( This article revises one that appeared in the fall 2007 Mosaic .)
A closer look , however , reveals that this blazing white Jesus is a marked man , in more ways than one .
His face , hands , and feet are literally marked in black , the color of most of Sacred Heart ’ s neighbors . His painting in 1967 during the Detroit civil disturbance is legendary among Detroiters , although the details of the story are not well known .
The statue is marked in a deeper , more figurative way , by the black extremities . In 1957 , the symbolism of the landmark was limited and localized : it represented an expression of traditional Catholic devotional life that held special meaning primarily to those within the borders of the seminary campus . Since 1967 , and to this day , the black features have transformed the image to iconic stature with universal appeal , and has become a point of pride for an entire city .
Using oral histories from those who lived at the seminary during the summer of 1967 , materials from the seminary archives , and articles and letters to the editor from the Michigan Catholic and other journals , here is an attempt to tell a more complete story of Sacred Heart ’ s “ Black Jesus .”
TALE OF TWO MEMORIALS “ You shall draw waters of joy out of the
Savior ’ s fountain .”
So begins the encyclical Haurietis Aqua , On Devotion to the Sacred Heart , released by Pope Pius XII in the spring of 1956 . The document encourages devotion to the physical heart of Jesus as a symbol of his love for humankind .
Writes Pius XII , “ Its very nature is . . . an exercise of our own love by which we are related to God and to other men . . . . [ It is ] a source of and symbol of unity , salvation and peace .”
Not surprisingly , the community of Sacred Heart College Seminary greeted Haurietis Aqua with enthusiasm . Students gathered in the auditorium to hear presentations on its rich meaning . The promulgation of the document inspired the administration , led by Rector Msgr . Francis X . Canfield , to honor the Heart of Jesus in a more permanent way . In 1956 , he had erected two statues for public veneration on the seminary ’ s grounds .
The first , an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus about five feet tall and fashioned of white marble , was placed in a decorative niche in the retaining wall immediately before the seminary ’ s rear entrance . A caption from the April 1956 Gothic , the seminary student publication , notes the statue was “ new ”; later issues show it was a favorite spot for group class photos . ( The statue was replaced in 1988 by a more modern rendition , sculpted by Detroit artist Frank Varga , to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the seminary ’ s founding . In 2015 , Sacred Heart ’ s current rector , Msgr . Todd Lajiness , retired the weatherworn image and returned the refurbished 1956 statue to the niche .)
Apparently , Monsignor Canfield felt a more public expression of the Sacred Heart devotion was called for , one that would project beyond the seminary campus and reach out to edify the greater community .
The Gothic again is a guide to the development of this second memorial . A notation in the December 1956 issue states , “ A view of the front lawn shows the Shrine in honor of the Sacred Heart well underway .” The June 1957 issue features on its cover the completed shrine with a new Sacred Heart statue , noting construction was begun the past October and is “ open to the inspiration of all .”
A photo in the December 1957 issue shows a side view of the grotto . The monumental , meticulously sculpted image of Christ stands on a stone pedestal with its arms outstretched and its exposed heart ablaze , blessing the busy intersection of Chicago and Linwood . At his feet is an intricate crown of thorns , nails , a whipping cord , and a tilted chalice , signifying the pouring out of Christ ’ s mercy upon the world .
The statue is framed by an alcove of roughly-cut sandstone . Two concrete kneelers flank the grotto , and a semicircular flagstone pathway extends to the street corner . Clearly , Monsignor Canfield intended the site to be more than a landscape embellishment but also a public statement of Catholic piety and a center of active devotion .
No wrought iron fence surrounded the seminary grounds as it does today , so the public was free to pray at the shrine . The caption says the shrine was dedicated in June 1957 by former rector Bishop Henry Donnelly .
Varga , who completed extensive restorations of the statue in 2006 , speculates it originated in Italy and is made of cast stone , a concrete-like mixture that is poured into a mold made from a clay sculpting . This is the image of the Sacred Heart that stands at the corner of Chicago and Linwood today , and has come to be renowned nationwide as the “ Black Jesus .”
WHO PAINTED THE STATUE ?
The event has been called an insurrection , a rebellion , and a civil disturbance , depending upon your political outlook . It is generally known as the Detroit Riot of 1967 , and began as a Sunday morning routine raid on an after-hours club above the Economy Printing Shop at Twelfth Street and Clairmount Avenue .
But this was no routine party the cops crashed . More than eighty people packed the club , celebrating the return of two Vietnam War veterans . Soon a crowd gathered to protest the action . Unable to make the typical mass arrest , the police retreated . Bottles were tossed , windows were broken , and chaos quickly spread throughout the city that was finally subdued five days later by city police , state troopers , National Guardsmen , and federal troops .
When the last of the fires subsided , forty-three people were dead , 1189 were injured , and more than seven thousand arrested , with hundreds of millions of dollars of property destruction .
The social reasons for the outbreak are many and are beyond the theme of this article . Nonetheless , on Sunday afternoon , June 23 , 1967 , the first full day of the disturbance , Linwood Avenue and the blocks surrounding Sacred Heart Seminary had become a fiery battle zone . This is also the day a remarkable act happened amidst the bedlam .
Who painted the features of the statue black ? No one knows for sure . In a Detroit
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