In the month of September, Glenn Leier, a parish council member of Blessed Sacrament in Scottsdale, reached out to Xavier’s fine arts leaders offering students an art project in Blessed Sacrament’s newly renovated courtyard. This art project would depict Christ’s passion through the stations of the cross. 

Jordan Harris was recommended by Cathy Robbins, a fine arts teacher. Harris is a current student in Robbin’s Intro to Art course. This course explores the fundamental principles and elements of art. 

Harris was chosen because of her exceptional talent, great persistence and work ethic. 

“It is a different type of validation to be recognized by someone [Robbins] who is greatly experienced,” said Harris.

The stations of the cross is an architectural feature present in every Catholic Church. It follows Christ’s life from the moment He was condemned to the moment He was entombed. 

These stations are so much more than images. They are imitations of the “Via Dolorosa” in Jerusalem, a traditional route symbolizing the path Christ walked to Mount Calvary where he was to be crucified. 

It became traditional for Christians to travel to Jerusalem, or the Holy Land, in order to follow this same route. 

The stations help Christians make this pilgrimage spiritually through reflection on Christ’s passion. This spiritual journey is a devotional practice of the faithful to grow close in unity with God through prayer and images. This is practiced during Lent, which is the period of preparation before the passion of Christ.

Death is not the end of life, which “we see definitively in Christ” said Geoff Stricklin, a theology teacher at Xavier. We celebrate the stations to acknowledge that our suffering means something, uniting us to God. 

“I’m super excited about this [Harris’s art] and would love to see what Jordan is working on,” Stricklin said. 

Harris can’t wait to start painting and expressing herself creatively. Her art style revolves around human figures and emotion. Her skills and prior art pieces made her qualified for this project. 

From a young age, Harris has been influenced artistically by her family, also involved in the art community. They paint commissioned murals around the community, and their involvement has inspired Harris’s love for art. 

Her father CJ Harris along with her family is very supportive of Harris. “She has the talent of a top-stream artist,” CJ Harris said. 

Jordan Harris has recently joined the Arizona Youth Art Council. They create projects while administering budgets. “Various artists from around Arizona come together to help the community,” Jordan Harris said. 

This project will open new doors for Harris who wants to pursue art as a career. She can’t wait to form connections with other artists and continue to grow creatively.