by Bobbi Yanko
The curtain dropped on Sunday September 19th to a chorus of "ahhhs". The parishioners of St. Peter's Church in Regina, gathered with Fr. J.B. Okai and Monsignor Ken Miller for the unveiling of a carving of the Risen Christ. Fr. Okai said, "this symbolizes a new beginning in the parish."
It all began last winter when St. Peter's church was upgraded and the old "egg crate" canopy over the altar was removed leaving a lot of white space. "The Risen Christ" was chosen to fill the space symbolizing Christ's triumph over death, new beginnings and hope. Fr. Okai visited many churches to see various images of the "Risen Christ" and then found just the right one. He talked to Ed Landgraff at Burns and Hanley who found the name of carving suppliers in Texas. The suppliers in Texas told them about the Ars Sacra 1875 Ferdinand Stuflesser Studio in Ortisei, Italy. Contact was made and the rest is history.
"We sent them a picture of what we wanted," said Jan Sitter of St. Peter's, "but I have to say the finished project is much nicer than the picture we sent. When you are up close the eyes and the skin look real."
The Stuflesser family has been carving wood and creating brass artifacts for 132 years and five generations. While they worked on the project they kept the parish updated with pictures displayed in an album at the back of the church. Fundraising for the carving was completely voluntary. No committees were formed, the total was announced on Sundays until the goal was reached.