by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — This Lent, the story of the passion and crucifixion of Jesus will take on new life at St. Patrick Parish here.
The church installed a new set of Stations of the Cross at the beginning of February in honor of the parish’s 150th anniversary.
It’s a beautification project that pastor Father Mark Mertes hopes will have a ripple effect.
“I feel that churches should be open to the public during the day,” he said. “Because you never know who’s going to come in, and you never know who’s going to encounter the Lord.
“To me, this enhances that goal.”
The Stations were painted by artist Jason Jenicke, who lives in Kentucky but grew up at St. Patrick. Ross Heiman created their mountings.
They were blessed by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann during a dedication on Feb. 9.
“By your favor of blessing, draw near with your mercy to your faithful people,” the archbishop prayed, “who devoutly recall the mysteries of Christ’s passion.
“Grant that those who follow his footsteps and bearing their cross patiently may receive as their reward the vision of Christ in his glory, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever.”
The evening also included the praying of the Stations through Clarence Enzler’s “Everyone’s Way of the Cross” and a presentation by Jenicke about his work.
The art was made possible thanks to 14 parishioners or groups of parishioners who covered the cost of each Station, as well as others who donated to the project.
“It’s very heartwarming,” said Father Mertes. “I think people are always ready to be generous to create a holy place, a prayer space.”
The project took Jenicke around two years to complete.
“It was something I’d always wanted to do,” he said. “It’s been about the last four or five years that I feel like my art ability’s actually reached the level it needed to be at to do [justice to] the Stations.”
The parish’s former Stations were installed in 1967.
“They were a modern design,” said Father Mertes. “But the design was somewhat abstract.”
Each piece portrayed a Station inside of a triangle with a cross in the front.
“They were hard to see in the church,” said Father Mertes. “And through the years, they got forgotten about.”
Jenicke utilized realism for his Stations, taking inspiration from “The Passion of the Christ” film, the TV series “The Chosen” and sculptures made by Juan Lopez based on the Shroud of Turin.
“One of the things I always like to do with all my work is try to capture the human side of Christ,” said Jenicke.
“I see that the more we can relate to him in his humanity, the more that we can begin to see the divinity that Christ is promising us,” he added. “We can find that divinity inside of us.”
Jenicke researched what Jerusalem would’ve looked like during the time of Christ and found models of the city online.
“A lot of the architecture you see in the background and the buildings are all based off of what I was finding in these models and the research I was doing,” he said.
He hired models to fill each position and dressed them in Roman armor he purchased from Amazon.
The entire process was an experience of faith.
“The study of [the] Scriptures and the study of the time period — being able to bring all this together — actually deepens my relationship with Christ,” said Jenicke.
“It makes him more real,” he added. “It makes him more human.
“I think the more we can see the humanity in him, the more we can see him trying to work through us.”
Father Mertes said the Stations are the perfect addition to the church.
“It has this amazing interplay of light and shadow and the colors of the wood and bricks,” he said. “And it varies throughout the day. It varies throughout the year.”
Father Mertes hopes the Stations will inspire Catholics around the archdiocese.
“I am a big believer in what Pope Francis says, that churches should be open,” he said. “They should be unlocked.
“So, to add these around the church — the goal is to create a prayer destination.”
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