Catholic Art

This statue of St. Isaac Jogues by Joseph Sibbel (1850-1907) stands outside the chapel of St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie. Born in Germany, he studied wood-carving and sculpting in Munster before emigrating to the United States in 1871. He studied at the Ohio Mechanics Institute (now the University of Cincinnati) and studied with the painter Frank Duveneck. He also apprenticed in the workshop of Louis T. Rebisso, an American sculptor best known for his statues of historic figures including General Ulysses S. Grant. In 1881, Sibbel moved to New York City where he drew attention with his work on two bronze lecterns for the A. T. Stewart Memorial (Now the Cathedral of the Incarnation) in Garden City. Word of his exceptional talent spread and he soon became part of many large ecclesiastical projects in New York City, Omaha, Providence, Hartford, Chicago, Little Rock, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and many other American cities. His artwork has been documented in thirteen cathedrals, including St. Patrick’s in New York City, and over sixty locations. (Adapted from josephsibbelof ny.com)