St. Norbert statue graces Green Bay cathedral entrance

GREEN BAY — A statue of St. Norbert, made by a 15th-generation wood carver from Oberammergau, in Bavaria, Germany, graces the entrance to St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. The five-foot statue, carved of linden wood, is a gift from St. Norbert Abbey.

About three or four years ago, Norbertine Abbot Gary Neville was at a chrism Mass in the cathedral and looked around at the many statues there.

“There were a lot of statues,” he told The Compass, “but I realized, ‘There’s no statue of St. Norbert here. And since we’ve (the Norbertine community) been here since 1893, almost 120 years. … So I went to Bishop (David) Ricken after the liturgy and asked, ‘What’s the possibility of putting a statue in cathedral?’”About three or four years ago, Norbertine Abbot Gary Neville was at a chrism Mass in the cathedral and looked around at the many statues there.

The bishop agreed and the Norbetines began the search for one. First, they inquired about a used statue at various European abbeys. Then they sought already-made statues. No luck.

continue at The Compass