St. Paul A Sacristy View

This rather unusual view of the mural of St. Paul is made possible from a even more unusual vantage point. The picture was taken from the second story of the churches Sacristy.

Picture taken at St. John the Baptist in Maria Stein, Ohio.

Psalm 126:5-6

Psalm 126:5-6 (New Living Translation) says "Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest."

St. Thomas and Columns

When taking pictures of stained glass I look to see if I can find an interesting angle or composition. I liked the way the columns framed the stained glass window of St. Thomas.

Picture taken at St. Charles Seminary.

St. Peter and Station of the Cross

I liked this grouping of the stained glass window of St. Peter and Station of the Cross I. Picture taken at the Chapel in St. Charles Seminary.

Station of the Cross XII (St. Charles Seminary)

We adore Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, and bless Thee.
Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

St. Charles Seminary (Gargolye)

I took this while visiting the Saint Charles Seminary in Carthagena. I have always been a fan of gargoyles so I just had to get a picture of one. There are several that adorn the building. I really like the play of angles and other geometric patterns that make up the image.

Stained Glass and Shadow

I saw this while visiting the Saint John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein and new it would make for a great shot. I loved the way the light and shadow added a new dimension to what you would normally see when viewing this stained glass panel.

With Open Arms

I caught this window lit shot of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue while visiting the St. John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein.

Was Assumed in Body and Soul into Heavenly Glory

This is one of many modern style Stained Glass Windows I found in the St. Charles Seminary. The date on the window is 1950. This picture is made up of two shots. One upper and one lower.

Click on above image for a larger view.

Organ and Stained Glass

I took this one while visiting the St. Charles Seminary in Carthagena Ohio. I liked the contrast of the stained glass window with the metal and wood of the organ.

Jesus' body is removed from the cross

This is Station 13 of the Way of the Cross - Jesus' body is removed from the cross. This is one of the 14 Stations of the Cross found in many of the Catholic Churches. And like most Catholic Churches the stations received a make over after Vatican II. These had their color toned down. I used Photoshop to help bring some of the color back in this one.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church - Maria Stein Ohio.

Sacred Heart of Jesus (Fall)

Took these one on the way home from another church photo shoot.



Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church -- McCartyville Ohio

Altar and Stained Glass St. John the Baptist

This is probably one of the best pictures of this altar that I've taken. The two stained glass windows are the Resurrected Christ on the left and the Death of Christ on the right.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Maria Stein Ohio

Dove and Olive Branch

Genesis 8:6-12 (New International Version)

After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.

Stained Glass Window St. John the Baptist, Maria Stein Ohio

Weekly Journal 2010

May 11, 2010

My show at the Library featuring "The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches" I feel was a success. I want to thank everyone who came and left a comment and a special thank you to those that made it to the Meet and Greet. It was great to meet and talk to all of you.

Things have been slow posting wise. I have some pictures from Key West that I still haven't posted. I am done with school after this week, so that should free up some time. However, picture taking opportunities/projects are growing in leaps and bounds.

To be honest I am not sure where to go next with the blog. I have pretty much covered all the churches but feel that I could start all over and still come up with fresh material. Maybe I just need a new approach. Maybe try and focus on Events (Something with People!). Someone suggested and I agree that a guide to the churches would be nice (I am thinking Electronic/PDF) type publication. I am planning on applying for a Grant to create a traveling display of "The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches". A very low percentage that apply ever get anything but it's worth a shot.

April 2, 2010

Photo Show - The bulk of the show is up. I have a few more items I hope to have up and displayed this Saturday.

Cincinnati Enquirer - The travel article about The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches is scheduled to be published Easter Sunday. The focus of the piece is the churches, but the writer said they were going to make mention of the blog and photo-show. I will feature it in a post when I get confirmation and link.

March 14, 2010

I recently received an E-Mail from Kathy Schwartz, a freelance writer for The Cincinnati Enquirer. She is doing a regional travel story for them about the Land of Cross-Tipped Churches. Kathy found my blog, while doing research on the churches on the web and would like to mention my blog in the story as well as promote my upcoming show in April. Of course I E-mailed her back a great big yes, (Right after I did my Happy Dance). Insert your own visual here.

March 4, 2010

Well I finally got to meet Mary from the Catholic Telegraph. We had a great time talking about the churches and my upcoming show. The article should come out sometime late this month.

As promised the post have not been plentiful. March will continue to be light as I gear up for the show.

Hopefully I will get a chance to visit the Saint Paul church this month.

February 13, 2010

Well next week's post will be light, I did not get out to take any pictures this week or weekend. My wife and I have also been under the weather. I did manage to make it to the "Y" and complete my first circuit on the Upper Body. I am enjoying my Graphics Class at Edison. I was also hoping to get out and get some more winter pics but that didn't happen either. Hopefully this week will be better health and picture wise. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

February 7, 2010


I have a meeting scheduled with Mary Knapke, a freelance writer for The Catholic Telegraph (The official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati). They want to do an article about my photo work with The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches and promote my photo show featuring the churches in April at the Amos Memorial Library in Sidney. Now how COOL is That !

