An Altar Sculpture by Landry & Gazeley, Gabarus Cape Breton
Tritos architects
Zion Wesley United Church Design
Gabarus, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Rev. Nancy Whitney
Father Mychel Judge of New York was in that room at Canada’s Ellis Island Pier 21 as I spoke.. in his honor I made a choice to find a place to create a tribute to hope and love…
a catalyst for our creativity to pay tribute to those who build a community a place of safety and hope …
Ten years ago Brian and I took Scott Hill on a tour of the Maritimes. We had met Scott in the studio of the Ricky Lake Show, he was from Sydney Australia, and we struck up a friendship. I had lived briefly in Cape Breton as a child and loved the memories of smelt and Gaspereau fishing on the Mira so we fullied his wish to see Canada’s Sydney ! It proved to be a mistake… our friendship grew stronger and better but the trip left all of us with a bad taste for Cape Breton. It was cold and rude and as tourist we were made to feel we were only walking wallets, I saw a side of Canada that made me ashamed to be Canadian. I have spoken often of the experience since and our friends from away on that trip have all begged us to leave this part of the world!
Since that trip we have refused to visit even family in Cape Breton… I have often said that if I held the button I’d nuke it!
Then the miracle!!!
A news story about a church in the middle of nowhere… it stayed in my head as I talked to George and reminisced about Father Mycheal that church crept into my thoughts …
On September 11th 2001 I stood in the bowels of Hades, I saw how dark mankind can be and I never want to feel that again …it was an emptiness that I can’t describe, how and why did we walk away only to see this… now years later I thought about this church and watched a community try to resurrected their place of worship after a devastaing fire… their faith needed no help it was strong and determined…it was then I felt the need to give our talent to these people…strangers who would change our very idea of creativity and hope…
We had always wanted to create a relgious masterpiece that was of a world-class scale a footprint of art and faith that was our gift to the ages…
I envisioned it in a great city…God had another idea, he took me to a place I swore I’d never go back to …and he gave us a light named Nancy who would take our soul and guide it to the stars …if a whole community comes together to dream anything is possible!
So our masterpiece in faith will exist in a small village at the tip of the continent named Gabarous. Their determination and love will guide our hands … Michelangelo said that Julius gave him an old barn and wanted a temple. Centuries later it is obvious God spoke as the old barn became the Sistine Chapel his footprint of faith on this earth… in a much more humble way our heart will speak through our hands to create a footprint and monument to the men and women who with their faith alone against all odds raised their church…proving that even the fires on darkness can’t extinguish light and hope…
One day when we are long gone I hope a child finds our sculpture and dreams …
Maybe we can spark the child who changes the world …to believe in miracles…
The journey begins … I’ll trust where it takes us …
