Museum Highlight- The Saint Peter's Collection

The Jubilee Museum is home to a wide assortment of art from a wide range of eras. With over eighteen exhibits (and counting), we may ask ourselves where to begin to highlight all of our vast treasures? It is fitting, though, that the first exhibit to be profiled is the St. Peter’s Collection, for this was the catalyst behind the establishment of the museum. The room enshrines many of the artifacts that once filled St. Peter's Church on New York Ave., Columbus, Ohio, as well as memorabilia from the priest who built the church- and stood on the corner watching it be torn down.

The exhibit itself may be of local interest; however its sentiments reach far beyond Columbus, to every closed Catholic institution throughout the world. Though it was demolished almost 40 years ago, its memory lives on.

An All-Too-Short History
St. Peter’s Catholic Church was built in 1928 by Msgr. Anthony Schlierenzauer, who remained pastor there over 40 years, until the church’s closing in late 1969 and demolition in May of 1970. Due to its location in the inner-city and with dropping enrollment, the church was quietly sold to a land developer. As part of the deal, the church, convent, school, and rectory were all demolished. Unfortunately, little was done to preserve the sacred art within the buildings; in fact, the high altar was left standing as the wrecking ball tore through the church.

The space that currently occupies it is a Wendy’s Restaurant parking lot. Yet if you go there today, you will see a set of stairs that lead from the sidewalk on New York Ave. to a small section of grass immediately before entering the parking lot. These stairs, and the ones to the left of them leading to the (demolished) St. Peregrine Shrine is all that is left of St. Peter's Church.

Preserving St. Peter's Memory
When Fr. Kevin F. Lutz began The Jubilee Museum, he had a special goal in mind- to recreate as best he could the religious items that were salvaged from old St. Peter’s. (He was a young parishioner and organist at the church when it closed.) When he began in 1998, he had nothing more than a small altar boy stool given to him by his late mother. Yet as news of his museum spread, more and more treasures were brought forth including the church’s stained glass windows, pulpit, sanctuary lamp, missal, photos, and many personal items from Msgr. Anthony.

The most striking element within the St. Peter’s Collection is the stained glass windows that are displayed along the walls of the room. These windows were created by the world renowned Von Gerichten Studies, a local company which had an office on South High Street in German Village (in Columbus), and another office in Munich, Germany. At its height in the 1920s and '30s, Von Gerichten Studies was considered to be the third best stained glass company in the world. The detail in the windows themselves are incredible and show a high quality of craftsmanship. Twenty saints lined up the church (ten on each side), with angels adorning the tops.

The museum was given many of the windows by John Gibbony, a local architect who was among the parishioners who preserved what he could. Unfortunately, all of the windows were in need of repair; some were shattered in numerous places while some had multiple cracks. In 2003, Fr. Lutz gave the keynote address at Stained Glass Association of America’s national conference. (The SGAA is located in Columbus.) Through his heartfelt speech, he was able to provide free restoration of all the saint windows in the museum’s care, which is currently at seventeen.

Other items within the St. Peter’s Collection include a scaled wooden church model. The complete set of the Stations of the Cross found there way back to Columbus all the way from Hardy, Arkansas. The Stations were destined for a church that was never built. Several statues are among the collection as well, including a beautifully hand-carved Pieta. One of the most treasured pieces is a statue of St. Anthony, which stood in the church for many, many years.

Among the artifacts preserved from St. Peter’s are personal items from the life of Msgr. Anthony. His roll top desk, rocking chair, and numerous pictures are among the items displayed. Fr. Lutz credits this saintly man as one of his chief role models as a priest. Beloved by all, many former parishioners have fond memories and stories to tell of the good monsignor.

The Importance of It All
The St. Peter’s Collection is significant for several reasons beyond its historic and artistic value. As was already mentioned, this was this collection that began The Jubilee Museum. Fr. Lutz felt a sense of urgency as he saw many priceless treasures being cast aside with little concern. As he saw his beloved church being destroyed, he knew that he had a special mission to protect and preserve the patrimony of the Catholic Church.

A second reason why this collection is vital to our museum is that it stands as a model for our efforts in attempting to preserve the heritage of our closed Catholic institutions. Although the Jubilee Museum is a joyful celebration of the artistic and cultural history of the Catholic Church, there is also a marked degree of sadness as many items in our inventory have been salvaged from similar wrecking balls that hit St. Peter’s. Many visitors are astonished that such priceless religious art is not located in more churches and other Catholic institutions. Yet the reality of the matter is that much of our museum is made up of items otherwise destined for the garbage heap. We offer the St. Peter’s Collection as a permanent reminder that although the buildings themselves may have been demolished, the Catholic mind and memory continues.

