Scott and Terry Jurek were at an art auction early in 2023. The two, parishioners of St. John Neumann in Eagan, are “serious art collectors,” Scott said.
They viewed an acrylic painting of the Shroud of Turin, created by 22-year-old Las Vegas artist Autumn de Forest during the auction when it came up for bids. She was a recipient of the Giuseppe Sciacca International Vatican Award in Painting and Art in 2015 at age 14 and accompanied the presentation of her painting “Resurrection” to Pope Francis. Her rendition of the face of Jesus on burial cloth grabbed the Jureks at first sight.
“This is a must, without question,” Scott recalled thinking.
“When we see something and we want it, we jump in,” Terry said, “and most of the time, we get it.”
They did this time. But, it was never meant to be hung inside their Eagan home, where “every speck of it is filled with art,” Terry said.
No, they had a much larger spot in mind for this 20-by-24-inch framed piece: the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. From the moment they decided to bid on this painting, they knew they wanted to donate it to the church where they were married in 1983.
“This was my home parish” said Terry, who grew up in St. Paul and attended St. Bernard’s church and school in her childhood before joining the Cathedral as an adult. “I worked at Region’s Hospital (in St. Paul as a cardiac nurse), so on Saturday nights or Sundays, I was always quick to come here after work and go to church (for Mass).”
Shortly after making their winning bid on the painting, they informed Father John Ubel, the Cathedral rector, of their intention to offer it as a gift. He was thrilled.
“I’ve seen the transformation take place when people come in and are just overcome by beauty, by music, by art” inside the Cathedral, Father Ubel said. “So, to have a piece like this, I think, is a real boon to the Cathedral. I’m so honored to be able to receive it.”
He had the piece in his office for several weeks as he prayed and pondered where to mount it. After walking around the Cathedral multiple times over several days, he settled on a pillar where the last of the 14 Stations of the Cross is located.
“What kept coming back to me was the Stations, almost like a 15th Station, in a sense,” he said. “And then, after that, I felt it would make the most sense for it to be placed (on the pillar) right before the beginning of Lent.”
The painting was permanently mounted Feb. 5. It is a few feet above eye level and on the same pillar as the 14th Station.
“I love the Stations of the Cross — always have,” Father Ubel said. “I love our Stations here. … When people are done (looking at all the Stations placed throughout the Cathedral), they simply turn the corner (after the 14th Station), boom, it’s right there — an image of Jesus in the shroud. Everyone knows how popular the Shroud of Turin is.”
Two days after the installation, the Jureks came to see it. They were asked to describe what strikes them about this piece, and what made them want to buy it at the auction.
“Probably the eyes,” Terry said. “They were just captivating.”
Scott agreed. “The eyes almost follow you as you move around,” he said.
As the couple talked about buying the piece and bringing it to the Cathedral as a gift, Scott got emotional, with tears flowing freely while describing the experience.
It stems from his battling both serious heart issues and cancer, beginning in 2006 when a test on a new piece of equipment at Regions revealed blockage in four arteries coming from his heart. He had quadruple bypass surgery soon after, then had another heart problem in 2014 that required additional surgery to remove a benign tumor inside his heart.
Along the way, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 when a tumor was found between his left ear and jawbone. Then, two more tumors were found in 2019 and 2020. One was surgically removed, while chemotherapy has kept the other two from growing. But, he still can feel the remaining tumors.
What he also feels, he said, is the “divine intervention” that led to an early diagnosis of his heart condition and effective treatments for both his heart issues and the cancer. He is well aware of the fact that if the artery blockage discovered in 2006 had gone undetected, he could have suffered a fatal heart attack.
“I’m lucky to be here,” he said. Today, he describes himself as “healthy.”
The Jureks have donated other pieces of art, including a heliogravure print (done between 1897 and 1905) of Rembrandt’s “Descent from the Cross” that they gave to St. John Neumann right before Easter in 2022. They have more donations planned in the future, including 23 framed prints they will be donating to Regions Hospital.
For Scott, faith, art collecting and medicine are intertwined, especially considering his wife’s 45 years working at Regions Hospital. He wrote a short reflection that mentions all three. It is called “Wings of Hope,” which is also the title of a painting by artist Michael Godard, which will be donated to Regions Hospital Cancer Center.
The first line reads:
“When there are feelings of despair, helplessness, loneliness, fear, anger, tears, frightfulness, depression, pain, and when everything appears to be lost — there is hope.”
