Christ at the Crossroads [In Phlox]

Should your vacation destination take you to Antigo, and I don't know why it wouldn't, you can either get here from the south by traveling via Highway 45 or 47. In the fall, I would certainly recommend 47 -- the colors in the Reservation are breathtaking. Also, you'll come across the small community of Phlox, just outside of the Reservation, where you will encounter Christ!

For the last 10 years, there has been a sculpture of Christ crucified that has consistently caught my attention. Because I'm usually in a bit of a hurry enroute to Antigo or back to DePere, I've never stopped to see the image up close as I've travelled north just outside the town limits. Today was a different story. I told my brother David about my interest in the life-sized crucifix. David informed me that his father-in-law was also interested in the art form many years ago. In fact, the piece was fabricated by David's cousin, by marriage, Greg Koeppel. So off we went today.



The image is quite beautiful in its simplicity. The corpus is simply cut and bent sheet metal, with a Bettina finish that has beautifully and uniformly rusted over the years. Unfortunately, the artist does not want to sell the piece and he's not interested in making another -- it's a one-of-a-kind, in more ways than one!

Honestly, I do not know what I'd do with it if I'd have it. Perhaps it's just too large for my room, but I think it would look wonderful outside my window, gracing the riverfront on the priory's east lawn.

For now, I'll continue to enjoy the image from the car, during trips back and forth from DePere to Antigo and back. But in case you aren't travelling to Antigo anytime soon, Greg allowed me to take these pictures. Perhaps these pictures will suffice until I can coax Greg to reconsider!

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you:

Because by your Holy Cross

you have redeemed the world!