"Just Around The Corner" by Ryan Judkins

(The following is the beginning exerpts from an article about The Jubilee Museum published in Nouvelles Nouvelles, the newsletter of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at The Ohio State University. Click here to see the entire article in its original format.)

An unprepossessing brick building once known as Holy Family High School rests in quiet solemnity in Franklinton, just west of downtown Columbus. Wimpled nuns no longer glide through the halls or teach in the classrooms, but art and history at least are still studied there.

Dedicated to preserving Catholic art and devoted to the continuance of its religious traditions, the 11-year-old Jubilee Museum that now occupies most of the building has quickly become the largest collection of diversified Catholic artwork in the United States.

With holdings that stretch from pieces of pottery that were old and forgotten when Christ was born to vestments produced after the sweeping changes of the Second Vatican Council, the Jubilee Museum is a particularly apt place to reflect on the place of religion in medieval and Renaissance society and the changes that have or have not occurred into
the modern period. Its large book collection, for instance, which includes a 1582 fi rst edition of the Rhemes New Testament and missals from 1607 to 1962, is well suited to examining the rituals that infused life, that celebrated births, recognized marriages, mourned deaths, granted
forgiveness, consecrated churches, and more.

Father Kevin Lutz, the priest who oversees the museum, commented, “It’s a witness to stability. There’s not a single word changed in the oldest missal we have. Rituals have a very slow development process. Kneeling, bowing, customs like that evolved slowly and even additions had an organic quality. Even if you might look different at twenty or thirty than fifty, you’re still the same person.”

(Religious) Art Saves Souls

When charitable organizations come around to ask for money, the potential donor always asks himself this question: “What is the importance of this project?” It may be as basic as feeding the poor or educating inner-city children. Perhaps it involves supporting religious orders whose goal it is to offer spiritual sacrifices for the world. Whatever the mission statement, we want to feel as though our limited financial resources will be spent most usefully. We want the biggest bang for our buck.

So here we are at The Jubilee Museum, in the same category of needing financial support. A good number of people may look upon what we do as a luxury. After all, our ministry involves preserving Catholics treasures, and helping to furnish our poorer churches with some of these liturgical items. Quaint, perhaps, but is it really necessary? And certainly with an economic crisis that we are in, it seems that now— of all times— not the time to be discussing such frivolous matters as art.

As I was praying one day, the idea came to me that art is no mere luxury; it is essential in bringing people to God. We mortals are sensual— we relate to the world around us through our five senses. And since we cannot hear or see God the way we can on the natural level, we have to turn to other things to see the Divine.

We may take for granted the wooden crucifix hanging on our wall, the statues in our churches, or even the Miraculous Medal in our pocket. From something as small as a rosary, religious art brings us to the doorway of Heaven. They are heavenly aids meant to inspire us to a deeper conversion.

Imagine a church without statues, stained glass windows, Stations of the Cross, paintings, or even a cross to gaze upon. What a cold and dreary sanctuary, with nothing more than a table, ambo, and chair! Without religious artistic aids to help us transcend our earthly existence, we cannot hope to bring others into a conversation with God. Yes, prayer transcends the senses, but only after we are brought there through those senses. Through listening to the art of music... through the smells of incense... through the taste of the Bread of Life... through the touch of Christ’s image on the crucifix... through beholding the beauty of stained glass, paintings, sculpture and other forms of religious art.

What does the Jubilee Museum do that is as important as any other charity? By preserving these religious items we are maintaining signs of faith that help many Christians along the way to meet God Almighty. We help poorer churches give to its parishioners the opportunity to experience these great treasures— and perhaps a deeper conversion because of them.

It is no exaggeration to say that art is responsible for both conversions and for sustaining the penitent in his relationship with God. And since the salvation of souls is paramount, we must be concerned about our Catholic patrimony’s preservation, restoration, and availability to others.

With God’s grace, we have the ability to change hearts and minds through our illustrious patrimony. Indeed, art saves souls.