A Holy Family

By Holy Trinity Lutheran Jun 01, 2004

By: Jim Esmay

The terra cotta model on the west wall of the sanctuary was called “A Holy Family” by the artist, Sir Ben Weber, because, “all families are holy.” The piece was used as a model for a marble sculpture created for the Convent of the Sisters of the Holy Family in Belgium. It was give to Anne and Jim Esmay at Christmas, 1990 and hung in the entry way to their home on Luther Avenue until 2003.

Sir Ben Weber and wife, Johanna, were members of Holy Trinity Lutheran from the late 1960′s until their deaths in the 1990′s. In 1925, Ben began his life as an artist at the Antwerp, Belgium, Academy of Art when he was thirteen years old. After graduation form the Academy he set up a studio in the small town of Apledoorn, Holland, near the Palace Ort Loo, where he gave private art lessons to Queen Wilhelmina. He was an art professor at California Lutheran University. In 1977, Ben was knighted by Queen Juliana for his service to the Netherlands.

This depiction of Jesus as a toddler is unusual, note Mary is feeding him with a spoon while Joseph is grinding baby food with a mortar and pestle. The small etchings near each figure depict the sainthood of his parents, the Pope, plus the crucifixion.

One of Ben’s largest works is The Enormous Luther on the CLU campus completed in the mid-1980′s with the aid of Demar’s brothers. The windows in Holy Trinity’s sanctuary were designed and created by another of Ben’s favorite students, Mark Gulsrud.