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Happening ... in the Local Church
 The
new 8-foot copper figure of Christ is suspended in mid-air next to a
cross of red oak. (Photos by Louisa J. Reese) |
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| A close-up of the copper figure created by West Virginia artist Bill Hopen | The portrait of Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman, painted by Ann Klatt | |
 Pastor
Father John Kiefer blesses the red oak, walnut and glass doors waiting
to be hung at the en-trance to the Muncie church. |
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By Louisa J. Reese
For
The
Catholic Moment
“With loving regard, the Divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power.”
— Pope John Paul II,
Letter to Artists
MUNCIE — That spark is evident in those who created new religious art at St. Francis of Assisi Parish and Newman Center.
On Nov. 15, pastor Father John Kiefer dedicated an 8-foot, copper figure of Christ and wood cross; a portrait of Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman; new entry doors; and a stained-glass window for the chapel. He also marked the completion of the narthex and entrance.
Among those present was Father James Bates, founding pastor of the parish. He served from 1972 to 1985 and is now retired and living in Indianapolis.
A parish crucifix committee, chaired by Ralph Bremigan, was instrumental in commissioning the copper artwork, Father Kiefer said.
Committee members studied Church documents and art for more than two years, Bremigan said. Their focus was to find the right sculptor.
Bill Hopen, of Bristol, W. Va., was selected to sculpt the corpus of the transcendent Christ.
According to Father Kiefer, the process involved creating a clay figure, making a plaster mold of it, filling the mold with concrete, then covering the concrete figure with hammered sheet copper. The copper figure was then removed.
“The hammering gives the copper a rigidity and a beautiful surface texture,” Hopen said on his Web site. “The entire figure weighs less than 60 pounds.”
The corpus was designed to be suspended in mid-air near a wood cross.
“Perhaps Christ at the last moments of his earthly life,” Hopen said. “There’s no more pain, perhaps there’s even a serene transcendence. ... The moment of Christ’s death is the moment, when the … execution device becomes a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice, his love and resurrection itself.”
Gary Prater, a Muncie carpenter and furniture maker, built the companion 200-pound cross of red oak with a steel core for strength.
Bremigan said he sees love and compassion in Jesus’ face.
“When we celebrate Eucharist, the crucifix is a reminder of Jesus dying and rising, especially during the Easter Triduum. Now we have a visual image to connect to that,” he said.
“Our hope is that each person will allow this religious art piece to speak for itself,” Father Kiefer said. “Good art has many layers of meaning: what the artist wants to convey; what each person sees; and ways that God uses art to speak to our souls.
“When it comes to religious art and a crucifix, there is much to contemplate about suffering and pain, death and resurrection, sacrifice and love. A good piece of religious art will say different things to us at different times in our lives. … A good piece of liturgical religious art enhances and enriches our worship.”
An acrylic on canvas portrait of Cardinal Newman, painted by Ann Klatt, now hangs in the narthex. The background features Birmingham Oratory, founded by Cardinal Newman in 1848 as a boys’ boarding school.
The cardinal was a leading figure of the Oxford Movement, in the Church of England, from 1833 to 1845. He converted to Catholicism in 1845. He died in 1890 and was declared “Venerable” in 1991. His beatification ceremony is set for May 2, 2010.
Klatt donated the painting as part of her Newman Center Christian Leadership Program internship and Ball State University Honors Thesis.
“It was a fun experience to create it and leave it behind as a legacy,” said the recent Ball State graduate.
The stained-glass chapel window, designed by parishioner Tony Costello, with construction by Father Kiefer, depicts the Eucharist radiating the love of Christ.
Costello, professor emeritus of architecture at Ball State University and principal of Costello + Associates, designed the original St. Francis Newman Center in 1973.
“I feel honored to come back and work on a building I initially designed 37 years ago,” he said. “Very often in 37 years buildings are demolished.”
He also designed the finishing details of the narthex, the new entry and doors.
The doors, constructed by Fuller Architectural Hardwoods, Daleville, were crafted of red oak and walnut. The dark walnut was used to depict the shape of the San Damiano cross, from which God spoke to St. Francis of Assisi.
“I’m so very pleased with the way the parish has developed here,” Father Bates said. “Another generation has added to it.”
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For a narrated slide show, visit the Web site at catholicnetworkers.ning.com/video/copper-repousse-figure