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United Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough

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01.05.2015

Homeless Jesus Sculpture Reminds Us of the Plight of the Homeless – Gift to People of Dublin Unveiled at Christ Church Cathedral

The highly anticipated Homeless Jesus sculpture was unveiled this afternoon (Friday May 1) at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. The striking and moving seven foot wide sculpture was dedicated and blessed by the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Dublin, Archbishop Michael Jackson and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. The sculpture has been presented to the people of Dublin by an anonymous North American benefactor and sculptor, Tim Schmalz, flew in from Canada to unveil it.

Homeless Jesus Unveiling
Homeless Jesus Unveiling

Speaking during the short service in the cathedral before the unveiling, Archbishop Jackson said that the people of Dublin were both honoured and chastened to receive the Homeless Jesus sculpture. Honoured, he said, because of the beauty of the craftsmanship and the trust expressed in the location of Christ Church Cathedral and chastened because of the “scandalous fact that the relentlessness of homelessness and the statistics of individual homeless people in Dublin in 2015 still merit such a sculpture as a reminder and as a memorial”.

The Archbishop said that Scripture spoke of Jesus saying: “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”. The sculpture gave everyone who passed an opportunity to reflect on this facet of the narrative of Christianity, the birth, crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“Throughout the world of today human beings are subjected to indignity, homelessness, trafficking and death simply for being alive and getting under the ideological skin of their oppressors. Every day for them is a Good Friday. They wait for the Day of Resurrection in hope and in fear, in trust and in betrayal, in darkness and in light. Homeless people draw us into their world – and rightly; we dare not abandon them here or abroad. The twenty–first century is not yet an improvement on the twentieth century. The Homeless Jesus is a reminder of their plight and terror, whatever their nationality or creed – and an icon of solidarity with them. Evil and exclusion make few distinctions of subtlety as they sweep forward in giddy destructiveness,” Archbishop Jackson stated.

In his reflection Archbishop Diarmuid Martin recalled the death of Jonathan Corrie less than six months ago. His death stung our consciences, the Archbishop said, and there was a commitment given that this should never happen again. Much work was done, although there was an awareness that the challenge of homelessness was complex and could not be resolved over night. However, he observed that often big challenges ended up being put on the long finger.

“This image of The Homeless Jesus is a reminder to the entire community of this city – Catholics and Protestants, people of faith and people of none – that as long as there are people who cannot find a suitable roof over their head and families without a place where they can live with dignity, then none of us can roll over in our comfortable beds with an easy conscience. Conscience, public opinion and political commitment must be kept alert every day and never settle back into thinking we have done enough,” he stated.

Homeless Jesus Unveiling
Homeless Jesus Unveiling

Archbishop Martin said that for Christians, the homeless were not just statistics. Their plight is our plight, he said. The image of the Homeless Jesus reminded us of the demands of belief in Jesus Christ. He said that the sculpture was not just a normal statue. It was not created to be looked at and admired, it was an image which should draw the viewer’s glance to the many park benches, doorways and sheltered corners where Jesus lay homeless every day and every night.

Both Archbishops’s words are reproduced in full below.

Casts of the much talked about Homeless Jesus sculpture have been installed in cities in North America, Canada and Europe. Following a competition among prospective Dublin sites, Christ Church Cathedral was chosen to be the location by Tim Schmalz. The bronze sculpture depicts a park bench with a faceless cloaked figure lying on it. Passers–by realise that the sculpture depicts Jesus only when they notice the holes in the feet. The piece is located in front of the cathedral in full view of the public.

THE HOMELESS JESUS

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin May 1 2015

Reflection of Archbishop Michael Jackson

We in the city of Dublin are honoured and chastened to be the recipients of the genius of the sculptor of The Homeless Jesus, Tim Schmalz, and of the generosity of the donor. I say honoured because of the beauty of the craftsmanship and the trust expressed in the location of Christ Church Cathedral as a place for all the people of Dublin to be and to see; and also a hearth of welcome for hundreds of thousands of international pilgrims and visitors every year. I say chastened because of the scandalous fact that the relentlessness of homelessness and the statistics of individual homeless people in Dublin in 2015 still merit such a sculpture as a reminder and as a memorial. For my own part, I see it also as a testimony to the human spirit of individual homeless people in Dublin and to their capacity for life in the midst of danger, distress, degradation and deprivation.