Why the Museum Matters

Art has the power to teach.

Back in the Medieval Era, the majority of Christendom was made up of hardworking and illiterate peasants who nonetheless were devout and pious Catholics. How did a father and a mother teach their children the truths of the Faith without so much as a catechism manual or Holy Bible? The answer- they went to church. In almost every Catholic church throughout the world, the Deposit of Faith was artistically presented in at least a modified way. Whether it was a mural of the Ten Commandments, or stained glass windows depicting the fifteen mysteries of the rosary, the Faith was taught through in art.

At institutions such as The Jubilee Museum and Catholic Cultural Center, we are sometimes asked why a potential benefactor would be inclined to lend financial support to our endeavors when so many around the world are in poverty. Should we not sell our valuable collection and give the proceeds to the poor?

Christ Himself answered this question 2,000 years ago when He said, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me” (Matt 26:11).

What our Lord is telling us is that it is not an “either/ or” but rather a “both/ and.” The corporal works of mercy- feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc.- is a necessary requirement for Christians (Matt 25:31-40). Yet so are the spiritual works of mercy, which include instructing the ignorant. By “ignorant” we are not referring to one’s intelligence, but rather we mean those who are unaware of the truths of the Catholic Faith. It is just as important to teach the Faith as it is to feed the hungry, and with the Holy Family Soup Kitchen being downstairs, we do both.

A real life example may be useful. On occasions we have Protestant visitors to our museum, and they are always impressed by our significant collection of rare Bibles. (We have translations in a dozen languages, and even one in Braille, ranging over a four hundred year period.) When they are shown our facsimile edition of the Gutenberg Bible, first book in print and published around 1455, some of our separated brethren become upset. They are mad not at us, but at their pastors who taught them that the Catholic Church added seven books to the Old Testament at the Council of Trent (1545-1563). They are stunned to see those seven books in print almost eighty years before Martin Luther removed them from his translation of the Bible into German.

Another powerful reason why our ministry needs to be preserved is one of divine justice. Religious art needs to be preserved to give glory and honor to our Creator. In the Old Testament, when God asked for sacrifices, He asked for the best of one’s flocks. This is why He accepted Abel’s offerings but not Cain’s (Gen 4:2-7). We need to offer God the finest gifts, as the Wise Men gave the Christ child gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He deserves the finest things from us, both spiritually (through prayer and good works) and temporally (through offering Him a fitting channel for divine worship).

In an age when the tallest and most prestigious buildings are secular and not for God’s glory; where art is designed to offend rather than inspire; where God is (at best) a mere afterthought rather than the focus of our lives--- we need The Jubilee Museum more than ever.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog site for The Jubilee Museum and Catholic Cultural Center, located immediately west of downtown Columbus, Ohio in the historic area known as Franklinton. The purpose of this blog is to serve as an on-line update for new events, acquisitions, and articles from our newsletters highlighting significant items from our collection.

The Jubilee Museum was founded in 1998 by Father Kevin F. Lutz as a repository of Catholic art in the Diocese of Columbus. Since its conception ten years ago as a way to prepare for the Jubilee Year 2000, it has grown considerably to become the largest museum of diversified Catholic artwork in the United States.

In addition to its primary purpose of historic preservation, the Museum serves as an advisory and appraising institution, and has a large number of certified appraisers who regularly consult the museum for insurance and historic valuation. The Museum is listed in The Official Catholic Directory 2003, published by P.J. Kenedy and Sons.

Our founder and curator, Father Lutz, was appointed by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 2000 as a Consulter to the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Catholic Church. He was the first American to be so honored. This is the Pontifical Commission appointed by the Pope to oversee all the art of the Catholic Church throughout the world. Members are among the Roman curia.

Among the thousands of guests to the museum has been two Vatican Cardinals- Francesco Cardinal Marchisano (twice) and Francis Cardinal Arinze, as well as EWTN host, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.

To experience the richness of our collection in person, please call Linda Hamilton at (614) 461-6204 to set up a time to visit. Individuals and groups are welcome; times are flexible.

The Jubilee Museum is a non-profit organization which relies 100% on the goodwill offerings of private benefactors. Please consider helping our ministry to preserve the Catholic mind and memory. (Click on "Email" from the link.)

Thank you for your interest in our museum. May God bless you now and forever.