Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
July 25, 2001
JPII Center to get Stations of the Cross
Prayer garden to feature artwork by sculptor Lynn Kircher
By Roxanne King
The serene John Paul II Center campus, which serves seminarians and laity both, will be even more inviting when a prayer garden featuring the Stations of the Cross is completed in three weeks.
Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., wanted the meditation available at the center for the devotion of the faithful, project organizers said. Located at Louisiana and Steele streets in southeast Denver, the campus is home to the chancery offices and to Our Lady of the New Advent Theological Institute, which provides classes to the archdiocesan seminaries, to the diaconate program and to laity.
Designed by architect Daniel Di Marco, the prayer garden is at the northwest corner of the campus, near Christ the King Chapel. The bronze plaques depicting Christ's passion were created by Colorado artist Lynn Kircher, who cast the first set — this is the third — for a Catholic church in Arkansas.
The combined talents of the popular liturgical artist, whose work graces several local Catholic churches, and the deeply spiritual architect, promise to create an inspiring sacred space in which to ponder Jesus' last hours.
"(It's) going to be very beautiful," said Catholic philanthropist Carol Saeman, 61, who donated the project artwork. "It's a little different from going into a church. This being outside will help you feel like you're really there with the Lord. We're always with the Lord, but it makes you feel like you're actually walking in the steps he walked in."
The vivid limited edition plaques, which measure 18- by 24-inches, will be mounted on 6-foot-tall, rough-hewn wood crosses. The stations will line a 180-foot-long path formed in the shape of a fish — a symbol early Christians used as identification that originated from an acrostic of the Greek words "Jesus Christ, of God, the Son, Savior." In geometry the shape is called "vesica pisces" and is formed from two interlocking circles.
"The circles represent heaven and earth and that connection between them is Christ," the 35-year-old architect said. "Throughout history geometry has been used in sacred architecture.
"When you walk into a cathedral you're not thinking about how many feet away from the apse you are, or any other analysis," Di Marco explained later, "but you do perceive the intuitive sense, the spiritual mysticism, the sense of awe that seems to overwhelm you on a spiritual level because of the sacred geometry it originated from.
"I'm hoping people will go and pray the stations and there will be this sense of mystery that will embody the prayer garden," he added.
Over time, as landscaping is developed and matures, the garden should become secluded, Di Marco said. But for now, the $500 per tree cost is out of reach, so hardy brush covers will have to do. Project organizers are hoping that individuals and families will donate money to purchase trees, but even without lush landscaping, the garden should be beautiful, Di Marco said.
Praising Kircher's artwork, Di Marco described the scenes as "very connected to the human level (yet) there is an uplifting divine sense about them."
When Kircher created the first set of stations five years ago, his father was dying of cancer. That experience with impending death, pain, sorrow and faith, was translated into the work.
"This had a lot of meaning to me personally as it involves how we accept dealing with dying," the artist said.
Prior to his father's death, Kircher said, he lived through a near death experience complete with a silhouetted figure that invited him to join a white light. Although the experience was one of peace and calm, his answer was, "`No - I'm not finished yet.'
"So I was sent back to my body," the 53-year-old sculptor said, adding that the experience enabled him to tell his father that death is "something to look forward to, not fear."
The event influenced one of Kircher's most striking works, a corpus of Christ called "At Peace." The same acceptance and peace is conveyed in the station depicting the crucifixion. Unlike crucifixions that show Christ cringing in pain, Kircher's rendition has Jesus offering his hand to the soldier. In all the stations, Kircher depicts Christ interacting with others.
"Whether it be with Simon, or the women, or Veronica, or the soldier, he took the moment to engage with the person despite his own pain or torment, which to me, was a great example to us," he said.
Kircher said that he "lived" Christ's journey every day for the nearly two years it took to complete the original series.
"It brought to mind ... that he dealt with many of the same pains, torments, doubts and fears that we deal with," he said. "What he shared with us through his example is how he dealt with those same issues we have in life and death."
Unique to Kircher's rendition is the addition of angels to each scene. Additionally, the 15 stations at the John Paul II Center begin, unlike traditional stations, with Christ in the Garden at Gethsemane. Kircher's depiction of Christ at prayer is based on Luke's Gospel, which sets the event at the Mount of Olives and tells of an angel strengthening Christ.
"I felt that once an angel came to him, that the angels would never leave, so in all my stations, angels are around," Kircher said, adding that the angel in the garden is modeled after his daughter, while the one in the crucifixion is modeled on his wife. Kircher's mom served as the model for the Blessed Mother.
"Mary meeting Christ is my mother from photos when she was in her 40s," he said. The expression on Mary's face, however, came from a more recent event - his father's death.
"I remember my mother saying `goodbye' to my father," he said softly.
Creating liturgical art is actually a second career for the artist, who taught art 19 years before taking the leap into full-time sculpting four years ago. His experience with religious art has deepened his relationship with Christ.
"Instead of Christ being something separate or above my comprehension ... he's become more human," Kircher said, adding that he hopes his work helps people experience a more intimate connection with Jesus.
In his research for the project, Kircher discovered that the stations meditation was established by the Franciscan order. Because of that, he included themes from the "Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi" in the stations.
"So a person might include the prayer of St. Francis as part of their meditation," he said, adding that he hopes the stations help worshippers "heal" and find peace, love and forgiveness.
Although "intention and purpose" drive his art, Kircher said that once a work is completed, it is no longer his.
"Each person will have their own experience with it independent of my intention," he said. "In essence, it will have a life of its own."
Having the stations open and available to all to enjoy, rather than "locked in a church," is what Saeman said she likes best about the project.
"I would like to think that maybe some people just passing by would be curious about them and walk up to them," she said. "And that those away from the Church might come back to the Church and get closer to Our Lord. I hope people will draw strength from them."
To donate to landscape the prayer garden, send checks made payable to Stewardship and Planning, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210. Indicate that donation is for Stations of the Cross landscaping.
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