Selected Works of Thomas McGlynn III

St. Francis of Assisi. bronze, 13", 1967. Initiative for his delightful sculpture, St. Francis of Assisi, came from William F. Hartnett, owner of the Lake Point Tower Apartments in Chicago. Hartnett had expressed interest in a Shrine to St. Francis for the grounds of the apartment building. Tom began to dwell on the scope of a possible shrine and did a series of sketches for it. Nothing ever came of the commission, but he did model this figure of St. Francis allegorically directing the chorus of creation performing his "Canticle of the Creatures."

Julie Billiart, bronze, 8', 1965 Foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, she is the inspiration for the many Notre Dame Sisters teaching in the Archdiocese of Boston. Since Julie's life was dedicated to the teaching of young girls, Tom presented her in the sculpture as teaching the catechism to a youngster of nine or ten. The device of seating Julie on a tree trunk gives her the proper height so that her shoulder corresponds to the height of the child's head. The background for the sculpture is a travertine marble slab in the form of a book. Upon this, in mosaic, is an expression that was dear to Julie: "Ah! Qu'il est bon le bon Dieu!","Ah!, How good God is!" Her left hand is raised in a gesture expressing this phrase, and with her right arm she embraces the young girl who leans against her. On the back of the sculpture are a serpent and dove. The serpent symbolizes the scriptural text,"Be ye wise as serpents." The dove symbolizes the gentleness that one ought to have in dealing with children. Julie was canonized June 22, 1969.