January 30, 2010

It's hard to believe that January is all but gone. I am tiring of Winter and now can't wait for Spring. I've been busy balancing my time between blogging, preparing for my upcoming show and class work. Which has made the month of January fly by.

Class is great and I am learning new PhotoShop techniques every week. The show is slowly coming together but I still don't have many completed pieces to hang.

Speaking of Photoshop this picture was made from one of my recent church visits.

I have a new blog/web page that ties in all my online outlets it's called www.ThinkFocusClick.com Check it out. It is still under construction but functional.

I plan on visiting St. Paul church this Sunday after church. I still have pictures to post from some of my previous church visits so I'm doing okay picture wise.

Oh and on the fitness front, I have my first appointment with my Personal Trainer Monday. Oh Happy Day.

January 22, 2010

I am starting to feel the pressure of crunch time for my upcoming show in April of the Cross Tipped Churches. I am afraid even though I have plenty of pictures to post I am going to have to start spending less time blogging and more time getting ready for the show. So look for things to slow down after this up coming week. I already have post for all of next week ready and scheduled to post.

On a personal note it doesn't help that my wife has us going to the "Y" for fitness and I am taking a graphics class at Edison. There is only so much time to be had.

There will be some surprises at the show not all the images on display will have been posted in my blog. Here is an example of something new.

(Click on the Picture for a Larger View)

January 12, 2010

I finally made it out to St. Bernard. What a wonderful church. I hope to start posting some of the pictures from that shoot this week.

I have been back to the Immaculate Conception in Botkins to try and get all 14 Stations of the Cross but just like before Old Mister Sun was not cooperating. I really need an overcast day to get all of them. However, I got some awesome shots of the light coming through the stained glass windows. Look for those pictures in the near future.

I have an upcoming show featuring The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches at Amos Memorial Library in Sidney during the month of April. I will put a banner promoting the event with times and events at the top of the blog very soon. I am also planning on sending a postcard to all the churches inviting them to the event. I will post more on this as the time for the event gets closer.

I would like to visit St. Paul in Sharpsburg and Saint Charles Seminary and Chapel before the April Show.

Last year I tried to make a new Journal for every month. This year I am going to try and just make one post and add to it throughout the year.

St. Pauls Episcopal (Key West)

This picture of the St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Key West Fl. was taken from the roof of the La Concha Hotel. The hotel is the tallest building on the island. The hotel is 7 floors and 105 feet tall. Not a very tall building but tall enough to see the complete island and of course this church.



According to our driver for the day, the church has been in several movies. Two of them James Bond. He also said that the stained glass windows of the church were insured for over a million dollars.



Here is a shot of the altar and stained glass window of the Crucifixion above. The photographer in the picture is just another photo happy tourist.



I could of spent hours shooting this church but already had other plans for the day.

John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus

Another church that I visited while in Key West was the Saint Pauls Episcopal Church. This church had some fantastic stained glass windows. I have more pictures of this church that I will post later.

Guardian Angel Prayer

Guardian Angel,
watch over those whose names you can read in my heart.
Guard over them with every care
and make their way easy and their labors fruitful.



Dry their tears if they weep;
sanctify their joys;
raise their courage if they weaken;
restore their hope if they lose heart,
their health if they be ill,
truth if they err,
repentance if they fail.

Well it has been sometime since my last post. I hope to get back into the swing of things soon. I found this angel statute by the grotto of the Saint Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church while touring Key West Florida. I will post more pictures soon.

Churches Distinguish Ohio Towns

Happy Easter
Kathy sent me the link to her article in the Cincinnati Enquirer that was published today. It is a very nice piece on The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches. As promised there is a promo in what they call a Breakout box that promoted the show at the library and the Cross Tipped Church Blog.

Thanks Kathy, the article and the added blurb were just fantastic. Here is a link to her article: Churches Distinguish Ohio Towns

St. Therese (Little Flower)

This very unusual stained glass window of St. Theresa can be found in the Saint Joseph Church in Egypt. I've posted this before but dusted it off and gave it a new look. It will be featured as part of a collage of stained glass windows in the church in the up coming show.

Click the link below for more insight on the imagery and symbolism the artist used in this window.

Society of the Little Flower

Sneek Peek at Up Coming Show

St. Augustine Stations of the Cross

I thought I'd give my Cross Tipped Churches Blog fans a first look at one of the prints I made for the up coming show.

I use to have a slide show of these same stations at the bottom of the blog. I will probably replace the Nativity that is currently at the bottom with this one.

