[slidepress gallery=’john-ireland-statue’]

Michael Ewen, Videographer

Priest, scholar and statesman, Archbishop John Ireland founded St. Thomas as a Catholic seminary in 1885.

Currently he is not a visible campus presence, due to construction of the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex.

Early this summer, the statue was taken down, disassembled, placed in a crate and secured in a storage unit near McNeely’s underground parking ramp.

While the administration is evaluating several potential locations for the statue, a formal decision will not be announced until the completion of the Anderson Complex.

“Rather than spend the money to install it for the next 18 months, we decided to just crate it up for safety,” said Bill Kirchgessner, executive director and marketing communications for University Relations. “When we decide on the location, we’ll uncrate it, put a new base on it, and install it.

When asked where they would like to see the statue, students suggested in front of the student center or overlooking the lower quad from the bench area outside of Murray-Herrick campus center’s rear entrance.

“I think he should stay somewhere in the lower quad because that is where he belongs, more people will see him. It’s a main traffic area,” junior Dalia Batista said.

St. Thomas had long desired a statue of Archbishop Ireland, and one was approved to commemorate the 100th anniversary in 1985. A bronze statue of Archbishop Ireland was commissioned for the high-traffic sidewalk connecting the upper and lower quads in Foley Plaza.

Michael Price, the artist who designed Koch Commons’ fountain and wall relief, was chosen to create the sculpture. Emphasizing Ireland’s humanity and dignity, Price gave the statue’s exterior a gritty texture and depicted him dressed in a simple period frock. St. Thomas’ class of 1986 donated four plaques for the statue’s base, each containing a bird representing one of Ireland’s core beliefs.

This is the first time the statue has been moved since its installation, and will undergo cleaning and other maintenance before it is displayed again.

“Some days I would walk past it and rub its foot, maybe say the rosary by it,” junior seminarian Brandon Theisen said. “But I try to acknowledge its presence every day in the back of my mind.

The oldest dormitory still used in Minnesota bears Ireland’s name. There is a smaller stone sculpture of Ireland Hall’s namesake on that dorm’s first floor.

Archbishop Ireland was a vocal supporter of progressive causes and personal discipline. His legacy will be best served when the statue returns to display in 2011, when he can again be among the people of St. Thomas.

Zack Thielke can be reached at zsthielke@stthomas.edu.