[Trinity Cathedral] CLEVELAND—Walking the Way of the Cross: Sculptural Meditations will be on view at Trinity Cathedral from Feb. 22 through April 6. The contemporary art exhibit, a reflection on Jesus’ Passion by the New York-based the Rev. Thomas Faulkner, is a modern interpretation of the 14 Stations of the Cross. The artist will lead guided walks Feb. 22-25.

Faulkner — a sculptor and Episcopal priest — spent eight months as the Red Cross Officer in charge of the 60 chaplains ministering at the temporary morgue at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He and the chaplains blessed all human remains removed from the site and offered prayer and counseling for workers. Walking the Way of the Cross was inspired by that ministry. In addition to referencing 9/11, the stunning and provocative representations also examine the war in Iraq, the battle at Little Bighorn and other atrocities and tragedies. The artist uses ordinary, contemporary objects—suitcases, television sets, ironing boards, cameras — to tell Christ’s story.

The Way of the Cross was developed as a devotion by pilgrims to Jerusalem whereby prayers were offered at “stations” or sites associated with Jesus’ Passion and death. Faulkner’s Walking the Way of the Cross was originally commissioned by the Episcopal Church for its 2003 General Convention and although it has been installed at several churches throughout the country, this is the first time it will be on view in Ohio.

The conceptual art exhibition will be on view at Trinity Cathedral from Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22 through Good Friday, April 6. Faulkner will lead the following guided station walks:
Feb. 22 following each Ash Wednesday service. Services are held at 7:30 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.
Feb. 23-24: 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Feb. 25: 10 a.m.

Docent-led and self-guided walks will also be available. To schedule a guided walk, contact Trinity’s adult education coordinator, Adam Spencer at aspencer@dohio.org or 216-774-0418. Faulkner will also be interviewed by Trinity’s Dean Tracey Lind on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 10:10 a.m. during her weekly Dean’s forum. All events are free and open to the public.

Trinity Cathedral is located at the corner of East 22nd Street and Euclid Avenue, in downtown Cleveland. The Trinity Commons parking lot entrance is on Prospect Avenue at East 22nd Street. Overflow parking is available in the Cleveland State University Prospect garage. Parking is free.

About Trinity Cathedral:
Trinity Cathedral, the Episcopal Church in downtown Cleveland, invites participation from people of all faiths, races, nationalities and walks of life. For more information on Trinity Cathedral and its programs, please call 216-771-3630 or visit www.trinitycleveland.org. Trinity Cathedral is located at 2230 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland.

About Thomas Faulkner:
Thomas Faulkner maintains dual careers as an Episcopal priest and as a sculptor. The thread connecting both is a calling to counter injustice and help create a more compassionate world.

Prior to ordination as a priest, Faulkner directed youth programs for St. Ann’s Church in the South Bronx of New York City, participated in the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, worked with Operation Crossroads Africa in Bangui, Central African Republic, served correctional facilities in Vermont and California, and co-founded and directed Sanctuary, a nationally recognized (New York Times, Newsweek, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, etc.) crisis counseling and drug education program in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Since graduation from the Episcopal Theological School (MDiv.) in Cambridge, MA and ordination, Faulkner has assisted at St. Philips Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; St. Ann and the Holy Trinity, Brooklyn Heights; and Trinity, Wall Street, New York City. In the mid 1980s he directed the Peace and Disarmament Commission for the Diocese of New York helping to organize the million persons Freeze The Arms Race Campaign and traveling to Nicaragua for a Peace Demonstration on the border with Honduras.

Faulkner has a BA from Dartmouth College in Fine Art and an MFA from Pratt Institute in sculpture and photography. Tom lives in New York City with his wife Brenda Husson (also an Episcopal priest) and their son Christopher. More information on Faulkner is available here.