LOREM IPSUM DOLOR

The Fourth Level of Paintings: 
The Co-Cathedral Ceiling

All that is above the pictorial life of Saint Philomena represents the fourth level of the Co-Cathedral’s paintings. The nine ceiling paintings of celestial angels and all the designs that surround the 16 smaller stained glass windows represented for Msgr. Maillard that heaven begins on earth. He wrote on the ceiling the first verse of the Glory to God “Gloria in Excelsis Deo – et in terra – Pax – hominibus bonae voluntatis” – Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and good will to all men. On the top of a few smaller windows, there are Latin insricptions which read “Pax cvm Deo” meaning “Peace with thy God” and two others reading “Pax cvm proximo” and “Pax cvm semetipso” translated into English, this means “Peace with thy neighbour” and “Peace with thyself.” Msgr. Maillard explains in his paintings that if we live in perfect harmony with ourselves and with our neighbours, we will live in perfect harmony with God.

Around the ceiling windows, the priest-artist listed the Catholic Virtues which oppose the Capital Sins written on the bottom level of the Co-Cathedral. “Florete flores” and “date frvctvs” are two more Latin inscriptions, written above the Virtues, meaning “Flowers, grow and give fruit.”

On the arch above the choir loft is written “Cantemus Domino Cantemus” meaning “Sing to the Lord, Sing” and on the principal arch before the sanctuary is written “Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus!” (Holy ! Holy ! Holy !).

Msgr. Maillard was often inspired by photographs of his parishioners’ babies and children for the drawing of the celestial angels. It is told that the angels were originally painted naked. A group of parishioners, having shared their displeasure, encouraged Msgr. Maillard to paint ribbons over the angels.