Grandmother, grandchildren work to restore Fargo cathedral statue destroyed by vandal

“I felt sadness,” Loegering said. “Why would this ever happen? It was pretty much slammed to the floor so corners were damaged, the head was destroyed, the foot was destroyed, along with the canvas.”

The good news is the statue was made of plaster, which is easier to work with than porcelain. And when Loegering was asked once again by church staff to try to restore it, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to bring in some help — her grandchildren, a niece, and a friend. Soon grandchildren Maria Loh; Hanna, David, Grace, and Emily Loegering; niece Jamie Keller; and family friend Isaac Olson were recruited to do the job.

“Getting to work with grandma was very special,” Loh said. “I’ve worked with her on a few painting projects here and there, and she’s taught me so much of what I know about art. I would not even know how to hold a paintbrush without her. Using the skills working with her that she taught me is really in a way like giving back.”

While Loegering restored the foot of the statue, the others set to the task of repairing the rest. Loegering said each brought a unique set of skills to the project. For example, Hanna and David Loegering are very good at airbrushing, and Loh knew through her chalk drawings how to mix different colors. There were exchanges of ideas, critiques of each other’s work, and skills learned from one another. In a sense, the project was a spiritual Lenten journey for the young artists.

“Just before Ash Wednesday the statue was destroyed, so it kind of goes along with our liturgical cycle,” Hanna Loegering said. “We’re supposed to die to ourselves and learn and grow spiritually, and being able to repair the statue before Holy Thursday so it could be back at the church for Good Friday was really great.”