Monument to life installed at Catholic University

May 26, 2023

By Peter Pinedo
The new “National Life Monument,” a larger-than-life bronze sculpture depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary pregnant with the Christ Child, was unveiled and dedicated on the campus of The Catholic University of America’s Theological College in Washington recently.

According to the Canadian artist Timothy Paul Schmalz, the statue, titled Advent, is meant to be a symbol of beauty, a celebration of new life, and a bold pro-life statement in the nation’s capital.

Schmalz was present at the dedication ceremony along with the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, and Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet. Gregory prayed over the monument, giving a special blessing to the statue and those present for the dedication.

Gregory praised the monument, saying, “Advent, as a pregnant Madonna, transcends bronze, revealing a deeper significance, deeper truths of God and of us, and His love for each of us, graced as we are in His image and likeness.”

The statue is entirely bronze except for the Blessed Virgin’s womb, which is made of reflective stainless steel. The Virgin Mother lovingly cradles her womb in which Jesus is depicted as an unborn baby. Our Lady is portrayed with a serene and peaceful countenance as she holds the Christ Child in her womb. The steel, which Schmalz describes as a “mystical material,” forms a type of halo around the unborn Christ Child.

“The hope with this sculpture is bringing a permanent, physical symbol that says ‘yes’ to life, that says life is great,” said Schmalz. “To have it here in the nation’s capital is making a powerful statement. It’s saying that we have to celebrate all human life, and all human life is splendid and wonderful, and it’s mystical.”

Crafting a pro-life sculpture was something like solving a riddle, Schmalz said. For years he pondered how to create something that would send a bold pro-life message that wasn’t just “about the horror of abortion.”

“The idea is very difficult within a culture we’re in that, as Pope John Paul II said, is a culture of death,” Schmalz said. “So, to put a sculpture called life in the centre of Washington, is in a sense a peaceful weapon to persuade.”

By placing the monument in a high-traffic, public setting in Washington, Schmalz hopes his statue will not just “preach to the choir” but also touch the hearts of nonbelievers and even those who may be abortion supporters.

“Ideally, I’ll have people coming across here that might be ambiguous about their ideas of abortion, but they will come take a look at this and they will say, ‘You know, I have to say, that sculpture is beautiful,’ and if they’re saying the sculpture is beautiful, what it’s expressing is also beautiful,” Schmalz said. “If it touches one person, I think it’s done its job.” -- CNA