Last Supper woodcarving to celebrate 10th anniversary

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
June 2, 2005

The Last Supper carving at Trinity Heights in Sioux City, created by Jerry Traufler, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this summer.

It took Traufler, who resides in Le Mars, seven years to complete the carving that now stands in the St. Joseph Center on the Trinity Heights campus.

"I was competing in woodcarving shows around the country," said Traufler. "I had been doing that for about 10 years and decided I wanted to do a project that I wanted to do. I looked around and thought the Last Supper would have lasting meaning."

The Last Supper is a life-size sculpture of Jesus and the 12 apostles that was made out of pine and basswood.

"I went around to the different people who had made them," said Traufler. "There are two in this country and one in Europe. I didn't find out anything because they are all gone already."

When he got home, he ordered 100 - 8 foot 2x4s. He glued the pieces of wood together until there was enough mass to carve what he wanted.

"That was the process that I used," said Traufler. "I didn't have any tools so I was using wood screws. Eventually, I got that down. I had someone make me a press and that took my time down from about three months of gluing to about two weeks of gluing. You have to glue them up because if you use a tree trunk, that will open up and they will crack. You have to get machined lumber which is kiln dried and use that."

Traufler explained that once the wood is glued up, it is stable.

Each of the statues of the 12 apostles and Jesus was created separately. Traufler's wife, Arlene and some friends from Le Mars dressed as Apostles and were photographed to make this carving of the Last Supper unique.

He and his wife looked around for places to put the woodcarving and had different options - one was on the East Coast.

"Once the shrine in Sioux City started, we could see that it was an undeveloped shrine and the woodcarving would do a lot more good down here. Plus, I wanted to keep it close to Le Mars," said Traufler. "It is doing fine there."

Traufler continues to do carvings to be sent to different places throughout the world. He makes special statues of the Virgin Mary that he has sent to Peru, New Guinea and other places in Europe as well as in the United States.

"I send those to missionaries," said Traufler. "They like wood statues because if they happen to drop it, it won't break. I don't charge for anything. I never sell the carvings. I keep it a hobby."

The Trauflers will be available to answer questions from 12 to 3 p.m. on June 26 at Trinity Heights for the Prayer and Celebration Day. The event is open to the public. The woodcarving of the Last Supper is open for people to see throughout the year when the St. Joseph Center is open.