St. John Paul II statue dedication at Niles cemetery

Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago has announced the addition of a new sculpture honoring Saint John Paul II at Maryhill Cemetery, 8600 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Niles. The 32-foot-tall sculpture will be dedicated by Most Rev. Andrew Wypych, auxiliary bishop of Chicago, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Lira Singers Quartet.

The sculpture is constructed of Barre Gray Granite that was quarried as one piece by Rock of Ages in Vermont. Two sides of the sculpture depict Saint John Paul II with mosaic renderings of his visits to Chicago. The third and fourth sides are adorned with mosaic renderings of Our Lady of Czestochowa and the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas.

The Venetian glass mosaics, called "smalti," are handmade in Venice, Italy. They were designed and installed by an artist from Conrad Pickel Studios in Vero Beach, Florida.