The Family

Thursday, 18 June 2009 06:38

The Family - When a person visits the grounds of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana, he or she would notice a variety of statues. There are statues of praying angels, of Jesus with little children, of a welcoming Jesus, of a crucified Jesus and of Jesus riding a donkey. There is even a depiction of the Good Samaritan. There is also a statue of "The Family". This life-size statue is cast in bronze and depicts "The Family". Not "The Holy Family", but "The Family". Queen of Heaven is a parish with 3,000 registered families. Thus, the statue is about "The Family". No a family in particular. Just, "The Family". Officially dedicated in May, 1997, it is the work of local artist, Elton Louviere. In fact, it was his first sculpture. Louviere, shown standing next to his work, is well known for his paintings, mainly of water fowl, other wildlife, and scenes representative of the Southwest Louisiana countryside. The painter-turned-sculptor used his son and his son's girlfriend as the models. The child was a doll with a five pound bag of sugar wrapped in a blanket, to simulate the feel and weight of a six month old baby. As they walk across the desert, the mother protects the child and the father is there re-assuring the mother along the journey.