Today, on the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, it is my pleasure to announce that the University has commissioned a sculpture of Saint Ignatius to celebrate our 125th Anniversary. The statue will be placed along the mall west of the fountain.

Littleton Alston, Associate Professor of Fine and Performing Arts at Creighton, has been commissioned to execute the work. The completion date is late spring 2004. It is our hope that the formal blessing of the statue will be held in October 2004 when the Superior General of the Society of Jesus is visiting the Creighton campus.

Professor Alston’s “artistic statement” on the Saint Ignatius sculpture follows:

“I represent Saint Ignatius as a pilgrim moving forcefully into an unknown future empowered and energized and nourished by the teachings of Jesus. He carries under his arm his Spiritual Exercises and the Constitutions for the Society of Jesus, which will guide his followers and the future Jesuit order. His cape is blown by the winds of change as he walks with resolve. In his eyes is the burning determination of a great saint who had lived through the adversity and tragedy of his own day. I have tried to sculpt Ignatius of Loyola as a visionary who calls a multitude of men and women to become fellow pilgrims inspired by Christ’s command to love one another with a love that bears fruit.”

John P. Schlegel, S.J.
President