Crucifix of the Divine Compassion
The Passion Before the Resurrection
Commissioned to sculpt a crucifix for the chapel of a Retreat Center, I was challenged by the Center's building committee which preferred an icon of the Risen Christ over my proposal for a crucifix. I could not be dissuaded from the convictions that a crucifix was more appropriate to a retreat center, that a place intended for meditation and atonement should feature artistic representation of the Passion of Christ.
Stalled by fractious committee meetings for weeks, I suggested that the center seek another sculptor. The chairperson countered with the proposal that I submit a small model to illustrate the theme I'd been advocating throughout our discussions -- that "it might be possible to suggest The Risen Christ within a design of Christ on the Cross."
In this sculpture, the hands of the Crucified Christ move outward from the crossbar, symbolizing release from the cross. This concept is advanced by not girding the figure with the traditional loincloth, but with a draped cloth reminiscent of those with which the body was lowered from the cross. The Dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, as well as the Chi Rho at the foot of the cross, proclaim that this man is not just one more of the thousands crucified by the Romans, but is truly the Christ, the Son of God. The suggestion of a faint smile brightens the face of One liberated from pain.
The Crucifix, limited to four editions, is in the chapel of the Retreat Center. Two subsequent castings of the bronze found homes in a hospital chapel and in a small church where interior sacred environment was designed by the artist.
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