The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Statue of Mary is dedicated at UD

'Dynamic' 11-foot piece will be 'a clear statement of our faith,' university President Curran says.

By Khalid Moss

Staff Writer

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Scores of University of Dayton faculty members, staff, clergy and students gathered Wednesday on the northwest lawn of Marianist Hall, UD's newest residence hall, for the dedication and blessing of a statue, Mary at the Feast of Cana.

The 11-foot bronze statue was a gift from Florida philanthropist Joe Quatman, who graduated from UD in 1938.

"Today we come together to honor the faith of a woman for whom the Marianist order is named," said UD president Dan Curran. "Over the last couple of years, we've made significant efforts to do things to honor Mary around our campus. This is the culmination of that effort."

The statue was created and cast by artist Robert Lepo of Lima and portrays Mary at the wedding at Cana on the occasion when Jesus turned six stone jars of water into wine.

"This is a dynamic statue," Curran continued. "When students, faculty, staff and visitors walk by, it will be a clear statement of our faith."

The ritual blessing of the statue and liturgy was performed by the Rev. Bert Buby.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2167 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Breaking news by e-mail

Start your day with top headlines in your inbox and get breaking news e-mail alerts at any time by subscribing to our Headlines e-mail newsletter.

See Sample | Privacy Policy

Copyright © Sat Jul 04 20:22:25 EDT 2009 Cox Ohio Publishing, Dayton, Ohio, USA. All rights reserved.

By using this site, you accept the terms of our Visitors Agreement and Privacy Policy. You may wish to note our other business policies.