Jesus Breaking Bread (1976)
Walter Erlebacher (1933–1991)
- Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Logan Square, 18th and Race Streets
- Bronze, on bronze plinth and marble base Height 6' (plinth 4 1/4"; base 4')
- Initiated by the 41st
- International Eucharistic Congress
- Owned by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Commissioned for the 41st International Eucharistic Congress, which met in Philadelphia in 1976, Walter Erlebacher's sculpture presents a figure of Jesus holding two pieces of broken bread, a symbol of Holy Communion. During the Congress, which attracted over a million visitors to the city, the sculpture was displayed at the Civic Center. Later it was moved to a site near the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, and its formal blessing at this location took place on May 26, 1978. Standing near the sidewalk, it offers an accessible, immediate, and lifelike Jesus.
Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).
Jesus Breaking Bread
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Voices heard in the program:
Martha Erlebacher is a painter and wife of the late sculptor Walter Erlebacher (1933-1991).
Monsignor John Miller is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Sister Mary Scullion is a founder of Project H.O.M.E. and works on behalf of the poor and homeless.
Segment Producer: Chana Joffe-Walt
Music on Jesus Breaking Bread courtesy The Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Voices heard in the program:
Martha Erlebacher is a painter and wife of the late sculptor Walter Erlebacher (1933-1991).
Monsignor John Miller is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Sister Mary Scullion is a founder of Project H.O.M.E. and works on behalf of the poor and homeless.
Segment Producer: Chana Joffe-Walt
Music on Jesus Breaking Bread courtesy The Archdiocese of Philadelphia
