Resurrecting ‘Christ On The Cross’
The photo of “Christ on the Cross,” pre-restoration.
The forces behind the successful “Save Our Historic St. Joseph’s Church” movement are at it again. This time they saved a stunning painting now mounted in the midst of colorful stained-glass windows within the original St. Joseph Church in Sea Isle City.
This sacred artwork, likely titled “Christ on the Cross,” was rescued, preserved and restored by a series of parishioners over decades. The painting’s depiction of Christianity’s defining moment, its magnitude of 72 inches by 60 inches, and the lighting upon it bring the tragic scene of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to life.
One might be drawn into this emotionally charged scene in any number of ways.
Jesus’ limp body, attached to a large wooden crucifix by visible nails through his hands and his feet, looms above three figures below the cross on Calvary. Beloved disciples John and Mary Magdalene carefully tend to the central figure below the cross: Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Blessed Mother appears to have collapsed. She is seemingly caught by John and laid down in a state of shock on her blue cape, which is spread upon the ground beneath her. Mary Magdalene kneels at Mary’s side with their arms interlocked and her head bowed in utter grief.
Even the artwork’s shadowy background makes statements. On the left, a mounted centurion bearing a bloody spear stands guard on a hill as a flash of lightning breaks through an ominous gray sky. Across the way on the right, the white temple in Jerusalem sits beyond a hill.
Says parishioner Andy Bednarek: “When you look at the painting, you feel that complete sorrow.”
Much mystery surrounded the origins of this artwork and its creator. So Bednarek set out in search of answers. An Italian canon lawyer directed him to the art experts at the Conservatore del Museo dell’Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti in Genova, Italy. In emails dating back to April 2022, Bednarek learned that the artwork’s likely title is “Christ on the Cross,” or “Cristo in Croce” in Italian, and it was painted by Italian artist Luca Sacco.
The Accademia Ligustica’s Giulio Sommariva provided Bednarek with biographical information about Sacco, who was born in Italy and died in the United States, and some of the artist’s paintings. Sommariva wrote:
SACCO, LUCA San Remo (Porto Maurizio) 1858-New York 1912
He moved to Genoa [Genova in Italian], where he attended the courses of the Accademia Ligustica. In Accademia he won a competition for a work “Christ on the Cross,” destined for a church in Philadelphia and a competition for a “Portrait of King Umberto I,” destined for the municipality of Sanremo.
Sommariva also noted in his email to Bednarek that “il [sic] painting [“Christ on the Cross”] we are talking about could be the one in your possession, as the subject is the same.”
This helpful information from Italy raises even more questions about the artwork, Bednarek says wishfully, thinking that someone out there might have answers. “When and where was this painting in Philadelphia?” he wonders. “And, how did it get to Sea Isle?”
Many a baby-boomer resident or visitor to Sea Isle City might recall seeing “Christ on the Cross” while attending Masses at the original St. Joseph Church back in the day. Eyes were naturally drawn to this painting of the crucifixion. It hung directly over the altar.
That changed when Catholic church altars were moved or altered so that priests could celebrate Mass facing the congregation in keeping with the Second Vatican Council during the 1960s. “Christ on the Cross” was removed from the altar area and wound up in the rectory’s garage along with other artifacts from the alterations of the church’s sanctuary.
Frank Romano discovered the painting in that garage while doing plumbing work for the parish in the mid-to-late-1960s, says his daughter, Frances Romano Steelman. When her dad inquired about its fate, the then-pastor told Frank that he was welcome to take the painting home.
This poignant statement on the death of Jesus Christ first hung on a wall in their living room, Steelman explains. Then her mother, Amelia, moved it to the stairway wall between the second and third floors. There it remained until the family home was torn down eight years ago. “The painting was an important part of my family’s history,” Steelman says.
With the help of her sons, Steelman removed “Christ on the Cross” from the house before demolition and placed it in a climate-controlled storage facility to preserve it. Upon appraisal, Steelman learned that even with it being a bit battered from its travels, the piece had considerable monetary worth. But its sentimental value meant more to Frank and Amelia Romano’s daughter.
When Mike McHale took a look at the painting, “he was amazed because he didn’t expect it to be so big,” Steelman says. She agreed to turn over “Christ on the Cross” to McHale as long as it was hung in the original St. Joseph Church with a plaque in memory of her parents.
“I wanted it there in church where it belonged … like it came home again,” she says.
Vince Lamanna Jr. also has a special place in his heart for the original St. Joseph Church. “We have a long family history at the church … Baptisms, Holy Communions, Confirmations and funerals,” he says. “My brother Stephen and I were altar boys there.”
Lamanna noted how the Romano and Steelman families saved and then generously donated “Christ on the Cross” to the church, giving credit where credit was initially due.
In keeping with that spirit, Lamanna picked up where they left off by covering the costs of restoring the painting in the names of his parents, Vincent and Albina Lamanna. The crew at Avalon’s Ocean Galleries had hands in guiding the process. Electrician Frank Verdade donated his services to further enhance the terrible beauty of “Christ on the Cross” with proper lighting, Lamanna says. Pastor Father Perry Cherubini approved the artwork’s location in the old church.
Sacred art has the potential to inspire souls in any season. This Easter season, the original St. Joseph Church will be open to the public on Good Friday, April 7, from 11:30am to 2:30pm for viewing of “Christ on the Cross” and contemplation of its deeper meaning.
The committee sincerely appreciates all of the amazing support they’ve gotten to date but are still in need of financial assistance with upcoming projects including a new air conditioning system and concrete restoration. Contributions can be sent to:
Save Our Historic Church
8305 Landis Ave. #5
Sea Isle City, NJ 08243