Homeless Jesus Unveiling
Homeless Jesus Unveiling

The Scripture tells of the words attributed to Jesus in his lifetime: The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. The Sculpture gives to everyone who passes by the opportunity to pause and reflect on this facet of the big narrative of Christianity: the birth, crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The great events of Christmas, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter are brought into this sculpture with electrical intensity and with pellucid fluidity. The confident sweep of the clothing that The Homeless Jesus wears gives cover and dignity to death itself, the death of the One who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many, shared with every homeless person.

Throughout the world of today human beings are subjected to indignity, homelessness, trafficking and death simply for being alive and getting under the ideological skin of their oppressors. Every day for them is a Good Friday. They wait for the Day of Resurrection in hope and in fear, in trust and in betrayal, in darkness and in light. Homeless people draw us into their world – and rightly; we dare not abandon them here or abroad. The twenty–first century is not yet an improvement on the twentieth century. The Homeless Jesus is a reminder of their plight and terror, whatever their nationality or creed – and an icon of solidarity with them. Evil and exclusion make few distinctions of subtlety as they sweep forward in giddy destructiveness. I should like to thank the Dean and Chapter for housing this wonderful creation. It speaks of engaged composition and compassionate expression. To sculptor and donor we are immensely grateful.  

 

BLESSING OF THE IMAGE OF THE HOMELESS JESUS

Christ Church Cathedral, 1st May 2015

Reflection of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin

Less than six months ago, the name of Jonathon Corrie was on all our nation’s news headlines, the morning after he died homeless on the streets of Dublin.

Homeless Jesus Unveiling
Homeless Jesus Unveiling

His death stung consciences.  There was anger; there was a genuine mobilisation of resources; there was a commitment that this should never happen again.  Much was done, amid an awareness that the challenge of homelessness in this city is a complex one that cannot be resolved overnight.

The problem is that when a challenge is complex and cannot be resolved overnight, it can easily end up as a challenge answered with plans and promises that are never fulfilled.

This image of The Homeless Jesus is a reminder to the entire community of this city – Catholics and Protestants, people of faith and people of none – that as long as there are people who cannot find a suitable roof over their head and families without a place where they can live with dignity, then none of us can roll over in our comfortable beds with an easy conscience.  Conscience, public opinion and political commitment must be kept alert every day and never settle back into thinking we have done enough.

We have seen a genuine attempt to provide services to alleviate an emergency situation.  But when families and children have to wait years in single hotel rooms, we have to ask is this emergency ever going to end?   The possibility of a ramping up of house repossessions, the coming tourist season during which the hotels currently used to house the homeless will no longer be valuable, all indicate that in the coming months existing services will experience enormous strain.

For the Christian, the homeless are not just statistics; our belief recalls that the plight of the homeless is our plight.  This image of The Homeless Jesus reminds us of the demands of belief in Jesus Christ.  It challenges us, before we feel we can enter a Cathedral, if we have the right credentials to enter.  Our reading spoke of what the factors are which give us the keys to enter eternal life.  But what is striking about those factors is that they belong not to a future moment, but to our today.

This image of The Homeless Jesus is not the normal statue.  It is a beautiful work which is not created to be looked at and admired; it is an image which should make us turn away from it.  When we glance at it, our glance must be taken away from it instantly and be lead towards the many park benches, the many doorways, the many sheltered corners where Jesus lies homeless every day and every night:  the homeless Jesus who is down from better days; the homeless Jesus the immigrant, the homeless Jesus with mental health problems, the homeless Jesus who is just a child; the homeless Jesus who is a parent frustrated by the tragic situation he or she cannot give a loved child the hope and the future which Jesus would want that child to have.

Photo captions:

First– Dean Dermot Dunne, Archbishop Michael Jackson, Tim Schmalz (sculptor) and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at the blessing and unveiling of the Homeless Jesus sculpture.

Second – The Homeless Jesus Sculpture.

Third – Sculptor Tim Schmalz and Archbishop Michael Jackson.

Fourth – Archbishop Diarmuid Martin blesses the Homeless Jesus Sculpture.

There are more photos from this afternoon’s blessing and unveiling on the Dublin and Glendalough Facebook page – facebook.com/DublinandGlendalough or click on the Facebook button at the top of this page.

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