Massive sculpture to honor sainthood of Pope John Paul II

CHICAGO — Catholic Cemeteries has dedicated a new 32-foot sculpture at Maryhill Cemetery in the western suburbs honoring Pope John Paul II, in light of his 2014 declaration as a saint.

“People have been driving by it, stopping, getting out of their cars and walking up to it just because of its magnificence,” said Roban Szabelski, Catholic Cemeteries’ executive director, of the site in Niles.

The sculpture was to be dedicated by Andrew Wypych, auxiliary bishop at the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The sculpture is Barre Gray granite from the Rock of Ages granite quarry in Vermont, according to an Archdiocese of Chicago press release. Its four sides feature detailed Venetian glass mosaics known as smalti, which were hand-crafted in Venice. The mosaics were designed and installed by an artist in Florida.

Two of the sculpture’s sides include mosaic renderings illustrating the pope’s visits to Chicago.

The other sides are decorated with mosaic renderings of Our Lady of Czestochowa and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Catholic Cemeteries hired an artist to design the statue, which was installed in a new section of Maryhill.

“We’re a Catholic cemetery, so we always have beautiful statuary artwork relative to our faith to remind people of Christ and resurrection,” Szabelski said.