Christ of the Ohio

Dr. and Mrs. N.A. James, of Tell City, Indiana have erected a statue of Christ on the highest point of their land overlooking the Ohio River at their summer home at Troy, Indiana. This afternoon, May 1, His Excellency, Paul C. Schulte, Archbishop of Indianapolis, solemnly blessed the statue, dedicating it "Christ of the Ohio." Present at the ceremony was Archabbot Eonaventure Knaebel, O.S.B. of St. Meinard Archabbey, where the statue was sculptured.

Mr. Herbert Jogorat, of Germany, who is now working at St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana, sculptured the statue. The heroic figure of Christ stands eleven feet high and weighs 6,200 pounds: it is mounted on an eight foot base of St. Meinrad Sandstone.

The statue was sculptured from Colorado Travertine. Travertine is a limestone formation: its pinkish beige hue is due to the presence of iron compounds in the formation. As a result, it is generally used for decorative purposes, just as onyx, marble and alabaster. It is smooth grained and takes a soft finish when highly polished.

Dr. and Mrs. James have for over twenty years done the service of "lamp-lighters" for the men who ply the Ohio River. On their property above Troy is an official U.S. Coastguard navigation light, which guides the traffic along the navigable channel. They must see that the light burns from sunset to dawn every night of the year. Orginally the light was an oil lamp, hand-lit; now it is electric and controlled by time-clock, but they must still carefully check its regularity.

To all Christians a guiding light is a simple and direct symbol of Christ, the Light of the World. And the James's a Catholic family, believe that no better guide for life can be found than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So, as a result of their faith, they desired to set up a heroic figure of Christ in enduring stone as a guide for all who would pass by on the river, or immediately below their land on the highways, as well as for all their friends and neighbors around them.

The great statue is visible for miles around, up and down the river, on the highway below, and far across the Ohio. At night the statue and its setting are brilliantly illuminated.

Christ of the Ohio