San Jose bishop blesses ‘Homeless Jesus’ sculpture

Dennis Young is pictured at the dedication and blessing of the “Homeless Jesus” sculpture, Sept. 29 at The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos. Young donated the sculpture in remembrance of his late wife, Roberta Munro Young. (Courtesy photo)
 
October 25, 2018
 
On Sept. 29, San Jose Bishop Patrick J. McGrath was on hand to bless the sculpture of “Homeless Jesus,” which is the centerpiece of the newly renovated Loyola Gardens at The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos.
 
“Homeless Jesus” was designed by Timothy Schmalz, a Canadian sculptor and devout Catholic. It depicts Jesus as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench. His face and hands are obscured, hidden under a blanket, but crucifixion wounds on his feet reveal his identity. The statue has been described as a “visual translation” of a passage from the Gospel of Mark, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
 
Schmalz intended for the bronze sculpture to be provocative, saying, “That’s essentially what the sculpture is there to do. It’s meant to challenge people.”
 
More than 150 people attended the blessing and dedication ceremony on Saturday, with dinner in the gardens and music by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
 
The retreat center extended special thanks to its benefactors, particularly Dennis Young, who donated the sculpture in remembrance of his late wife, Roberta Munro Young.
 
The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos offers weekend, five-, eight- and 30-day retreats. Visit www.jrclosaltos.org.