Duquesne to Dedicate Risen Christ Sculpture on Des Places Day

The ongoing renovation of Duquesne University’s Chapel of the Holy Spirit continues this fall with the installation of the new “Risen Christ” sculpture. The artwork is the culmination of a two-year effort to find a suitable replacement for the chapel’s previous cross and structure, and will be formally welcomed into the Duquesne community on Des Places Day, Wednesday, Oct. 2.

The Risen Christ’s journey to Duquesne began in the summer of 2012, when President Charles Dougherty traveled to the Spiritan orphanage at Auteuil in Paris, where Blessed Daniel Brottier spent a career building a small orphanage into one of the largest and most progressive in France. Before Brottier’s tomb stands a striking modern version of a Risen Christ, and Dougherty — in consultation with former Vice President for Mission and Identity James McCloskey, C.S.Sp., and current Vice President for Mission and Identity Raymond French C.S.Sp. — decided that something similar would be ideal for the University’s chapel.

Duquesne contacted the sculpture’s creator, French artist Sebastien Touret, who agreed to create an exact replica for the University. Today, the wooden Risen Christ resides in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, where special lighting creates two shadows that represent the thieves crucified with Christ.

The Risen Christ will be formally dedicated during Mass at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 2, Des Places Day. The dedication will feature Touret, who will travel from France to join the celebration and comment on his work.