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Cemetery statue restored; Cabrini Shrine works vandalized
By John Gleason
After months of being shrouded by workmen’s scaffolding and sheeting, the restored statue depicting the Crucifixion of Christ at the entrance to Mount Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge is once again on display. Repaired was wear and tear caused by weather and aging.
Sadly, vandals were the culprits in serious harm done after hours Nov. 21 to four statues at Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden.
“Sometime during the night (that) Sunday, an unknown number of persons jumped the fence and vandalized the statues,” said JoAnn Seaman, Cabrini Shrine development officer. “Damage was done to the Mother Cabrini statue in the grotto chapel, the cross at the base of the steps, the Our Lady of Guadalupe statue at the top of the steps and the statue of St. Bernadette.”
Seaman said there is no estimate yet as to the cost of repair or even if all the statues can be repaired.
At Mount Olivet the refurbished 20-foot-tall Crucifixion statue was unveiled last week after workmen had finished with the final coat of paint. Cemetery director Mike Wright said the recent restoration was, to the best of his knowledge, the first done to the piece.
“There was some cosmetic work performed on it in the early 1990s,” he said, “but other than periodic coats of paint, this is the first time the statue has had any major work.”
Wright said exactly how long the statue has been at the cemetery is a bit of a mystery. An early photo of the main entrance, dating back to 1918, shows the statue as plainly visible.
“How long before that it was there or who was responsible for erecting it is anybody’s guess,” Wright said.
The restoration was done by Premiere Specialty Contractors of Denver who, among other jobs, restored the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at Mother Cabrini Shrine after it was struck by lightning in 2007.
Rich Schultheis, co-owner of Premiere, said that for its age, the Crucifixion statue was in surprisingly good condition.
“On a scale of one to 10, I’d give it an eight,” he said.
The job entailed stabilizing the structure and re-establishing the integrity of the concrete in areas where it was crumbling.
An exceedingly mild autumn allowed the work to progress at a quick rate and now the statue has been returned to its former beauty. Wright said he couldn’t be more pleased with the result.
“These people are artists, it’s that simple,” he said. “This project was a spiritual exercise for everyone involved—at least that’s the way it came to me. They’ve restored the statue to a work of art that’ll last for years to come.”
At Mother Cabrini Shrine, Seaman said administrators are considering installing a security system to prevent future vandalism to its works.
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