The Advent and Christmas seasons share stories of the birth and infancy of Christ that are all familiar to us. It seems appropriate to share a recent acquisition of our museum: a basrelief titled Adoration of the Magi.
It was given to Sister Rosalia of the Blessed Sacrament, first Provincial of the Maryland Province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, by Most Rev. Michael J. Curley, Archbishop of Baltimore and Washington. He had commissioned it in memory of his mother, Maria Ward Curley. It depicts Archbishop Curley as he meditates on the Adoration of the Magi.
The basrelief held a place of honor above the fireplace in the parlor of the Provincial House of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Ilchester, Maryland, until it was moved to Villa Julie, Stevenson, Maryland, in 1995. It came to the Museum of the Ohio Unit, where it is currently displayed, in 2021.
May this lovely image inspire us to reflect deeply on Jesus' birth and childhood stories during this grace-filled time of year.