Sacred Art

At the Church of the Good Shepherd, we believe it’s important to use all of the senses when we worship. We worship with our voices when we pray and sing. We worship with our ears when we listen to hymns and homilies and scriptures and the Mass. We worship with our noses as incense wafts heavenward. We worship with our hands when we pray the rosary or make the sign of the cross. We worship with our taste when we receive the sacrament. And we worship with our eyes when we gaze upon sacred art — from statues and icons to stained-glass and paintings.

Holy art inspires us. It helps us shed the secular and lose ourselves within the spiritual.

Thanks to the generosity of parishioners past and present, our parish is blessed with an abundance of sacred art. We welcome you to take a look around our gallery.

Better still, come join us for Mass, where you will be surrounded with the art — and the music, and the incense and the prayers — of worship. Someone will be happy to show you around after the service.

Click on each photograph below for a larger view and information about that image.

The Church of the Good Shepherd was built on plans by the architect J. Hagood Sams and completed in 1901. The structure of the building is cruciform, the oldest example of Episcopal architecture in South Carolina. The modified Gothic design is characterized by rows of Gothic windows along the nave; a lofty spire reaches heavenward. Broad steps lead to the narthex and transept doors; turrets grace the body of the church.

The life-sized Crucifix that hangs from the rood beam above the chancel steps consists of a seven-and-a-half foot cross made of cherry and a four-foot corpus carved from lindenwood. The sculptor was George Stone Saussy, a devout Episcopalian whose grandson John Hampton Saussy is an active member of Good Shepherd. George Saussy was an architectural draftsman for Standard Oil until his retirement in the late 1950s, when he enrolled in an art class at the Columbia Museum of Art. He did not consider himself a professional artist, yet his carving was flawless and mostly for churches. In early 1960, he and his wife moved to Highlands, North Carolina, where he carved the Good Shepherd Crucifix. Hampton Saussy relates that his grandfather and his father, David Saussy, brought the crucifix from Highlands to Columbia wrapped in a sheet in his father’s Rambler station wagon.

Eventually, he developed such severe cataracts he could hardly see; one Sunday morning while he was waiting for his wife to get dressed for church, he decided he would finish cleaning his shop. When his wife called him in, he did not answer. She went outside to check on him and found him squatted down in the carport with a last piece of wood from the shop in his hands. He suffered a massive heart attack and died September 27, 1964. In Good Shepherd’s Memorials Book it is entered: “Crucifix on the rood beam, given by Mrs. and Mrs. Thomas H. Allen, September 7, 1964, in loving memory of her father, Dr. Lewis N. Taylor.” (Taken from an article by Beatrice Rose (Mrs. William Harrison Rose) in The Piedmont Churchman)

The Risen Christ Crucifix in the sacristy was a gift to Father Lyon from the children of the Church of the Good Shepherd in York, and it was placed in his vesting room not long after his arrival in Columbia.

The Crucifix on the door of the aumbry was given by Anthony W. LaCaprucia in 1983.

The stained-glass windows in the nave were donated at the turn of the 20th century by Mrs. E.W. Robertson.

The lectern, pulpit and altar rail in the chancel were fashioned from fine gold brass, employing a Trinitarian design using grapes and leaves. The pulpit was given by the Guild of the Good Shepherd, shortly after its organization in 1886.

The statue of Madonna Della Strada located in the chapel was given by Agnes Lee Clawson in 1996 in loving memory of her brother William States Lee Jr.

The marble baptismal font, located at the rear of the nave, was given to the parish in 1900 by E.W. Robertson.

The icon of the Good Shepherd in Saint Mary’s Chapel is of unknown origin and was given by Lewis Layne Waters.

The icon of the Theotokos with the Infant Christ in St. Mary’s Chapel was commissioned by Dr. and Mrs. Theodore McClure and written by Columbia artist and iconographer Robert M. Smith.

This elaborate chalice dates to 18th century France and was given to the Rev. Dr. James Lyon by the Rev. Robert Longacre Jacoby, who had taught at the Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin.

The icon of St. John the Baptist in St. Mary’s Chapel was given by Layne Waters.

The icon of the Theotokos (God Bearer) of Kiev, written by Philip Zimmerman, is located in the transept near the choir. It was given in 1992 by the families of Charlotte and Thomas Liles, Lillian and Jesse Delaney Ruff, and Marian and Lawrence Muir Taylor Jr.

The monstrance was given to the glory of God for the perpetuation of the Oxford Movement in 1992 by Robert and Suzi Clawson.

