Sunday, January 4, 2015

St. Christopher Church, Hobe Sound, Florida

While visiting the grandparents we went to St. Christopher Church in Hobe Sound for New Year's Day service. The church is a small, Spanish-style church built in the 1950s from donations by the Devine family. It was dedicated in 1953 by the archbishop of St. Augustine, though the church is now in the Palm Beach diocese.

St. Christopher Church, Hobe Sound

Above the door is a fine statue of the titular saint carrying Jesus. I especially like the tender way that Jesus is laying His head on Christopher's.

St. Christopher statue

Statue detail

Inside is a typical basilica layout with a central nave and two small side aisles leading up to the sanctuary. The amount of marble is quite impressive. Since we were visiting during Christmastide, decorations were still up.

Nave

Sanctuary

Detail of St. Christopher from above the altar

Detail of the nativity below the altar

On either side of the sanctuary are fine statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her spouse St. Joseph.

Mary

Joseph

The baptismal font in the foyer is also marble but is a little spoiled by the lock on it!

Locked baptismal font

The stations of the cross were festively decorated which, like the lock, seemed a little odd.
 
Eighth Station of the Cross, Jesus Consoles the Women

Outside in the courtyard is a pieta. The walkway around the courtyard is lined with small altars to various Marian apparitions and saints.

Pieta in the cloister

Larger nativity outside the church

Our Lady of Lourdes altar

The church also has a St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop, the rectory, parish offices, and several other buildings. I couldn't resist taking a picture of their mailbox.

Church-shaped mail receptacle

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