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New church artwork depicts Easter story
By John Gleason
Easter is the day when Catholics celebrate the foundation of our Christian faith: the day when Christ overcame earthly bounds and rose from the dead—the single most important day in human history.
To prepare for this joyous time the faithful have sacrificed and employed penitential prayer through the 40 days of Lent. It is through this glorious event of Christ’s death and resurrection that we believe our own souls and bodies will come together at the end of time to live with him for all eternity.
At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins as people come together to celebrate Easter, the day will have added significance with the blessing of a new mural titled “The Resurrection,” which depicts the emergence of Jesus from the tomb
The artwork was recently donated to the parish, said Father Grzegorz Cioch, V.F., the pastor.
“It is very powerful, of course,” he said, “the greatest demonstration of God’s power. And it’s one of a kind—the only one in the country of these dimensions besides the original, which is in Texas.”
The 5-by-16-foot oil on canvas piece, made possible through an anonymous donation by a parish family, is the work of noted Christian artist Ron DiCianni. The mural shows Christ emerging from the tomb on Easter morning, angels kneeling on either side of the entrance, and a collection of biblical characters who have been awaiting his return, according to Father Cioch, what the Bible calls the “great cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1).
“It includes Moses, David, Isaiah and Abraham on one side,” he said, “and Elijah, Noah, Esther, John the Baptist and Daniel on the other. In one corner people can see Calvary, where Jesus was crucified.”
Thomas Perez is pastoral associate and longtime member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. He said that the mural is a great representation of the faith, a perfect reminder of what we believe as Catholics.
“You can’t help but be inspired when you look at it,” Perez said. “It brings to mind what we’re here for—the Eucharist, salvific action, salvation. And look at the collection of people from the Catholic faith. Everyone represented has a wonderful story to tell of redemption.”
DiCianni started creating religious art in 1989 when he began what he called, “reclaiming art for Christ.” Since then the popularity of his work continues to climb in both the Christian and secular markets. The original “Resurrection” mural, his latest work, hangs in the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas. At 40-by-12-feet it is considerably larger than the copy at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Getting the mural on the church wall was a group effort that was worth the challenge, Perez said.
“It’s situated on the back wall and when you look at it there is a good balance with the rest of the interior,” he said. “It’s a great addition to the interior.”
Father Cioch agreed that getting the artwork on the wall took some doing, calling the effort a labor of love. He said that with the placement of the mural, the whole story of Easter is present in a visual sense.
“In the past year, our parish has been blessed with gifts of religious art,” Father Cioch said. “A year ago the parish was given a beautiful collection of Stations of the Cross from the same source. So because of this (latest) generosity, the church now has a complete visual story of the death and resurrection of Christ.”
“The Resurrection” mural will be blessed at the 8 a.m. Mass April 24 at the church, 5450 S. Lemay Ave. in Fort Collins. Detailed information about the artist and the mural, including how to purchase a copy, is available online at www.resurrectionmural.com.
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