July Newsletter

Summer Update

July 22, 2026

Dear friends, it is my hope that you and your families are enjoying the summer now that the weather has started to cool down. The summer of 2026 has been extremely busy with activities both inside the museum and in our beautiful sculpture garden. Last weekend, we supported the Rochester Flower and Garden Club's annual fundraiser by hosting a tour for three hundred guests from 10am to 4pm. The weather was perfect and our nine baby ducklings paraded around the pond with the Saint Francis sculpture. A good time was had by all!

This is the year of the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy. Chuck's inspirational ten-foot-high bronze sculpture of Saint Francis, which has been moved to the front of the hospital on 2nd Street SW, will be the focus of a new exhibition in the museum opening on Saturday, August 22nd. All of the research for this unique sculpture was done in Assisi, Italy during the 1960s. Chuck was the only sculptor who created a sculpture of the young Saint Francis before he started his religious order. He is a symbol of hope, peace and love. We have Chuck’s favorite sculpture of Saint Francis enlarged, and it can be found resting on a tree stump in the Lamb of God Garden in the SW corner of our sculpture garden. When we first saw the land that became the sculpture garden, there were sheep grazing here. It was outside of the city of Rochester. Lambs and cows were common in Rochester township. Saint Francis is known for his love of nature and is very comfortable surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers that represent the well-known quote by Saint Paul which says, “We are all adopted children of God”. 

I would like to invite you and your friends to register for the opening of the Saint Francis exhibition on August 22nd. I will be giving a gallery talk at 1pm. The original Franciscan habit used for this sculpture will be displayed as well as my 24K gold leaf painting of the church of San Rufino, which is the 11th century church where Saint Francis was baptized. 

With best wishes,

Arlyn