St. Bernard's Hospital
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Designed and created for a hospital chapel, these stations were commissioned by the Olivetan Benedictines of Holy Angels Convent and chaplain Fr. Nicolas Fuhrman, OSB. The desire was to create a Way of the Cross that was meaningful to the predominantly non-Catholic population, but satisfied Catholic devotional sensibilities. The sequence, therefore, focuses primarily on the face of Christ, while background figures act out the events of the specific scenes. Wood for these stations was donated by Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. The rough marks of the chainsaw remain visible as a reminder of the hardships and sufferings through which the face of Christ emerges, consoles and redeems. The goal of the images is to acknowledge pain, suffering and illness, but also to express hope that, in and through Christ, our suffering has salvific meaning.
Year: 2003
Material: Walnut