Mary, Woman of Faith
The image of Mary, Woman of Faith, shows her standing with hands extended in trust, open to do the will of God. She draws the person who comes to pray into that same response of faith in God's promises and trust in God's goodness. Through Mary's act of faith, God gave Christ to the world; through Mary's example of faith, we are encouraged to rely on the powerful love of Christ our mediator. We come to the shrine to light a candle, to leave a few flowers, to kneel in prayer so that our trust in God may join Mary's trust, so that our prayer may become Mary's prayer, so that our cry in time of need may also be Mary's intercession.
Other inspiring figures of faith from the scriptures help to create a context for the central image of Mary.
The first plaque inside the shrine shows the annunciation of the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. Despite their advanced age, they trusted when God promised to make their descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky or as the grains of sand by the sea.
The second image shows Naomi and Ruth gleaning in the field of Boaz. Ruth's faithfulness led to marriage and she became the great-grandmother of David whose descendants include Jesus.
A larger relief sculpture illustrates the gospel story of the sick woman in the crowd who reaches out to touch Jesus' cloak. She was healed and Jesus said to her, "Your faith has restored you to health".
The Virgin Mary's own response of faith is portrayed in the panels of the annunciation and the visitation. Finally Mary is shown with the apostles at Pentecost, placing her in the midst of the early Church, sharing its life of faith.
John Elliott has produced a sculpture that the art world already recognises as one of the finest religious works produced in Australia in the final decades of the twentieth century.