Be Welcoming

Cleveland has another Timothy Schmalz statue:  "Be welcoming". see Hebrews xiii. 2.

Schmalz is a Canadian artist, who has partnered with the Vatican (in particular with Pope Francis) in making life size sculptures touching spiritual issues.  The original of this was cast in 2019, this one is inscribed 2021. Others have been placed on routes of  pilgrimage. One is to see this a one walks left to right, and sees a change in the figure. see: https://timothypaulschmalz.com/portfolio-items/be-welcoming/

And hospitality do not forget; for by this some, being not aware of it, have entertained angels. — DRC

"Pope Julius II had Michelangelo and Raphael. Pope Francis has Timothy Schmalz." —  Christopher White

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. — KJV

Anonymous Donor>Community West Foundation> St. Augustine Cleveland

St. Augustine was chosen because of its ministries. They have fed people for decades. Local news outlets come by on Thanksgiving & Christmas to see and show. Food is given throughout the year. People eat every day. They have ministries to the deaf, blind, and mentally disturbed. The parish serves those in need.

2024 Miscellany #18 — & Xmas too

Greg Mankis. Total Eclipse. 2024. Cleveland.

 The second mural of public art in Cleveland that shows the eclipse. I talked to the painter earlier [click].

panther chameleon at Cleveland Botanical Gardens

Karma playtime

saw Marbles again

Timothy Schmalz. When I Was Sick (Matthew 25). Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital.

Medusa [click previous appearance]

Say, who are the people in your neighborhood? The people that you meet each day. ~ Sesame Street

On Christmas day, on Christmas day...⁠On Christmas day in the morning.

Lovely, joyous serendipity, we were walking about Wade Oval Cleveland, and saw a man wearing a kilt. He began to play Christmas tunes, and then one about a dreidel. His wife was working at a nearby hospital in the 'n.i.c.u.'

Thomas & Karma

on a porch, on a side street

Youngstown's spirituality

 

mosaic of of SS. Cyril & Methodius Youngstown 

SS. Cyril & Methodius was a Slovak parish in Youngstown, it is no longer. SS. Cyril & Methodius was a Slovak parish in Warren, it is no longer. SS. Cyril & Methodius was a Slovak parish in Barberton, it is no longer. SS. Cyril & Methodius was a Slovene parish in Lorain, it is no longer. The American bishops have closed many parishes, and churches. The list continues. Often different nationality churches had  a favorite saint as their patron. One can play a guessing game, in which a name is mentioned, and you can guess if the bishop closed it. Here is the thing: people built and paid for their churches, and possession was taken by the bishops. They are closed, usually by a canonical formula. Parishioners have no real say. They are to pay and obey, and to keep quiet. People who defend the actions list reasons why a parish is made to go extinct. Very often those reasons do not apply to the case, and if it is pointed out, the effective rebuttal is ignored, and with prejudice. Bishops are administrative functionaries who rule with impunity.

St. Lucy, Campbell Ohio was closed by Youngstown bishop in 2012, re-opened in 2017, and closed again in 2021. This statue is now on a hill at Our Lady at Mount Carmel Youngstown. Both are often names of Italian parishes. Mt. Carmel has many outdoor statues, including one from the now demolished Immaculate Conception, which was the oldest Catholic church in Youngstown.

 

Usually she is holding a plate with her plucked out eyes. She was a child martyr. This time it is a bowl. I climbed, and lifted the camera to snap downwards.

Blessed Maria Teresa Casini with robin at Mt. Carmel

mezzaluna above the center door of OLM Carmel

Timothy Schmalz. The Last Supper.  

Jesus invites you to the table, which has twelve available stools. At different places the shape, and the material of the stools vary. This sculpture is directly across SS. Cyril & Methodius, the campus of OL Mt. Carmel sprawls behind, left center back can be seen a marble statue of Columbus.

Timothy Schmalz. When I Was Naked. St. John Episcopal.

Timothy Schmalz. Homeless Jesus. St. Columba. 

Timothy Schmalz's Homeless Jesus is in more than an hundred cities. It was hard to find the first place. The cathedrals of Toronto, and Manhattan refused. The first to say, "Yes", was a priest friend and counselor at Regis College in Toronto. Schmalz has said,  "Many say 'Homeless Jesus' is shocking, but I respond that it's only as shocking as the Gospel". The first installation in the United States was at St. Alban's Episcopal Davidson North Carolina. Many were displeased. They found it insulting, demeaning, and creepy—well, the American bourgeois. Pope Francis was exceptionally moved by his work. Schmalz is working with the Vatican.

 

Schmalz has made many bronze sculptures, some with over an hundred persons. He is very Catholic. Among his few secular works is a statue of Gordon Lightfoot, they are both Canadians.

Joseph DeLauro. St. Columba.  

A massive modernistic statue of four blocks of Minnesota limestone, called Kasota, or Mankato stands to the left of the entrance to the cathedral. This project was completed in 1958. It is the fourth St, Columba church, the third burned in 1956. The previous churches became too small.

St. Columba has a ground level series of narrow windows that have the words of the Nicene Creed, "I believe in one God the Father almighty creator of heaven and earth". He is depicted here as an old king. There is a higher level of longer windows of the apostles, that foto well in close ups, because of the long length, and short width.

