I have been the Archivist for the Diocese of Covington for going on 20 years,and during much of that time,I have also lived at both of our diocesan retreat centers,Marydale and then Saint Anne. I have had the pleasure of meeting many different people as I attempted to meet their needs in two very different roles-in the Archives, often acting as a genealogist to help them locate their long-lost ancestors,and at the retreat centers,trying to make myself useful as they sought a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. Usually there is not much overlap between these two roles. So it seemed odd that I was able to delve into some local history while at Saint Anne,and not just in the archives.

 

It just so happens that Saint Anne Retreat Center is the home of not one,but two,sculptures of prominent and prolific sculptor Joseph Kiselewski (1901-1988). I have taken an interest in this artist after being contacted by his great-niece, Barb Noland,who lives in Minnesota, which was Joe’s home state as well. Barb is,understandably,even more interested in him than I am-she is trying to catalog all of his works around the country and beyond.She knew that one was probably in the Diocese of Covington and asked our assistance via our website,and she was directed to the Archivist.

 

She emailed me an artist’s drawing or photo of a clay model of a sculpture her great-uncle Joe had presumably later produced in bronze;she identified it as “Our Lady of the Mountains”. I immediately recognized it as the sculpture that had stood inside the circle with the little fountain outside the main entrance at Marydale,where it had been dubbed “Our Lady of Marydale”; I also knew that it had been moved to Saint Anne in Melbourne sometime after Marydale closed in 2012(though I moved there before it did). She was very thankful for this information and for photos of it in its current location in the little courtyard between the main convent and the Moye Center on the backside of the building.

 

So how did “Our Lady of the Mountains” come to be “Our Lady of Marydale”? The story takes us back to the early days of Marydale and its founder, Bishop William T. Mulloy, who was responsible for buying the property back in 1946,not long after becoming our sixth bishop. Bishop Mulloy commissioned the sculpture from Kiselewski for the Marymount Hospital in London,Kentucky, which had been recently taken over-at his request-by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. The actual sculpture was rendered into reality by the Bedi-Rassy Art Foundry in Brooklyn, New York; it was placed in its London locale in May 1949. Apparently, Bishop Mulloy was so taken with it that he decided at some point that a second rendering of the same bronze sculpture of the Blessed Virgin would also very appropriately grace the grounds of his new retreat program at Marydale- Our Lady of Marydale was thus a twin of Our Lady of the Mountains! (The identical sculptures clearly came to be recognizable symbols of their respective institutions since sketches of them were incorporated into the logo on both Marydale’s and Marymount’s stationery.

 

But, as I said, Saint Anne Retreat Center is the home of two artistic works by Joseph Kiselewski. This other one, though,was created especially for Saint Anne in its original incarnation as the Saint Anne Convent of the Sister of Divine Providence. Bishop Mulloy also commissioned Mr. Kiselewski to create a sculpture of Saint Anne with her little daughter Mary,which was given as a gift to the sisters in December 1952. It still stands in a niche at the front of the building,in the wall at the very bottom of the long staircase that became iconic after being filmed in the 1988 movie “Rainman” with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. (The film crew must have somehow blocked it out).

 

I brought this other sculpture to Barb’s attention just this spring during time off due to the Coronavirus. One day while looking closely at it, I thought the style was similar to the one from Marydale and I confirmed my artistic insight by locating his telltale signature- “J.Kiselewski”- etched into the base of the back right side, just as it is on “Our Lady of Marydale”. Barb was delighted to hear the news and receive photos of a work by her great-uncle that had been previously unknown to her and I was gratified that I could contribute a new entry to his catalogue.

 

If you would like to learn more about the sculptor Joseph Kiselewski and the work done by Barb Noland to highlight his artistic legacy,check out https://www.kiselewskisculpture.com It’s always worth a trip to Saint Anne to walk the beautiful grounds and trails,but the next time you go for a visit,check out our sculptures too.

 

I am grateful to Sr. Dolores Gohs, Archivist for the Sisters of Divine Providence, and to Mr.Carl Greene of London Kentucky, for information provided for this article.