Houston Parish Commissions Franciscan Pottery Baptismal Font

HOUSTON, TX (Sept. 10, 2003) Sister Maria Sena, FSE, director of Franciscan Pottery will be present on Sunday, September 14, 2003, at the installation of a baptismal font fashioned by Franciscan Pottery. The font was made for Capila de la Divina Providencia (Chapel of Divine Providence), a mission church of Resurrection Parish in Houston. The small chapel was established near the ship channel in the 1940's to meet the pastoral needs of the area. The pastor requested that Sister Maria make a baptismal font after learning about Franciscan Pottery through Sister Mary Roberta Connors of the Houston center.

Sister Maria's pottery can be found in various parts of the world. Franciscan Pottery opened in 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The studio was relocated several times before it was settled in Meriden, Connecticut in 1981. Recently, the pottery service moved to its new studio, the Lucy Pottery Studio. As a marriage and family therapist at the Franciscan Life Center in Meriden, Sister Maria provides clay therapy for counseling clients.

Each piece of Franciscan pottery is custom made and original. Like Sister Maria's other work, this baptismal font incorporates in the clay body and glazes the colors of the region where the chapel is located.