WICHITA — There’s a striking display at the entrance of the Ascension Cemetery at 7200 E. 45th St. North, but the central statue in the display was removed Wednesday and will be replaced.
Since the statue of Jesus was placed there in the late 1990s, it’s been criticized – in part because it looks like Jesus is wearing a tutu.
“Some people do say that that’s the way he looks,” says Jim Sheldon, director of cemeteries for the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.
What appears to possibly be a tutu actually is supposed to be clouds.
Sheldon says it’s been the intention of the diocese to replace the statue for some time.
“People weren’t happy with the art,” he says. “Art’s in the eye of the beholder, and the majority of people – although not all – did not like the way it looks.”
The bronze from the statue will be used to make a new one.
“We had a donor come forward and offer to replace the statue,” Sheldon says. “We thought that we would do something more traditional than that one was.”