Above: The new mural, painted on canvas, depicts the same scenes as the original mural. Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright
By Tami S. Scott
Editor
If you attended Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Palm Sunday or soon thereafter, you may have noticed something slightly different in the sanctuary: the parish unveiled its new, beautifully repainted upper Easter murals located on each side of the altar. Originally painted on plywood panels, the scenes are now depicted on canvas, a much lighter support that makes setup easier and safer.
The project, spearheaded by parishioner Maria Leo, whose husband is on the decorating committee, became concerned about how heavy and cumbersome the 30-year-old panels had become for volunteers. So she reached out for help, and not too long after, Bishop Ludden-Grimes’ own artist, Rhonda Henderson, stepped in.
“The Leo family reached out to me last spring after Easter,” Henderson said. “They remembered seeing a 2016 article in The Catholic Sun about the murals I had painted for my home parish, St. Patrick’s in Jordan.” The Leos’ children were enrolled at Bishop Ludden during that same timeframe. “Mrs. Leo told me the originals were just too heavy for the parishioners to lift and store because everyone is getting older.”
Because the people at the basilica have long treasured the work of the original artist, Hanka Furmanski, there was no need to create an entirely new mural. “Instead, I paid homage to [Furmanski’s] work,” Henderson said. “I worked from photographs that the Leos texted to my phone. The murals are very close to the originals.”
Henderson described the Easter murals as depicting Jerusalem and outside the city walls, with three crosses on a hilltop at Golgotha. “By creating these murals, [Furmanski] was able to transform a blank wall into a visual message of hope, resurrection, and divine love,” Henderson said. “The viewing of these murals by the parishioners as they sit quietly, reflecting in the pews, helps them to visualize this profound and historical event. It is a symbolic snapshot of humanity’s spiritual journey.”
Modifications included reconfiguring the perspectives of some of the buildings and changing the “architecture” of the temple to more closely align with the geographical location and time period of Jesus.
As the largest mural Henderson has ever painted, it consists of four 4-by-8-foot panels, forming two 16-foot sections — 32 feet of mural in total. They were delivered in June 2025 and placed outside Henderson’s art room in the hallway. Though they were available for her then, she couldn’t begin painting until the new school year started due to time constraints and the merging of Bishop Grimes with Bishop Ludden. “Our arts hallway was a main corridor for furniture and supplies coming into the school, which made it impossible to work on.” So during the school year, she utilized every spare moment she had — when she was teaching upper art classes, during plan periods, and even on snow days and virtual days. “I also worked a couple of days during our winter break. It was a nice opportunity to spend an entire day painting. I was able to get into a zone and get a lot done on those days.
“Thank goodness for snow!” she exclaimed.
Senior Tess Gilbertson also assisted Henderson. The mural was so large that only using paint brushes would have been too difficult and time-consuming. Together, they used their creative minds to find another art tool — ripped apart old T-shirts. They mixed paint in the palettes, then rubbed the paint onto the mural using the T–shirts to blend the large areas. “Students in the building would watch the mural’s progress as days went by, and they were fascinated that I was often using a piece of a shirt to paint along with my various brushes.”
Henderson described Gilbertsen as having been her right hand for many years. “She is a very gifted artist and I’m working on her about becoming an art teacher!”
An award-winning artist, Henderson is now celebrating a milestone anniversary — 30 years as a teacher at the beloved high school.
“Art is a powerful tool that enhances community engagement and theological reflection,” Henderson said. “I’m humbled that God gave me this ‘artistic gift’ that I get to share. Creating art and also ‘creating artists’ by being an art teacher gives me an avenue to give back and make a difference.”
