Chapel Images of Christ the Teacher
Jesus the Teacher
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Jesus the student
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Did you know that Millard Sheets' world famous Touchdown Jesus on the University of Notre Dame Library wall is really called the "Word of life"? It commemorates Christ and the Saints of Learning. As a Catholic institution of higher learning, the mural is one of the pieces of art on the UND campus highlighting Christ the Teacher. Here at the Newman Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, we borrow the idea and also highlight Christ as our teacher.
The next time you enter the Newman Center through the State Street entrance, stop and look at the large fabric hangings on either side. On the right side, as you enter, there is a print entitled Christ the Student. It is inspired by the Gospel of Luke 2:46 and is the work of Br. Mickey O'Neill McGrath, OSFS. ". . . they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions." It shows an adolescent Jesus sitting with the elders and teachers of the Temple engrossed in one of the scrolls of the Torah.
On the opposite wall is an image, by the same artist, of Christ the Teacher. It shows Jesus as a young man embracing two scrolls, the Torah, a middle-age tome and a laptop computer. The scroll in the front left has the word teacher written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Behind the scrolls, the Torah has the word Rabbi written in Hebrew. On the right is a thick book with the Latin word for teacher, and in front of that is the laptop, a necessity for any student today. In his right hand, Jesus holds a sheet of notebook paper with the word teacher written in many modern languages. At the bottom of the sheet is a verse from the gospel of Matthew, 5:19: Whoever teaches the commandment (to love) will be called great in heaven. On either side of Christ, difficult to see, are the words glad tidings, liberty, freedom and sight, Lastly, the inscription around his head is also from the Gospel of Luke, 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me."
As you enter the chapel from any of the five doors and at the head of each aisle leading to the sanctuary, there is a series of round inlays in the terrazzo floor with a biblical reference, each appealing to the divine as the ultimate authority and teacher of truth and wisdom.
When you come to La Crosse to begin study at the UW - L, don't forget that there is another font of learning just across the street from the university. It's the Roncalli Newman Catholic Center. We'll be looking for you.
The next time you enter the Newman Center through the State Street entrance, stop and look at the large fabric hangings on either side. On the right side, as you enter, there is a print entitled Christ the Student. It is inspired by the Gospel of Luke 2:46 and is the work of Br. Mickey O'Neill McGrath, OSFS. ". . . they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions." It shows an adolescent Jesus sitting with the elders and teachers of the Temple engrossed in one of the scrolls of the Torah.
On the opposite wall is an image, by the same artist, of Christ the Teacher. It shows Jesus as a young man embracing two scrolls, the Torah, a middle-age tome and a laptop computer. The scroll in the front left has the word teacher written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Behind the scrolls, the Torah has the word Rabbi written in Hebrew. On the right is a thick book with the Latin word for teacher, and in front of that is the laptop, a necessity for any student today. In his right hand, Jesus holds a sheet of notebook paper with the word teacher written in many modern languages. At the bottom of the sheet is a verse from the gospel of Matthew, 5:19: Whoever teaches the commandment (to love) will be called great in heaven. On either side of Christ, difficult to see, are the words glad tidings, liberty, freedom and sight, Lastly, the inscription around his head is also from the Gospel of Luke, 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me."
As you enter the chapel from any of the five doors and at the head of each aisle leading to the sanctuary, there is a series of round inlays in the terrazzo floor with a biblical reference, each appealing to the divine as the ultimate authority and teacher of truth and wisdom.
When you come to La Crosse to begin study at the UW - L, don't forget that there is another font of learning just across the street from the university. It's the Roncalli Newman Catholic Center. We'll be looking for you.
