernist architecture of St. James is open and bright with various motifs of shells throughout including a giant clam shell holding holy water just inside the entry.

Joe approached me to create a new Easter Brazier for the church after seeing the Waves O’ Glory Brazier I had previously made for The Episcopal Canterbury Fellowship at Mississippi State University. In his first email, he wrote:

I have been searching for something with an ecclesiastical theme, perhaps crosses cut into the bowl. The church has a modern coastal feel to it, maybe shells would be nice. I am open to ideas on how to make this a bit inspirational.

Joe and I workshopped the design for the Easter Brazier through emails, phone calls, drawings and photos. We settled on a modern cross design that echoed the architecture of the church with shallow bowls at top and bottom that obliquely reference the shell motif.

The top two photos are from the first Easter Vigil using the brazier in 2019. More photos from the Blessing of the Fire to just before the Gloria can be viewed on the church’s Facebook page here. Joe sent me the pictures with the following quote:

The Brazier was excellent last night. I made a pretty large fire— not quite Notre Dame, but the light and the warmth were really nice. I got several compliments on the brazier and people really enjoyed it. I’m very happy we did this.

The Photos below are from the ceremony in 2022. More pictures of the 2022 Easter Vigil can be seen on Flickr here.