St. Joseph Spiritual Force of Labor  

Most of the congregation members were laborers in the iron, steel, rail, coal industries. St. Joseph was a workman, and is one of the many favorite saints of Italians. On campus at OLM Carmel there is also a multi-monument shrine to Saint Anthony of Padua (1971).

St. Stephen Presbyterian (Welsh) was built in 1923. It became a black Presbyterian church, Butler Memorial Presbyterian, named after the benefactor, who was son to the art museum founder. The last service was held 2015. It was sold the next year to a man who made it a brewery. Ohio has five former churches that are craft breweries, some with restaurant. I viewed a video showing the inside looking good, the outside needs a lot of work. Driving by, it looks abandoned.

…let the oppressed go free…

Timothy Schmalz is the sculptor of the Matthew 25 set of five Jesus sculptures in Cleveland. Rome is the only other city with all five. Timothy has made two sculptures of "Let the oppressed go free" (Isaiah lviii. 6).  One is in Cleveland through March in front of the Tom Johnson statue on Public Square. The other is in Schio Italy. The sculpture is of St. Josephine Bakhita *c.1869, 1947† releasing the enslaved of all sorts. She was a slave sold several times. She became a Canossian sister, and was at the convent in Schio for 42 years. Mother Josephine Bakhita of Sudan was canonised on 1 October 2000.

St. Josephine Bakhita

This bronze work is some 20 feet long, and three tons. Schmalz sees his art as visual prayers. It will eventually be at Catholic University  Washington D.C.

see: https://www.communitywestfoundation.org/lettheoppressedgofree

slave with barcode

The term now used is 'human trafficking'. Slavery is of many sorts. Some people are used as labor; some are slaves to pay off debt, some people are used for sex; children are stolen, kidnapped, sold, and forced to become soldiers, forced to become brides.

set is complete

When I Was a Stranger  

And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. -- Matthew xxv. 40.
The last of six Timothy Schmalz's Jesus statues in Cleveland, Mathew 25 Project of Community West, behind Urban Community School. Cleveland joins Rome in having all six bronzes.

 

Homeless Jesus - St. Malachi Parish
When I Was Sick - Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital
When I Was in Prison - Bridge CLE (formerly Family Ministry Center)
When I Was a Stranger - The Refugee Response at Urban Community School
When I Was Naked - Malachi House
When I Was Hungry and Thirsty - Old Stone Church

2022 Miscellany #7

When I Was Naked... [see Matthew]
Malachi House

Community West Foundation has bought 5 bronzes of Timothy Schmalz's sculptures of the Gospel of Matthew's "as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me". 

previous posts on these  [click 1],    [click 2].

 

St. Luke's UCC was originally a German church in Old Brooklyn, the year stone is hard to read, it is incised in dark granite. It has been vacant for some years. It may be demolished. To the left is the church, to the right is the school, behind is Pearl Road Methodist, all reflected on a car roof.

 

Several buildings in Cleveland built as Catholic churches are no longer such. Perhaps this is the oldest one, at least one of the earliest ones to have other occupants. Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was built in 1922-23. That parish merged, and moved into, nearby St. Adalbert in 1961. Both are between Quincy and Central. OLBS was on E. 79th, the current occupant is Harvest Evangelical Ministries.

 old foto, unknown source, of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament

taken from behind a screen door

Goethe, Cleveland German Cultural Garden

also on Clinton

During the three days before Fathers' Day, Avon Ohio has a Duck Tape Festival. The last two years the coronavirus pandemic cancelled it. Veterans' Memorial Park was the last location, and the parade was on Detroit. That was also scheduked to be the last time there. So, the new location was at the the minor league ballpark. It became a more modest affair. The University of Cincinnati art students were given baseball as this year's theme. Some very good art pieces were made.

possibly the best of this year's sculptures

in our continuing series, posing with greyhounds, Cassius

Homeless at Malachi

Community West Foundation's installation of Timothy Schmalz's Homeless Jesus [Matthew 25] collection is continuing. [click] Some of them may be installed by Christmas. In total, there are six. Rome is the only city with all six. Cleveland will also have six.

across from Malachi at Superior Viaduct, a homeless encampment

 

one of these my least brethren

Community West Foundation has bought 5 bronzes of Timothy Schmalz's sculptures of the Gospel of Matthew's "as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me".  The first one is at (the former)Blessed Sacrament on Fulton, bought by Bay Presbyterian for a new congregation. I read it was put in place 28 June.

previous posts on these [click 1], [click 2], [click 3] .

Someone placed a coin in Jesus's hand.  “When I was in Prison”

Homeless Jesus - St. Malachi Parish
When I Was Sick - Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital
When I Was in Prison - Bridge CLE (formerly Family Ministry Center)
When I Was a Stranger - The Refugee Response at Urban Community School
When I Was Naked - Malachi House
When I Was Hungry and Thirsty - Old Stone Church

https://www.communitywestfoundation.org/matthew25collection

Jesus, homeless again

This made the national news, and Saturday Night Live. Twenty minutes after the travelling art showed up, the police came. A phone call was made, and the priest was interviewed by teevee reporters. He spoke that he thought the caller, and the police were concerned. The statue has a plaque, and a yard sign with a phone scanning graphic. The original is bronze. This copy is a lightweight material painted, and some of the paint has faded away, appearing almost bird poopish. [click for two years ago]

The church property is adjacent to a Bay Village park and recreation area. Here is a mail box not taken away by the Trump administration.

humourous sign, how many dogs smoke?