Artist Jim Temples hold Station 11, "Jesus is Nailed to the Cross" In his Washington State Cougars baseball cap and jeans, Jim Temples doesn’t look like an artist. He looks more like a track coach, which is what he was for many years, first at San Dieguito High School and later at Torrey Pines. He grew up in a household that encouraged creativity, but it wasn’t until after he and his late wife Carol visited Rome in the mid-eighties that he started seriously pursuing the craft of wood carving. He lights up when he describes the experience he had there, as he touched the hem of Michelangelo’s Pieta. “My eyes said fabric, my fingers said cold stone. And Jesus said, “Start carving, Jimmy!”
And start carving he did, finding that he had a talent for making the wood come to life. Still, when he was approached by a group led by parishioner Nancy Aldridge to consider creating a series of carvings to mark the Stations of the Cross, he wasn’t sure he was up to the task. There were trained artists in the congregation who he thought would be better choices. Amazed that he was allowed to try to create them, he accepted the challenge and began to study.
Learning about the tradition of the Stations of the Cross was the first step. He read extensively, visited other churches, and looked at examples of the art that was used in churches in Europe. He began to form a plan: there would be 14 stations, and each one would focus clearly on the central action of that scene from the day of Jesus’s crucifixion. “A lot of the images I looked at were so complex and had so many things going on that you couldn’t tell what was really happening.”
And start carving he did, finding that he had a talent for making the wood come to life. Still, when he was approached by a group led by parishioner Nancy Aldridge to consider creating a series of carvings to mark the Stations of the Cross, he wasn’t sure he was up to the task. There were trained artists in the congregation who he thought would be better choices. Amazed that he was allowed to try to create them, he accepted the challenge and began to study.
Learning about the tradition of the Stations of the Cross was the first step. He read extensively, visited other churches, and looked at examples of the art that was used in churches in Europe. He began to form a plan: there would be 14 stations, and each one would focus clearly on the central action of that scene from the day of Jesus’s crucifixion. “A lot of the images I looked at were so complex and had so many things going on that you couldn’t tell what was really happening.”
The back of Station 9 which shows it as sponsored by the Wright family and dedicated at Harold Wright's memorial service in 2008. While Jim was busy planning, the parish was getting excited about the project. Parishioners were able to sponsor a station, and many jumped at the chance. The stations were carved in the order they were sponsored, rather than in numerical order. The back of each station has information about the sponsor, sometimes with a photo of the person who sponsored it or to whom it was dedicated.
Jim’s gift to St. Andrew’s makes participating in the Stations of the Cross service a deeper and more soul-stirring experience. Beyond the emotion of entering into the story of Jesus’ final hours through the prayerful words and physical journey from station to station, the carvings allow you to see the passion of each scene. Jim says he still feels awe each time he looks at them, “I look at them and say ‘Thank you, God.’”
Jim’s gift to St. Andrew’s makes participating in the Stations of the Cross service a deeper and more soul-stirring experience. Beyond the emotion of entering into the story of Jesus’ final hours through the prayerful words and physical journey from station to station, the carvings allow you to see the passion of each scene. Jim says he still feels awe each time he looks at them, “I look at them and say ‘Thank you, God.’”
Detail from Station 6, "Consoled"
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