4 minute read
Fil-Canadian artist recreates statue of beloved saint
St. Malo, Manitoba is known for its provincial park, a man-made lake, and year-round activities. But perhaps it is best known for the St. Malo Shrine and Grotto, where thousands of visitors marvel at the picturesque reproduction of the Grotto in Lourdes, France. One of the central figures in this hallowed ground located within a peaceful woodland is a statue of St. Bernadette kneeling in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as a lifelike reclining statue of the saint inside the small chapel.
But June of last year, this very statue, which was resting in glass coffin inside the chapel, was stolen. Church officials at the Blessed Margaret Parish hoped to have it found and returned in time for the annual pilgrimage to the grotto, scheduled every August. But despite reporting the incident to the RCMP, no leads as to its whereabouts were received.
Advertisement
Learning about the theft through Facebook postings, a recent fine arts graduate did not think twice to help. He sculpted a replacement.
Pilipino Express spoke with virtual artist and small businessowner, John R. Millar, the day before St. Bernadette’s statue was officially enshrined on Sunday, April 23.
NO. 415
PE: Who commissioned you to recreate a statue of St. Bernadette for St. Malo?
JM: I heard about the original statue being stolen from the shrine in November of 2022. My church-active friends shared a post made by the Parish of St. Malo’s Facebook account announcing the theft. I offered to make them a new statue, because this kind of religious art is not common in the market anymore. Nobody makes it in Canada. It is made in the style of a mannequin, which is more common in Europe and the
Philippines. Given my knowledge and experience in religious art, I thought it would be best if they could get someone local to make it. I charged only for the materials to make the statue – estimated at $500 – because it didn’t feel right to charge them for something that I offered to them. I was thinking more about replacing something that had sentimental value to the community but also to the heritage of Manitoba due to the shrine’s history. The project was officially commissioned by the parish’s board of caretakers that look after the shrine, and it was sponsored by the Manitoba Metís Federation.
PE: Take us through the process of your creation.
JM: I started with sculpting the face and hands in modelling clay, using historical pictures of St. Bernadette and pictures that people have taken of her body, which is preserved and displayed in a crystal coffin at a convent in Nevers, France. That process alone took almost 100 hours. I then moulded it in silicone and had it cast in resin, finished with acrylic paint, and applied animal hair fibres from a brush for the eyelashes and eyebrows. The body has a skeleton made with wood and copper tubing that was cut and put together by my dad. I covered it in spray foam and carved it to create the shape of the limbs, then wrapped in duct tape. The body is dressed in polyester fabric that I altered to match St. Bernadette’s clothes. The statue also has three custom-made pillows made from imported silk brocade fabric. The project took from November to April, but the hours spent on the project totalled up to almost one month. There were a lot of difficulties accomplishing the project because this is my first life-sized work and the first time that I attempted the style of hyper- realism. Getting the facial features correct so that it looks like St. Bernadette’s actual face was painstaking. It was also the first time I used a sewing machine.
PE: What was going through your mind during the process and afterwards?
JM: It was stressful getting it accomplished because I really pushed myself to create this oneof-a-kind piece to restore hope to people who were upset by the theft. The figure of St. Bernadette is also important to the shrine in general because the story of Lourdes revolves around her personal story; the reason the shrine was built in the first place. During the process I had unwavering faith in myself, and it was rewarding when I finally had it finished because it got a lot of attention from the media. Everyone online was very supportive and encouraging of the final product. I was really proud of myself and in a state of disbelief because I never would have imagined that it would turn out as beautiful as it did.
PE: What does this mean to you, as a Roman Catholic, as an artist
JM: The process of creating it was something I considered a spiritual experience in itself because I had a lot of time to reflect on my spirituality and what kind of inspiration we can take from St. Bernadette’s life. Her life story is about having faith and hope in the midst of suffering even if the world ridicules you. No one is exempt from suffering regardless of their social status or religion, but what matters is how we make use of that suffering to keep pushing forward. I think that idea is something that people can benefit from even from a secular perspective. As an artist this project was my biggest undertaking so far,
From page 13
Dedicatoria; Senior Program Manager Redgynn S. Alba; and Executive Producer Michele Robles Borja.
The creative team behind this incredible drama is composed of Creative Director Aloy Adlawan; Creative Head for Afternoon Prime Dode Cruz; Creative Consultant Denoy Navarro-Punio; Head Writer RJ Nuevas; and Writers Ken De Leon, Nehemiarey Debad Dallego, Benjamin Benson Logronio.
Catch “The Seed of Love” beginning May 8, Mondays to Fridays at 4:05 p.m. on GMA Afternoon Prime.
Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV.
