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Students carve new crucifix for St. Stephen Catholic Church

Students carve new crucifix for St. Stephen Catholic Church

On Tuesday, April 19th, St. Stephen school students helped create a new Crucifix for St. Stephen Catholic Church under the direction of Michael Kapetan, sculptor and master wood carver from Ann Arbor, Michigan. It will serve both as a Processional and Sanctuary Crucifix, and will be located first in a floor mounting in the gathering space, and then it will be carried in procession and mounted on the sanctuary cross behind the altar table.

The figure of Christ on the cross will be approximately 30” in height and the Processional Cross will be approximately 60” in height. The cross will be made from a dark red wood called Purple Heart that grows in South America. The figure of Christ will be carved from a honey colored wood called Butternut that grows here in Michigan.

Each student had an opportunity to chisel out a piece of wood under Kapetan’s guidance, giving them a sense of involvement in the creation of this beautiful sculpture. Kapetan said it took about a week to create the model, and will take about three to four weeks to carve the finished sculpture.

In an essay by Kapetan, he wrote: Good Friday, the day that Jesus died on the cross, is the most solemn day of the year for Christians. We mourn our Savior’s suffering and death. Easter Sunday, the day of Jesus’ miraculous resurrection is the most joyous day of the year for Christians. We rejoice that our Savior has risen and opened the way to everlasting life to us all.  The new Crucifix will combine both of these ideas: mourning and rejoicing. Jesus will be represented on the cross, but not dead. When the processional cross is placed on the cross behind the altar table, Jesus will be looking slightly downward toward the altar table where the Eucharist is prepared for communion.

Kapetan, who began woodcarving as a child, has been sculpting since 1980 and has worked for a total of 50 churches. He works in three currents: liturgical images and objects for various faiths and denominations, abstract sculpture, in which he strives to probe beneath the surface appearance of the world, and solar sculptures of seasonal sundials and participatory sundials.

For more information about Michael Kapetan, visit his website at www.mikekapetan.com.

 

 

 

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