Fond Hello

Quite a Journey

It took 124 years, but he has arrived.

History books, the university seal, even the U.S. Postal Service have paid homage to the university’s namesake. But Père Jacques Marquette, S.J., was not adequately honored on campus, not until this past summer. Now
a statue of the 17th-century French, Jesuit missionary-explorer has an exalted place on Central Mall, immediately east of St. Joan of Arc Chapel.

Donors John Madden, Bus Ad ’56 and a university trustee, and Mary Madden made this gift as part of the Magis Campaign. Sculptor Ron Knepper’s work depicts a mature Father Marquette, his face weathered by
the elements and his cassock beaten with wear. He carries a map, a salute to his explorations of the upper Mississippi River with French fur trader Louis Joliet, and wears a crucifix at his belt. Father Marquette appears to be stepping away from the water’s edge, a pose that illustrates both his long journey and his evangelizing of Native American tribes that, Knepper says, included baptizing 4,400 people in a single day.

• Mounting the statue
• Sculptor Ron Knepper Studio
• Père Jacues Marquette S.J. bio