The icon of the Pantocrator, written by Philip Zimmerman, is located in the transept next to the pulpit. It was given in 1993 in honor of his beloved sister, Joan Musgrove Ballew, by Preston L. Musgrove.

Wooden icons located in the crossing of the nave, where the Gospel is read in the midst of the people, depict the four evangelists: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John. The icons were written by Philip Zimmerman and given in loving memory of William States Lee and Agnes Pringle Lee in 1995 by the Clawson family. Saint Luke was a physician who emphasized the sacrificial aspects of Christ's life in his Gospel.

Wooden icons located in the crossing of the nave, where the Gospel is read in the midst of the people, depict the four evangelists: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John. The icons were written by Philip Zimmerman and given in loving memory of William States Lee and Agnes Pringle Lee in 1995 by the Clawson family. Saint John (also known as the “beloved disciple”) is traditionally credited as the author of the Gospel that bears his name, however many scholars believe that the true author was anonymous member of the community that was led and taught by John.

Wooden icons located at the crossing of the nave, where the Gospel is read in the midst of the people, depict the four evangelists: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John. The icons were written by Philip Zimmerman and given in loving memory of William States Lee and Agnes Pringle Lee in 1995 by the Clawson family. Saint Matthew was a tax collector who emphasized the human nature of Christ.

Wooden icons located in the crossing of the nave, where the Gospel is read in the midst of the people, depict the four evangelists: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John. The icons were written by Philip Zimmerman and given in loving memory of William States Lee and Agnes Pringle Lee in 1995 by the Clawson family. Saint Mark, according to early Christian tradition, was a companion and interpreter of Saint Peter. This Gospel is understood by many as a history, in the eschatological or apocalyptic sense, depicting Jesus being caught up in events at the end of time.

The life-sized statue of Our Lady of Grace is located in the transept. It was given in loving memory of William T. Clawson Jr. in 1992 by Mrs. William T. Clawson Jr., Mr. & Mrs. Williams T. Clawson III, Mr. & Mrs. States Lee Clawson and Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Clawson.

The icon prints in Saint Mary’s Chapel depicting the life of the Theotokos are from an Orthodox monastic community in New Mexico and given in memory of Allen R. Broome.

The statue of Our Lady of Grace, located in the garden between the kitchen and Sunday school building, was given in 2017 to the Glory of God in thanksgiving for the Life and ministry of Theodore Russel McClure and Peggy James McClure.

The icon prints in Saint Mary’s Chapel depicting the life of the Theotokos are from an Orthodox monastic community in New Mexico and given in memory of Allen R. Broome.

*The statue of Jesus the Good Shepherd, located in the memorial garden, was given in 2017 to the glory of God and in loving memory of Patrick George Grogan by his family.

The monstrance in the chapel was given in loving memory of his parents, William Willoughby II and Doris Lindsey Willoughby, by the Very Rev. and Mrs. William Willoughby III.

The brass processional cross with corpus was given in 2002 in loving memory of Ann Ademy and Nellie Mack by Joseph and Patricia Mack.

This photograph was given by Theodore and Peggy McClure.

The festival banner of the Compass Rose can be found in the chancel, behind the pulpit. It was given in 1991 in thanksgiving for the 50th wedding anniversary of Brig. Gen. & Mrs. Olin E. Smith by their sons, James Glyn, Robert Morris and Steven Wade, and their daughters-in- law, Mary, Laura and Cindy Smith, and their grandchildren, Olin, Katherine, Jacqueline, Andrew and Robert. The Compass Rose is a symbol identifying those who belong to the worldwide Anglican Communion. The center of the Compass Rose contains the cross of St. George and is surrounded by the inscription in Greek, “The truth shall set you free.” The points of a compass reflect the spread of Anglicanism throughout the world. The mitre at the top indicates the role of Episcopacy and Anglican Order that is at the heart of the traditions of the Churches of the Communion.

The statue of Our Lady of Walsingham in the chapel was given in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1979 by the Rev. Edward G. Meeks.

This traditional wooden crucifix, which hangs over the door to St. Mary’s Chapel, was given by an anonymous donor in 2003 in thanksgiving for the ministry of the parish.

The statue of Saint Anne giving instruction to her daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, was hand-carved in Flanders, circa 1870/1880 and dedicated to the glory of God in remembrance of our mothers by anonymous donors.

