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Florida Catholic June 2020
YOUR MIAMI COMMUNITY
A look at the art at his namesake church in Fort Lauderdale
JIM DAVIS
Florida Catholic correspondent
FORT LAUDERDALE He ate locusts, dressed in camel hair and lived in the wil- derness. He ranted at peasants, rulers and religious leaders alike. His loud mouth got him jailed, then killed. Yet St. John the Baptist, whose feast day is June 24, is honored for his courage and fore- sight, as a prophet who recognized Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." John, whose story is told in all four Gos- pels, was a cousin of Jesus. His mother, Eliz- abeth, was Mary's cousin. As with Jesus, his birth was foretold by the angel Gabriel. While Jesus traveled, taught and healed, however, John preached explosively about judgment. "You brood of vipers! Who told you to flee the wrath to come?" John thundered at his listeners. He then baptized the repentant in the Jordan River as a sign of their new life. John also foretold the coming of a great leader. "I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit," he said. He was therefore reluctant when Jesus himself came to be baptized. "I need you to baptize me , " John said, but he complied and did the ritual for Jesus. He later bore witness that a dove settled onto Jesus as a voice from heaven declared him ""my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." John's righteous rage, however, was not spent. He denounced King Herod for mar- rying his half-brother's wife, prompting Herod to cast him into a dungeon. Herod's wife then nudged her daughter to dance for the king, who vowed to give her whatever she asked. To his horror, the girl requested - and received - John's head. By then, many of John's disciples had left to follow Jesus, with John's encouragement. "He must increase; I must decrease." In Fort Lauderdale, the parish that bears John's name was founded in 1969 by Arch- bishop Coleman F. Carroll. The 400 families first met at Cardinal Gibbons High School. But within two years, they dedicated their own house of worship on adjacent land. The 1,000-seat structure resembles a large house with a glazed tile roof, fitting in with its suburban residential neighbor- hood. Inside, the nave is finished with ex- posed beams, with walls of wood panel and pine log stone. Dominating the eastern gable is a fac- eted-glass window 66-feet wide, showing John baptizing Jesus. In the other direction, overlooking the chancel area, is a stone wall with a crucifix, on which the figure of Jesus stretches his hands in welcome. The cruci- fix therefore combines images of his death and resurrection. Along the walls, 38 smaller windows depict the sacraments, the evangelists and mysteries of the rosary. The church tab- ernacle is lined with wood-carved panels from both testaments.
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St. John the Baptist: the Bible's wild man
Angels joyfully whip up the Jordan River as Jesus is baptized, in a window that fills the east gable at St. John the Baptist Church. (PHOTOS BY JIM DAVIS FC) Wood, stone and faceted glass combine in the interior design at St. John the Baptist Church. St. John the Baptist Church presents a low profile to toney Bayview Drive, offering few clues to the many artworks inside. Melchisedech offers sacrifices to God in this woodcut, one of 10 flanking the tabernacle at St. John the Baptist Church. The Bible says that Melchisedech was king of Salem, the predecessor of Jerusalem, during Abraham's lifetime. Above, This ornate bell is rung as Mass begins at St. John the Baptist Church. Left, three fish, representing Jesus, swirl over a Star of David, showing his Jewish heritage.
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