Sculptures at National Eucharistic Congress 'crystallize a moment,' sculptor says

Pedro Madera Cuevas contemplated the 22-foot sculpture outside St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis.

"It reminds me a lot about his divine mercy," said the young adult Catholic from the Archdiocese of Seattle. "He's pouring out his blood for the whole world. It reminds me of how much he has given to all of us, like his whole life for the world."

The sculpture is one of two pieces created by world-renown Catholic sculptor Timothy Schmalz and placed near the church across from the Indiana Convention Center for the National Eucharistic Congress. His faith-based pieces grace the Vatican and locations around the world, including two outside of St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities in New Albany, Indiana.

The piece Madera Cuevas was admiring is titled "This is My Body."

"I love to have titles that are meaningful to the saint or to the Scripture" depicted in his work, Schmalz told The Criterion, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. "In this case, 'This is My Body' is taken from Christ's words at the Last Supper."

The second piece, located near the entry doors of the church, is an interactive sculpture inviting individuals to rest on a bench with a unique figure.

"On one side it's a pilgrim," Schmalz explained. "On the other side it transforms into an angel, where the hood of the pilgrim becomes the angel's hair and the pilgrim's backpack is actually the back side of the angel's wings. "It's called 'Be Welcoming.' It's a sculpture that you have to experience. Isn't that cool?"

Josephine Petrulis thought so.

"It makes me think of 'don't judge a book by its cover,'" said the young woman, from the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. "On the outside you see the pilgrim. On the inside you see the angel. You don't know what's on the inside of someone."

"I think artwork can crystallize a moment, and that's what I think the two pieces that I have outside (the church) truly have done in terms of the National Eucharistic Congress — one with the idea of the pilgrim, and the other with the spirituality that happens in the Eucharist."

In the congress's exhibit hall in the convention center, Schmalz publicly worked on the model of a new sculpture of Blessed -- soon to be St. -- Carlo Acutis. The young man, who died in 2006 at age 15, was known for his devotion to the Eucharist and creating a database of Eucharistic miracles.

"I started researching, and I thought, 'This is a perfect, perfect person to celebrate here,' " said Schmalz. "With his love for the Eucharist and him soon to be named a saint, the timing was perfect."