Statue Of A Homeless Jesus Startles A Wealthy Community

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Statue Of A Homeless Jesus Startles A Wealthy Community

by John Burnett
April 13, 2014


The Rev. David Buck sits next to the Jesus the Homeless statue that was installed in front of his church, St. Alban's Episcopal, in Davidson, N.C.
John Burnett/NPR

A new religious statue in the town of Davidson, N.C., is unlike anything you might see in church.

The statue depicts Jesus as a vagrant sleeping on a park bench. St. Alban's Episcopal Church installed the homeless Jesus statue on its property in the middle of an upscale neighborhood filled with well-kept townhomes.

Jesus is huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured; only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet give him away.

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The reaction was immediate. Some loved it; some didn't.

"One woman from the neighborhood actually called police the first time she drove by," says David Boraks, editor of DavidsonNews.net. "She thought it was an actual homeless person."

That's right. Somebody called the cops on Jesus.

"Another neighbor, who lives a couple of doors down from the church, wrote us a letter to the editor saying it creeps him out," Boraks added.

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Some neighbors feel that it's an insulting depiction of the son of God, and that what appears to be a hobo curled up on a bench demeans the neighborhood.

The bronze statue was purchased for $22,000 as a memorial for a parishioner, Kate McIntyre, who loved public art. The rector of this liberal, inclusive church is the Rev. David Buck, a 65-year-old Baptist-turned-Episcopalian who seems not at all averse to the controversy, the double takes and the discussion the statue has provoked.

"It gives authenticity to our church," he says. "This is a relatively affluent church, to be honest, and we need to be reminded ourselves that our faith expresses itself in active concern for the marginalized of society."

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The sculpture is intended as a visual translation of the passage in the Book of Matthew, in which Jesus tells his disciples, "As you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me." Moreover, Buck says, it's a good Bible lesson for those used to seeing Jesus depicted in traditional religious art as the Christ of glory, enthroned in finery.

"We believe that that's the kind of life Jesus had," Buck says. "He was, in essence, a homeless person."

This lakeside college town north of Charlotte has the first Jesus the Homeless statue on display in the United States. Catholic Charities of Chicago plans to install its statue when the weather warms up. The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., is said to be interested in one, too.

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The creator is a Canadian sculptor and devout Catholic named Timothy Schmalz. From his studio in Ontario, Schmalz says he understands that his Jesus the Homeless is provocative.

"That's essentially what the sculpture is there to do," he says. "It's meant to challenge people."

He says he offered the first casts to St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Both declined.

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A spokesman at St. Michael's says appreciation of the statue "was not unanimous," and the church was being restored, so a new work of art was out of the question. That statue found a home in front of the Jesuit School of Theology at the University of Toronto.

A spokesperson at St. Patrick's in New York says they liked the homeless Jesus, but their cathedral is also being renovated and they had to turn it down.

The most high-profile installation of the bronze Jesus on a park bench will be on the Via della Conciliazione, the avenue leading to St. Peter's Basilica — if the city of Rome approves it. Schmalz traveled to the Vatican last November to present a miniature to the pope himself.

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"He walked over to the sculpture, and it was just chilling because he touched the knee of the Jesus the Homeless sculpture, and closed his eyes and prayed," Schmalz says. "It was like, that's what he's doing throughout the whole world: Pope Francis is reaching out to the marginalized."

Back at St. Alban's in Davidson, the rector reports that the Jesus the Homeless statue has earned more followers than detractors. It is now common, he says, to see people come, sit on the bench, rest their hand on the bronze feet and pray.

http://www.npr.org/

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Pope Francis examines the 'Jesus the Homeless' sculpture in Vatican City as creator Tim Schmalz looks on in the Vatican.


Twice-rejected 'Jesus the Homeless' statue gets blessing from the pope

Corinne Ton That, CTVNews.ca
November 29, 2013 10:08AM EST
 
It was a statue that couldn’t find a home: a life-sized sculpture of Jesus depicted as a homeless man sleeping on a park bench, wrapped in a blanket, with his crucifixion wounds evident on his bare feet.

But after being rejected by two renowned cathedrals – St. Michael's in Toronto and St. Patrick's in New York -- 'Jesus the Homeless' finally found a fan in the Vatican: Pope Francis.

Sculptor Tim Schmalz travelled to Rome with 'Jesus the Homeless' last week to present the statue to the pope.

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"The first thing he did when he saw my sculpture was he prayed, and then he blessed the piece,” Schmalz told CTV News. “And to have Pope Francis bless your sculpture is one of the most amazing experiences possible."

Father Terry McGuire, a retired Catholic priest living in Waterloo, Ont., isn't surprised the statue caught the pope’s attention.

"To me it coincides with Pope Francis in terms of his care and concern for the poor," McGuire told CTV News. "And Tim has a way of bringing out the feeling."

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Schmalz, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, lives in St. Jacobs, near Waterloo. He specializes in large-scale bronze Christian-themed works, which have been commissioned for public monuments and Christian churches.

He was inspired to create the 2.5-metre bronze statue after seeing a homeless person wrapped in a blanket in Toronto.

"Initially what I basically thought in my heart or in my head was: I just saw Jesus," Schmalz said. "And I wanted other people to have that experience when they see homeless people or marginalized people, to see that relationship with Jesus."

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The estimated $25,000 statue, which took about eight months to create, was funded by private donors. It eventually found its way to the Jesuit School of Theology at the University of Toronto's Regis College.

"Unlike a lot of sculptures of Jesus that have ever been represented that are meant to be put on a pedestal, this sculpture meant to be put just on a city street," Schmalz said.

Schmalz also sent a 'Jesus the Homeless' replica to Chicago, where it's awaiting a permanent home. Another copy is on its way to Perth, Australia.

And the sculptor has been working with the Vatican to find a place for the statue in Rome, where they hope to install it near St. Peter's Square.

With reports from CTV Kichener's Priya Mann and CTV Toronto's Calvin To

http://www.ctvnews.ca/

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