LOCATION
Wheaton, IL
MEMBER
YEAR
2025
CLIENT
Fr. John Ouper for St. Daniel the Prophet Catholic Church
PARTNERS
This original commission was inspired by Fr. John Ouper's retreat experiences at Mount Angel Abbey, where he first encountered the contemporary Stations by Louisa Meyer Jenkins. Our team created original designs, cropped to impart a direct and succinct version of each station's message. Instead of including multiple figures, landscapes and traditional poses, the committee challenged us to portray just the essential action of each stage in Christ's experience. The project brought focus to the parishioners' experience of participating in Christ's suffering through the Stations of the Cross, but in a thoroughly original style that suits the spare architecture of the sanctuary.
"As a parishioner of St. Daniel the Prophet Church and member of the committee, I can attest to how incredible this experience has been. Julie and Rex are amazing artists that bring not only their professional artistic skills but also a deep sensitivity to the Stations. Upon receiving the final renderings, we were so touched by the deep feeling each conveyed. Then, upon receiving the final mosaics, we were in awe of how they brought the drawings to life. As you ponder each station, you notice different things. Each allows the spectators to understand the art as the Spirit leads them. We at St. Daniel's are so grateful that the Spirit led us to Texas to find Julie and Rex." ~ Leslie Stickels, Art Committee "When we installed the Stations, the community was deeply moved. For the committee, our lives will never be the same because we were part of a creative experience that connected us to the Real and the Holy. I cannot say enough about how the Holy Spirit led us to Julie and Rex. They led us, we led them, and in the interchange, the profound and the sacred was proclaimed." ~ Father John Ouper.
Leslie Stickels and Fr. John Ouper
PHOTOGRAPHY
Julie Richey Mosaics