The Catholic Telegraph (CTC Article)

Check it out I made page 19 of this weeks The Catholic Telegraph. Mary Knapke the free lance writer who I interviewed with for the piece did a fantastic job. Thanks Mary. I was blown away by the size of the story (over a half page), Wow! The blog normally picks up a little extra traffic during the Lent season but it was off the charts today thanks to the links in the online version and mention in the article.

Click here to view the Online Article:
Local Photographer Documents Spiritual Treasures

Promo for Upcoming Show

This 4x6 print will be mailed to all the Catholic Churches in The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches. I am hoping to get a good turnout from the churches for the show. I would of liked to have gotten this mailed out earlier but LIFE has been busy. I have enough printed and framed prints for a decent show but there is always that one more print hanging out there that I want to include.

The Meet and Greet has been moved from the 17th to the 19th from 5:00 - 8:00.

Happy Saint Patricks Day

Picture taken at St. Patrick Church in Glynwood

Saint Roch

Patron Saint of Dogs and those who love them. "The least we owe them is to live a life that is worthy of their devotion..."



As a dog lover St. Roch is one Saint I can relate to. His story is an interesting one. He was born with a privileged background but renounced his nobility and wealth to go to Rome to care for plague victims. While in Rome he contracted the disease himself. Not wanting to burden anyone with his own suffering he went to live in the forest. There he met a dog who brought him food daily and licked Roch's wounds until he recovered from the plague.



Unfortunately, all his family had died and no one recognized him when he returned. He was imprisoned for false impersonation where he died with his faithful companion 5 years later.

The picture of the painting was taken a St. Joseph in St. Joseph and the statue in St. Peter of St. Peter.

Resurrected Christ Statue (B&W)

This statue of the Resurrected Christ can be found at the St. Remy Church in Russia during Easter. This picture was taken on one of my visits last year.

Saint Charles Seminary

These pictures of the St. Charles Seminary were taken on my Black and White Film trip awhile back. I plan on coming back in the spring for another session in color.



I was surprised to find the gargoyles and am looking forward to getting some close-ups on my next visit.

Alpha and Omega (Book Cover)

I found this striking composition lying on a table at the back of the church.

Picture taken while visiting the Saint John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein.

Holy Elements (St. John the Baptist)

I found this grouping of Holy Elements at the back of the church. I tried several angles and settled on this one.

Eucharist Vessels

While visiting the St. John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein, I found this group of Eucharist Vessels. The wall behind the vessels was in need of a little repair so I took the liberty of using a robe for the background.

Where Did You See Jesus

Every Sunday at the Church I serve in, we ask the question Where did you see Jesus. The answers vary from sunsets, answers to prayer to acts of kindness. It is both a rewarding and humbling experience to see and share were Jesus shows up in the lives of people.

Picture taken at the Saint John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein.

Jesus gives Peter the keys to the Kingdom

This is one of several murals above the altar at Saint John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein.

The Dove Above the Altar

This picture of the Stained glass Dove of the Holy Spirit above the altar was taken at the Saint John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein.

Finally

Every time I visit the St. John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein I've tried to get this picture of the Pieta statue. I finally got one that I liked. The challenge was to expose the statue and not blow out the stained glass window.

Martyr of the Confessional

I found St. John Nepomucene story to be very interesting. As confessor to the queen he was ordered imprisoned, tortured and finally executed for refusing to reveal to the king the confessions of the queen.



Picture taken at St. Bernard in Burkettsvile, Ohio.

In the Hand of God be my spirit

As he was on trial and being prosecuted, Saint Stephen experienced a theophany. His theophany was unusual in that he saw both the Father and the Son:

"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56)



In this picture St. Stephen is holding the Bible with lettering. If someone can translate this I would appreciate it. It doesn't help that one word is fairly blocked by the window bar.

Kevin Hammer found this explanation: don't know Latin, but after some googling:

St. Stephen holding a book with the words he spoke at his martyrdom: A DE[SC AD DEUM?] SIT ANIMA MEA ("In the Hand of God be my spirit.")

Click the following Link for more info: St. Stephen

Picture taken at St. Bernard Church, Burkettsvile, Ohio.

This was originaly posted on Feb 10 but I thought it would be nice to re-post it with its new title and updated info. (Steeple Chaser)

Saint Bernard

St. Bernard was added as a Doctor of the Catholic Church by Pius VIII (1830). I must admit I am unclear on what distinction the title has. I did find that the person must not have been martyred and that "the requisite conditions are enumerated as three: eminens doctrina, insignis vitae sanctitas, Ecclesiae declaratio (i.e. eminent learning, a high degree of sanctity, and proclamation by the Church)." The web site also went on to say that they should be represented holding a book as pictured here.



You can't really see it in this picture because the statue is up high but I am fairly certain that it has glass eyes.

Pictures taken at the St. Bernard Church in Burkettsville.