Detail of sanctuary showing location and color of floor medallions

Our Lady of Fatima
Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Fatima is a part of parish life in
Belfield that dates back to Fr. Theodore Roessler, who had a deep devotion to Our Lady
of Fatima. In the apparitions at Fatima, Mary said, among other things, “Offer everything
you do as a spiritual sacrifice” and “pray the rosary every day.” The image of our Lady of
Fatima remains a part of our church as a constant reminder of the holiness and
selflessness to which Mary calls us.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Bernard, who lived from 1090 to 1153, was Abbot of Clairvaux in France and to our
remains one of the greatest preachers the Church has ever known. He is depicted here
dressed in his Cistercian habit and holding his abbot’s crozier. St. Bernard is a doctor of
Church, which means the Church considers his teachings relevant to all Christians of
every time and place. His most famous work is his Commentary on the Song of Songs.
Our St. Bernard of Clairvaux, however, is not the only St. Bernard. There was also, for
instance, St. Bernard of Montjoux, after whom the well loved dog is named.

Demarcation of the sanctuary
The sanctuary of the church “should be appropriately marked off from the body of the
church.” (Architecture, Art, and Sacred Space in the Diocese of Bismarck, 18) In the
remodeled sanctuary of St. Bernard’s Church, this will be accomplished by raising the
altar slightly relative to its current location, and by installing a communion rail. A
communion rail was part of the original design of St. Bernard’s Church, and “where this
conforms to the original construction of the Church, it is fitting that the communion rail
remain or be restored.” (Architecture, Art, and Sacred Space in the Diocese of Bismarck,
20)

Starred ceiling
The starred ceiling is a traditional element of church architecture, and it symbolizes our
hope of being with the Lord forever in heaven. “I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’”
writes St. John in Revelation 21:1. In the sacrifice of the Mass, God lifts us up into the
reality of heaven, already here and now.

Detail of St. Bernard Medallion

Center of Medallion:
3 mitres representing the three times Saint Bernard was asked to be a bishop. He said no
each time, preferring instead to remain a Cistercian abbot.

The book representing his thorough knowledge of the Scriptures and of the great tradition
of Christian wisdom.

The honeybee, symbolizing St. Bernard’s title, “The Mellifluous Doctor.” St. Bernard’s
preaching was considered so excellent that people said his words were like honey flowing
(mellifluous) from his mouth. Because of this nickname, St. Bernard of Clairvaux is also
the patron Saint of beekeepers.

Bees, in Christian art, also symbolize charity, because they labor for others;
wisdom, because they collect nectar from many flowers and turn it into
nourishing honey; the spiritual purity of the Church (which is why we use candles
made of beeswax); loyalty to Church authority, since bees defend the hive with
their lives and they remain loyal to their queen at all costs; and, a beehive just
happens to look quite a bit like a tabernacle!

Circumference of Medallion:
The Latin words are a quotation from St. Bernard’s famous Christmas sermon. He
imagines the moment when Gabriel—and God himself—awaits Mary’s answer. Bernard
imagines God the Father saying to Mary, O most beautiful among women, let me hear
your voice! God himself eagerly awaits Mary’s permission to take on our human flesh
and save us from our sins.

We see then, God’s request on one side, Mary’s answer on the other, and in the middle the fruit of Mary’s yes to God—our salvation in Jesus Christ given to us on the altar in the Eucharist at every Mass.

Detail of Blessed Virgin Mary Medallion

Center of Medallion:
The Cross with the letters A M, which stand for Auspice Maria, a Latin prayer meaning
Listen, O Mary.

12 stars representing the Woman crowned with 12 stars from Revelation 12:1.
The Woman is Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Circumference of Medallion:
The Latin words are from the Gospel of Luke 1:38 and they mean Behold I am the
handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word. With these words of
obedience, Mary said yes to the Archangel Gabriel, and so God became man in Mary’s
womb.

Mary is our model and inspiration to give ourselves completely to God’s will.

Detail of Eucharist Medallion

The Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist is, of course, central to the spiritual life of every Catholic parish. St. Bernard’s Church has had daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament since the very beginning. This medallion proudly displays our devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist, using St. Bernard’s words from his 83rd Sermon on the Song of Songs, “He loves me in order that I may love him.”

Detail of the Baptistery

The baptistery will be located on the east side of the church, where a side altar once was. “It is not fitting that the baptismal font be located either in the sanctuary or in the midst of the nave
among the seating for the People of God.” (Architecture, Art, and Sacred Space in the Diocese of Bismarck, 59) The new baptistery will provide an appropriate place dedicated solely to the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism.

Beneath the window depicting Saint Bernard is a quotation from his 83rd Sermon on the Song of Songs, in English, “one who loves perfectly has married.” Seen here in the context of Baptism, it reminds us of the perfect love for Jesus to which we were called on the day of our Baptism, our “spiritual marriage” to Christ.

Detail of walls and balcony

This shows what the interior walls of the church will look like once sheet rocked.

On the balcony is a quotation from St. Bernard’s Sermon on the Holy Name of Jesus: “Jesus is honey to the mouth, and music to the ear, and joy to the heart.”