PASSION
PLAY
 My
parents named my brother, sister and me after the saint who's
feast day it was on the day we were born. I was named Paul
because I was born on the feast day of Saint Paul of the Cross
(pictured). Saint Paul dedicated his life to the memory of
the Crucifixion. He founded the
Passionists who minister to the poor and marginalized
- symbols of the crucified today.
So
in the tradition of my patron saint I planned to retell the
story of Christ's crucifixion in a series of fourteen paintings.
I looked to popular sources for a modern-day Christ figure
and collected news photos, prints of Renaissance paintings,
and holy cards in a large sketchbook. I decided on the new
route. Jesus is sentenced at East High, gets his cross in
McDonalds' parking lot across the street. He works his way
down Main Street and gets crucified at the Liberty Pole in
downtown Rochester. I take this route almost daily and was
baptized at Corpus Christi Church (Station #7)
Two
Lenten seasons came and went while my notebook grew. Ted Kaczynski
was a front page story on Good Friday, 1996 and then on Good
Friday, 1997, the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult was featured
on the front pages. Lent, 1998 rolled around and I was overwhelmed
with source material. I scanned the key elements from my pad
and reconstructed the story on my computer. Fourteen, 21"
x 28" digital prints were output on watercolor paper
at Scale 2 and shown at the Bug
Jar in Rochester, New York during Lent 1998.
I
entered this series in the 1999 Finger Lakes Show at the Memorial
Art Gallery and it won The Averell Council Award and The Harris
Popular Vote Award.
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I
decided on a new route for the Way of The Cross and took photos
for the 14 stops.
Take the photographic tour down East Main Street
click
photo above
Or
go directly to
Stations
Of The Cross
©1998
Paul Dodd
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