On February 17, 1929, the Rev. Mr. Lewis Nathaniel Taylor celebrated the first Holy Communion at a grand new altar that the Guild of the Good Shepherd had toiled for so long to make a reality. The altar, crafted from white Italian Cararra marble and mounted upon steps of the same material, replaced a small mahogany altar and was installed under the direction of the rector and consecrated by Bishop Kirkman Finlay. It remains the focal and spiritual centerpiece of the church’s rich interior to this day. But its significance extends far beyond its beauty.

One of the core tenets of Anglo-Catholicism is that Christ is present in the Eucharist. Just as the Anglican Church’s break with Roman Catholicism in the sixteenth century had been made visible by the destruction of grand altars, replacing a small, simple wooden altar with a large imposing marble one that dominates the sanctuary would come to serve as its own powerful symbol of Good Shepherd’s return to the Church’s Catholic roots. Throughout the Anglican Communion, this change emphasized the importance of what is done on the altar: celebrating not a simple ceremony of remembrance but a Mass in which ordinary bread and ordinary wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ — the Real Presence of Christ.

A Russian Orthodox icon of the Theotokas is located at the rear of the nave and was given by Dr. Gordon Smith. It was brought to this country during the last turbulent days of the Soviet Union with the intention of placing it in a sacred space for veneration.

This San Damiano crucifix is affixed to the chapel tabernacle.

The Christus Rex over the baptismal font in the back of the nave depicts Christ the King in royal robes and golden crown. It was given to the glory of God in 1955 as a thank offering by Dr. F. Porter Caughman Jr.

The Church of the Good Shepherd was built on plans by the architect J. Hagood Sams and completed in 1901. The structure of the building is cruciform, the oldest example of Episcopal architecture in South Carolina. The modified Gothic design is characterized by rows of Gothic windows along the nave; a lofty spire reached heavenward. Broad steps lead to the narthex and transept doors; turrets grace the body of the church.

The leaded stained-glass window above the High Altar depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd is the original chancel window that was installed in 1893 in the church on Barnwell Street. It was given to the Glory of God and as a memorial to Julia L. Gernand, the young daughter of Edward L. and Sally L. Gernand, who was born on January 19, 1884, and died April 5, 1890. The window was moved to Blanding Street, where it has continued to comfort and inspire worshipers. The dismantling and reinstalling of the window resulted in only two minor mishaps: One small pane was broken, and another small pane cracked. On the right, the broken pane was replaced by a blue panel that can be seen among the dark green border panes. The cracked border pane below the border pane was replaced and blends well with the other pieces.

The history of the memorial stained-glass window is recounted in this December 1953 article by the Rev. Gale D. Webbe in The Piedmont Churchman:

Parishioners of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Columbia enjoyed, and greatly profited from, an all-day visitation by Bishop Alfred Cole on Sunday, December 6.

“During the 11:30 liturgy, Bishop Cole dedicated a new memorial stained-glass window, given by the Womens Auxiliary of the parish “to the glory of God and in loving memory of Lewis Nathaniel Taylor,” rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd from 1925 to 1947. During his sermon, the Bishop extolled the saintly Dr. Taylor, whose long ministry is still a vivid memory and a strong power in the parish, the city, and throughout the entire diocese.

“The memorial window is situated in the tower of the church, and can be viewed from inside the church by day and from the outside by night. It was designed by Henry Lee Willet of Philadelphia, nationally known stained-glass artist. Executed in the choicest hand-blown pot-metal glasses in rich color similar to those found in medieval cathedrals, the window portrays in decorative form the Good Shepherd, leaving the ninety and nine and retrieving the lost sheep to restore it to the fold.�

The icon of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians, was written by Father Charles Davis Jr. and given in 2021 loving memory of Jarvis Hulst by Suzi and Robert Clawson.

The icon of Saint Vincent was written by Father Charles Davis Jr. and given in honor of Deacon Fred Walters in 2021 by the parish.

The icon of St. Joseph was written by Father Charles Davis Jr. and given in 2021 in loving memory of Father William H. Rose, retired rector of Good Shepherd, by the parish.

The icon of St. Michael the Archangel was written by Father Charles Davis Jr. and given in 2022 in loving memory of Roger Pemberton by Mildred Pemberton.

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Worshiping With All Five Senses

An Anglican perspective on worshiping with all five senses:
sacramentalsightings.blogspot.com

A Roman Catholic perspective on worshiping with all five senses:
www.dummies.com/how-to/content/sensing-god-in-catholicism.html

An Orthodox perspective on worshiping with all five senses:
depaulinterfaith.org

The story behind Good Shepherd’s Stations of the Cross icons