Santera Artist Says She Prayed As She Carved Sculpture Of Our Lady of Guadalupe For SXU

CHICAGO — A sculpture of Our Lady of Guadalupe commissioned specifically for Saint Xavier University in Chicago has been installed in its permanent home in McDonough Chapel.

The sculpture was crafted by internationally renowned, New Mexico-based artist Rhonda Crespin, who is a Santera, an artist that makes images of saints or holy images in the form of painted wooden sculptures and panels. Her work has been featured in several museums and private collections.

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Crespin said she prayed as she hand-carved Our Lady of Guadalupe from a single piece of aspen. She also made her own paint, and she continued to pray as she varnished, painted and sealed. The sculpture took many months to complete, and it was done with constant prayer.

The piece was commissioned by Jenny DeVivo, OblSB, Ph.D., SXU vice president for mission and heritage, who was transfixed by the life and soul she noticed in Spanish colonial art during a visit to the New Mexico monastery Santa María de la Vid Abbey in Albuquerque. The four-foot-tall statue is believed to be the only hand-carved statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

"Knowing the great devotion and love of Our Lady of Guadalupe by so many on our campus, it is my hope that this gorgeous image of Our Lady will be an inspiration and comfort to our community and give us strength," DeVivo said in a news release.

McDonough Chapel, located at 3700 W. 103rd Street in Chicago, is open to all faculty, staff and students for peace, reflection and prayer Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The community is also welcome to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe during these hours.

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego on December 12, 1531. Exactly 300 years later, Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle, and Mary Elizabeth Harley professed their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy in the world, making December 12 the foundation day of the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Xavier University's founders.

“It is perfect that Our Lady of Guadalupe and the foundation of Sisters of Mercy are brought together even more closely through our new statue,” said DeVivo.