Statues Returned to Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Church

Two old, familiar faces returned to Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Parish last week. After a 62 year absence, statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Stephen were placed in front of the church. According to John Heyer, II, SHSS Pastoral Associate (and historian), the statues were originally placed there in 1866 when St. Stephen’s Church was first incorporated. Of course, St. Stephen was the patron of the original church but there had always been a devotion to the Sacred Heart, even before the two parishes merged in 1941, on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, to be exact. The statues were removed in 1952 following a devastating fire that had occurred at the church the prior year. Sadly, they remained absent for more than half a century.

Special thanks should be given to the kind and hardworking local longshoremen volunteers who transported the St. Stephen statue from the back garden on Carroll Street and the Sacred Heart statue from Cabrini Hall. They then gently hoisted the heavy statues back onto their rightful places atop pedestals on either sides of the center doors. The statues are not fully restored yet but they are already a welcome sight.

The two statues were carved from white Carrara marble and the name of the sculptor etched on them reads: “F. Palla, Scultore.” I was able to find information about a Ferdinando Palla, who was a well-known sculptor and the artistic director of the Scuola di Belle Arti in Pietrasanta, Italy which was founded sometime around 1860-1870. The laboratory, as it was known, has been carried down for generations in the Palla family, first in Pietransanta and now in Vallecchia, both located in Tuscany. The family and (especially) its founder, Ferdinando, were world-renowned for reproductions of ancient works, religious statuary, altars, and pulpits. While I cannot be sure that the SHSS statues were sculpted by the Ferdinando Palla, or perhaps a relative or paisan of his, it does seem a likely possibility.

Other interesting developments in front of SHSS church include the addition of a paver stone project, lighting, and new landscaping. The paver project includes bricks available for purchase to memorialize loved ones or to commemorate special occasions. The first phase has been installed on the corner of Summit and Hicks Streets where the SHSS sign is located. The project will extend to all the garden openings in front of the statues and at the opposite corner of the church where the nativity will be displayed at Christmastime.

If you’re in the area, be sure to spend a moment taking in all the enhancements at SHSS, especially the two returned statues that stand like patron sentries in front of this already beautiful house of worship.

To view additional pictures, check out SHSS on Facebook.