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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Christmas Gift Idea • Unbelievable Made-By-Hand Wood Carvings!

Cynthia Ostrowski · August 24, 2015

OU’LL DEFINITELY WANT to visit and bookmark Soli Deo Gloria Lasercraft. The site’s creator, John McCarthy, is a retired US Coast Guard officer and combat veteran who is also a master woodworker. John has transformed the artwork I’ve been posting from the JOGUES MISSAL into magnificent etchings. Please browse his available pieces—each of them handmade—or click here to discover a whole bunch more information. Here’s an excerpt:

Creating these quality laser etchings involves a number of diverse processes including: design, computer graphics, laser production, machine and hand surface preparation, coating and finishing. The etchings are made of top-grade, 3/8 inch Baltic Birch plywood to ensure the finished product remains free from cracking, checking, or warping over time. Once the extensive laser design and cutting processes are complete, each etching is hand-finished and detailed using traditional wood-working and finishing techniques. A range of finishes are available including the traditional bright white printers ink, a golden “amber” varnish, and natural wood. All edges are carefully filled and layered to an elegant finish.

378 Wood Carving


The wood carving I received is quite impressive:

380 John McCarthy Wood Carving 383 John McCarthy Wood Carving 384 John McCarthy Wood Carving

John McCarthy’s services include:

—Personalized gifts for all occasions (weddings, anniversaries, ordinations, first-communions, confirmations, and so on)|
—Custom designs, images, materials, and finishes|
—Addition of names, dates, greetings, special verses, or prayers|
—Spanish language versions

While I cannot comment on pieces I’ve not seen, I suspect the artwork which avoids extremely intricate designs will turn out as nice as the one shown above. The following examples look splendid:

374 Zodiac Crucifix Carving 375 Mary Carving 382 John McCarthy Wood Carving


It is my understanding that all his new designs have a lovely edge, like this:

373 edge

John McCarthy can be contacted directly via email.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Religious Clipart Last Updated: November 24, 2020

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About Cynthia Ostrowski

Cynthia Ostrowski holds a bachelor's degree (2005) in Geographic Information Science and a minor in Computer Science from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Like all other liturgical functions, like offices and ranks in the Church, indeed like everything else in the world, the religious service that we call the Mass existed long before it had a special technical name.”

— ‘Rev. Adrian Fortescue (THE MASS, page 397)’

Recent Posts

  • “What Martin Luther Said…”
  • “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • Worship the Lord in Holy Attire
  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

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