Sculptures at congress ‘crystallize a moment,’ touching hearts and souls

A 22-foot sculpture of Christ on a cross atop the world with blood from his wounds streaming into a chalice and a bowl filled with the Eucharist stands outside St. John the Evangelist Church across from the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The piece was created by Catholic sculptor Timothy Schmalz for the National Eucharistic Congress on July 17-21. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)

By Natalie Hoefer

Pedro Madera Cueavas crouched low and angled his camera up. The object of the shot: a 22-foot sculpture of Christ on a cross perched atop the world, streams of blood flowing from his wounds down to a chalice and a bowl filled with the Eucharist.

“It reminds me a lot about his divine mercy,” said the young adult Catholic of the Archdiocese of Seattle. “His whole body is there, and he’s pouring out his blood for the whole world. It reminds me of how much he has given to all of us, like his whole life for the world.”

The sculpture is one of two pieces created by internationally-renown Catholic sculptor Timothy Schmalz for the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis on July 17-21. It was placed near St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis across from the Indiana Convention Center, where the majority of the gathering was held.

Schmalz’s faith-based pieces can be found around the world, from the Vatican to Spain to Africa, the Dominican Republic, Canada and more. Several pieces grace locations in the United States, including two outside of St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities in New Albany.

The piece admired by Madera Cuevas is titled “This is My Body.”

“I love to have titles that are meaningful to the saint or to the Scripture” depicted in his work, he explained. “In this case, ‘This is My Body’ is taken from Christ’s words at the Last Supper.”

The second piece, called “Be Welcoming,” is located near the entry doors of St. John—where it will permanently remain as a gift to the parish. It’s an interactive sculpture inviting individuals to rest on a bench with a unique figure.

“On one side it’s a pilgrim,” Schmalz explained. “On the other side it transforms into an angel, where the hood of the pilgrim becomes the angel’s hair and the pilgrim’s backpack is actually the back side of the angel’s wings. It’s a sculpture that you have to experience. Isn’t that cool?”

Josephine Petrulis thought so.

“It makes me think of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ ” said the young woman, a member of the Diocese of Richmond, Va. “On the outside you see the pilgrim. On the inside you see the angel. You don’t know what’s on the inside of someone.”

The presence of the pieces at the congress is the result of an invitation that came last December.

“I was invited to come to the National Eucharistic Congress, and then things just exploded with great ideas,” Schmalz said.

“I think artwork can crystallize a moment, and that’s what I think the two pieces that I have outside [the church] truly have done—one with the idea of the pilgrim, and the other with spirituality.”

More ideas have come to the Catholic sculptor. In the congress’ exhibit hall in the convention center, where the majority of the congress’ daily events took place, Schmalz publicly worked on the model of a new sculpture of Blessed—soon to be Saint—Carlo Acutis. The young man, who died in 2006 at the age of 15, was known for his devotion to the Eucharist and creating a website of eucharistic miracles.

“I started researching, and I thought, ‘This is a perfect, perfect person to celebrate here,’ ” said Schmalz. “With his love for the Eucharist and him soon to be named a saint, the timing was perfect.” †

 

(See all of our coverage of the National Eucharistic Congress at www.archindy.org/congress.)