BELIEVING MEANS MAKING
ART for the Diocese of Speyer
The task was to design three niches — former windows — in the entrance area of the Ordinariate of Speyer. They were to depict the three diocesan saints: Saint Edith Stein, Blessed Paul Josef Nardini, and Saint Pirminius.
APPROACH
The saints represent what the diocese stands for. They are luminous examples of Christian values. What often remains less visible is how this faith takes shape in everyday life.
IDEA
Believing means making.
Faith is not fulfilled in a single great act. It unfolds through daily actions, through repetition, persistence and commitment. Faith becomes visible through the continuous acts that shape a life dedicated to belief.
EXECUTION
Nothing represents this better than hands. Whether contemplative, charitable or missionary, hands embody human action. For this reason, the depictions of the diocesan saints consist exclusively of hands. Repeated many times, they represent people and their actions.
Edith Stein
Edith Stein represents contemplation. She was canonized because of her profound faith, her martyrdom and her contributions to philosophy and theology. She died as a Carmelite in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The large image consists of many small hands. Four different hands depict different forms of prayer, representing contemplation.
The colors blue and violet create a meditative, reflective atmosphere, illustrating Edith Stein as a philosopher and Carmelite.
Nardini
Nardini represents charity. Paul Josef Nardini was beatified for his exemplary life, his commitment to the poor and for founding a charitable religious community.
The hands depict the act of giving. They represent the charitable dimension.
The color palette reinforces this aspect: a deep red symbolizing care and warmth, but also the zeal and passion of giving.
Pirminius
Pirminius represents the missionary dimension.
He was canonized for his missionary activity, the founding of monasteries and his influence on the spread of Christianity in the region.
The hands depict the act of creating. They represent the missionary dimension.
The color scheme highlights aspects associated with missionary work: vitality, growth and optimism.