Sister’s intarsia added to St. Rose Convent dining room

Sister Shirley Wagner’s inspiration for Drink This Cup of Salvation, a new intarsia added to the St. Rose dining room Jan. 14, 2011, came from the encouragement received from fellow FSPA.

According to Sister Shirley, once the St. Rose dining room remodel was completed in 2009 several sisters commented that a Last Supper art piece would be a wonderful addition. “I created a Last Supper piece for three other places: Holy Rosary in Medford, Wis., Blessed Sacrament in Sun Prairie, Wis., and Blessed Sacrament in La Crosse.”

When approached to create Drink This Cup of Salvation for St. Rose, Sister Shirley thought “. . . if I’m going to do one, I’d better do it now while I can still handle the saws and pieces of large lumber.” She started the project in August of 2010, shortly after moving into a new home with “a shop twice as large and able to accommodate such a large piece.” She spent six hours a day, six days a week for 20 weeks to complete the project.

Sister Shirley also added a plaque that explains the different types of wood—including 100 year old barn wood—used to create the piece.