Known as ‘The One Called Jesus’, the exhibit features 50 unique representations of Jesus Christ. Crafted out of clay, the sculptures depict various moments of his life from his baptism, various public mysteries and miracles to his eventual Passion and death on the cross.
The detailed collection had spent the last couple of years touring communities and parishes in Alberta before returning to Northern Ontario earlier this year. From April to June, the exhibit toured the Thunder Bay District across four Catholic school boards. Over the summer, it returned to the Diocese of Hearst-Moosonee where it visited every school and church in places like Hornepayne, Hearst, Mattice, Kapuskasing and Moonbeam.
However, the homecoming for the exhibit that initially began up North almost didn’t happen.
Thanks to a religious education grant from Catholic Missions In Canada (CMIC), The One Called Jesus was able to find its way back home. The $30,000 donation covers the operation and travel of the trailer the exhibit resides in, allowing for the artwork to reach more communities across the country.
“The Diocese of Hearst-Moosonee, a long-time financial supporter of the project, submitted the application to us upon hearing that Sister Thérèse Turcotte would be returning,” said Adam Helmers, the digital communications officer at Catholic Missions in Canada.
“With Thérèse being a member of the Sisters of the Assumption where a main pillar focuses on education, it worked as a perfect example of Mission work in the sense of travelling to different lands and bringing the message of the Gospel to people. It fits in very nicely with the Catholic Mission Canada's mandate, which is to support those efforts as well.”
The One Called Jesus is the artistic work of Maurice Gaudreault, a French-Canadian sculptor hailing from Moonbeam in Northern Ontario. While his projects explored different mediums and themes across his life’s work, his final offering was created following his leukemia diagnosis
in 1996. The One Called Jesus would mark the artist’s epitaph, a tribute to his Catholic faith that he wished to be remembered by.
Despite Gaudreault’s death 24 years ago, the exhibit continues to touch the hearts of those who witness its grandeur, with Sister Turcotte continuing to accompany it on its trailer journey to parishes, schools and broader communities.
She says that the return back to Northern Ontario has been a wonderful experience, something that she thanks CMIC for helping to finance her return to communities that faithfully connect to the exhibit so strongly.
“It is nice and it is easier for me I would say. The years I spent in Western Canada felt a lot like a missionary tour, but each place I go here I still know people who recognize me. We get to share fond memories with each other,” Turcotte said.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the exhibit. Much like CMIC’s generosity was needed to reignite tours in 2024, Knights of Columbus Council 6024 in Maryhill, Ontario stepped up in 2014 upon seeing that The One Called Jesus was in desperate need of assistance.
“It was my wife’s uncle who I discovered had led that project,” said Helmers. “Thérèse had brought it to the Waterloo region for tours and when they inspected it they realized that the trailer was completely shot and that for the amount needed for repairs, you might as well get a new one.”
Council 6024 put together a team that retrofitted the trailer and re-installed the exhibit, allowing it to stay mobile while sharing the story of Christ visually for the last decade.
Bishop Pierre-Olivier Tremblay thanks Sister Turcotte for her service as a central agent in running what he refers to as “a great pastoral initiative.” It’s a feeling shared by staff at CMIC, who are thankful that the special showcase is able to continue operations thanks to its support.
“It was refreshing to see a project that is about coming in contact with representations of the life of Jesus. It takes you by surprise at how much of an impact it can make, and ourselves and the Knights could not help but notice the value of that and of keeping it going,” Helmers said. “In places like elementary or high schools, kids might not know what to expect until they actually physically and tangibly encounter exhibits like this, and that is what this is continuing to provide.”
The tour is currently continuing across the Diocese of Timmins, where Turcotte will visit all of its schools and churches in both languages with the revitalized exhibit over the next seven weeks. Regardless of where it travels to next, its impact will remain the same for all those who encounter it.
“There are beautiful children that are open to Jesus everywhere, no matter where I go,” Turcotte said.