It would show, in a rare setting in Catholicism, Christ surrounded by some of the great theologians, doctors and teachers. It is breathtakingly compelling regarding the power and synergy and interdependence of the Seven Sacraments. The library dedication was planed for May, , just after Note Dame had hired some guy name Parseghian as its football coach.
Millard Sheets was the artist, and the way he chose to design the his mural was to place Jesus at the top with arms upraised, apparently anointing and rejoicing over the work of the teachers and doctors portrayed below him.
Or so the story goes. Some presenters would have chosen a Last Supper style array. Some would have had a circle with Jesus surrounding by the doctors, teachers or theologians. But not Millard Sheets. Theodore Hesburgh, decided a dramatic mosaic would be required to put life into the windowless structure. Hesburgh was 96 and retired for a quarter-century when he said to author Bill Schmitt in "… We needed something spectacular to take this enormous building in the middle of a prairie in northern Indiana and not have it look like a grain elevator.
The mosaic was designed by California artist Millard Sheets. Jesus Christ would be the centerpiece, surrounded by figures that were not specific people. The name "The Word of Life" was attached to the mural. Ellerbe and Co. Paul architectural firm, had a history of projects with Notre Dame. It designed this new library to house Notre Dame's hundreds of thousands of books, art galleries and collections of famed people such as Gen.
William Tecumseh Sherman. Perhaps it was someone with Ellerbe who offered this advice to Hesburgh, Sheets and others:. Whatever led to this contract, Krebsbach was summoned by a boss at the granite company and asked: "Would you like to oversee the huge task of matching stone to the design for an story mosaic in Indiana? Ted Jr. I remember him saying there was stone from 30 different quarries to match the colors. He had to be thrilled when he saw it finished at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Stadium held only 50, back then. The mosaic was clearly visible to fans on those six or seven home Saturdays. And eventually, as more note was taken of this Christ's pose, the raised arms went from a gesture of peace and welcome as "The Word of Life," to a gesture of celebration as "Touchdown Jesus. She died in Mike and Joan started the Gresser concrete company in the basement of their home in the late s.
The Gressers bought the property after Raceway Park shut down in Shakopee and built a facility there. Son Michael bought the company two decades ago and has upgraded a successful specialty concrete and masonry operation to enormously successful.
Who made Touchdown Jesus? Howard Philan in made the construction of the massive mural possible. Designed by artist Millard Sheets, the foot tall and 68 foot wide image of Touchdown Jesus is comprised of 6, individual pieces of granite in different colors. How large is Notre Dame Stadium?
The buildings on the east and west sides of the stadium will rise nine stories and include premium seating, increasing the capacity of Notre Dame Stadium from 80, to more than 84,, although widening seats on the benches could cut down the number of seats. Does Notre Dame Stadium have lights? Prior to the expansion, Notre Dame Stadium lacked permanent field lights. Once approved by Sheets and his assistants, a panel would be fabricated at Cold Spring Granite and shipped by pallet to South Bend.
The mosaic would be high and 65 feet wide. There were 81 materials. Cold Spring Granite used its quarries, but also found the precise granite and stone it required from around the world and 10 other states. Krebsbach ordered the fabrications and then went to South Bend to oversee the installation.
O'Shaughnessy, St. Paul's go-to contributor for Catholic education. What's now the Hesburgh Library was dedicated on May 7, Among the guests was Ted Krebsbach Sr. It was not until when the first references to "Touchdown Jesus" started to appear in the media.
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