One of the pix appearing with Purinton's article
as posted by the Topeka Capitol-Journal online.
Posted on 12/09/2003 8:35:57 PM PST by Askel5
Below is the most pertinent excerpt of the string of e-mails currently flying fast and furious among Catholic educators in the state (e.g., high schools who will be boycotting the campus for recruiting visits), outraged alumni and religious.
Don't know if this has actually been "news" in the area but I'd appreciate a link, if so.
|
|
|
I'll see what I can find.
Condemn? The priest can only give absolution where sincere repentance and a desire to amend is present.
I've used Washburn's links for years. Very sad to see this incident impugn the intellect and integrity of the present PTBs of a school I'd always admired.
| Activists gather to show disdain over Washburn University statue ^ Story last updated at 9:18 a.m. Tuesday, December 9, 2003 By Cait Purinton Morris News Service TOPEKA -- About 100 Catholics lined the sidewalks Sunday afternoon to protest a statue on the Washburn University campus that some Catholics find offensive. Men, women and children carried signs that read: "Shame on Washburn," "Is everything protected expect Catholicism?" "Stop blaspheming the Catholic faith now," and "The God you laugh at will judge you." A dog also walked the picket line with a sign that read "With art? like this we are regressing back to savages." Francis Slobodnik, event organizer, said the protest intentionally was planned to coincide with the university's Christmas Vespers at White Concert Hall. "On one part of campus they're celebrating the birth of Christ, and on the other side of campus they're mocking millions that follow his faith," he said. The statue, "Holier Than Thou," was created by Jerry Boyle, of Longmont, Colo., and sits near the northeast corner of the student union. The statue depicts a clergyman wearing a miter -- a liturgical headdress commonly worn by Catholic bishops -- that some say resembles a penis. Mark Serafino came from St. Louis to participate in the protest. He said coming to Topeka wasn't a question of distance but one of purpose. "When we, as Catholics, allow our faith to be attacked and stand by, we allow our faith to be destroyed," he said. Serafino said other Catholics who live out of state and out of town planned to pray in their homes and churches at 3 p.m. when the protest started. Sue Pierce of Mulvane came with two carloads of Catholics from Wichita to the protest. "I believe there is a revelation of the enemy, being Satan, to remove God from every facet of our living," she said. "We have to stop it. We will do whatever we can." Pierce questioned the purpose of the statue and asked what university officials were thinking to allow it on campus. Brent Depperschmidt, of Wichita, came to Topeka with seven other members of Chi Rho, a living organization for Catholic men at Kansas State University. Two women also accompanied them. "We feel our country is becoming too secular, and it's our duty and our calling as Catholic men to stand up for what's right in our country," he said. Slobodnik said that after he saw the statue, he encouraged other Catholics to write letters to the university, alumni association and Board of Regents requesting the statue be removed. He said Catholics want the university to "do the right thing, say they're sorry and remove it." "Two of my daughters attended Washburn, and they had a really good experience here," Slobodnik said. "I was shocked to see the university had done this." Dena Anson, spokeswoman for Washburn University, said the Board of Regents must make any decision regarding the statue. |
|
Sculpture of cleric called 'Catholic bashing' Washburn official says piece of art will stay in place on campus Some area residents want Washburn University to remove a sculpture displayed on campus that they say shows a Roman Catholic clergyman wearing a tall hat resembling a penis. John Cooney, a Catholic from St. Marys, said Tuesday he felt deeply offended by the sculpture, "Holier Than Thou," which he considered "Catholic bashing at its worst." A Washburn official said the university planned to keep the sculpture in place and likely would organize events to promote discussion about it. The sculpture's creator, Jerry Boyle, of Longmont, Colo., said he felt glad his work was attracting attention. "I like controversy," said Boyle, an independent artist since 1984. "For a piece of art, if people want to laugh with it, laugh at it or spit on it, that's OK. I just don't like them to walk by it." The sculpture shows the upper body of a heavy-set man who has a contorted face and wears a miter, or tall hat commonly worn by Catholic bishops, cardinals and popes. The piece is situated just east of the northeast corner of Washburn's student union.
Anthony S. Bush/The Capital-Journal
Washburn University student Carlos Rodriguez stops to see the sculpture "Holier Than Thou" by Colorado artist Jerry Boyle.
People walking past the sculpture differed on whether it is offensive. One young woman said she hadn't noticed the hat's resemblance to a penis until someone else mentioned it. Cooney described the clergyman as "evil-looking" but agreed that the sexual image portrayed was "very subtle." He said the sculpture insults members of the Catholic church, which has undergone a scandal involving child-molesting priests. "I think all Catholics should be outraged," he said. Officials with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas didn't return calls from The Topeka Capital-Journal on Tuesday.
Monical said artists and art teachers representing Washburn's Campus Beautification Committee picked Boyle's sculpture and four other winners from 90 entries to be displayed as part of Washburn's eighth annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition. The exhibition seeks to beautify the campus and to provoke discussion of art and its meaning. The sculptures are on loan to the university and should remain on display until July, Monical said. He said no one involved in picking the sculptures intended to cause anyone pain. Boyle likewise said he created the sculpture as a "humorous piece" that was "not intended to be mean-spirited." Boyle said he had hoped people would form their own opinions about his sculpture's meaning. "Art's subjective, that's why it makes the world go around," he said. "Everybody sees something different." Monical said one purpose of art is to engage people intellectually and emotionally. "This work apparently has fulfilled that function as there is a wide variety of commentary on the piece, ranging from support to opposition," he said. Monical said Washburn was looking into using the sculpture to "create a positive educational experience," and might hold seminars to discuss points of view about the work, its symbolism and the aesthetic and religious issues involved. |
Now I'm going to get back at them the only way I can. With money. I'm done giving to the school and believe me that is going to last a whole lot longer than that stinking statue will!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
