LAKIN – Within the Passion of Christ — so well represented in the Stations of the Cross lining the walls of St. Anthony Church in Lakin — can be seen the passion of the artist, Jim VanCampen, led by God and by the spirit of his son, Ted.

Soon after the VanCampens’ son died at 21 in a car accident on Sept. 13, 2000, Jim – an electrician — picked up a hammer and chisel for the first time, stood before a large chunk of limestone, and carved what would become a statue of St. Anthony. It was a first try, but good enough to be placed permanently in front of the church.

In the months to come, he would sculpt out of clay the Last Supper, a crucifix, Pieta, and Stations of the Cross – all which have been placed prominently in the church.

The discovery of his new passion for sculpture offered a needed therapy for the tall, soft-spoken VanCampen, who, along with his wife, Patty, will be forever healing from the loss of their son.

"Jim woke up one night, and said he wanted to do the Stations," Patty said, smiling. "I said, ‘What? Do you know how many there are?’"

"It’s therapy for him," she added. "Once he gets his mind set on something, he dives into it."

"I’ve done as much as Father Mike [Helms] will let me," Jim added with a laugh. "He has run out of wall."

"It’s nice to have someone so talented in the parish," Father Mike said as the three stood near the altar encasing the Last Supper sculpture.

"Not bad for an electrician," Jim replied without a hint of ego.

At the top of the Last Supper is engraved the words, "In Memoriam, Ted Joseph VanCampen." Since Ted liked Latin, Jim said, on the bottom of the Last Supper are the words, "Missa in cena domini," which means, "Gathering in the banquet of the Lord." All of the pieces together form a fitting memorial to the VanCampens’ son, who was born on Good Friday, 1979.

Just prior to Ted’s death, the VanCampens, who have four other children, were still reeling from the injuries their daughter Molly, then 19, had received in a serious car accident three months earlier. The injuries resulted in her being in a coma.

"She wasn’t supposed to make it," Jim said. "Ted would sleep all day so he could be up with her all night. One day he just told me she was going to be okay."

"Ted and I went to the chapel and he told me the same thing," Patty added. "I asked him how he knew, and he said he had asked God. The next day she woke up."

The Van Campens recalled a special relationship between Molly and Ted.

"Ted was Molly’s protector," Patty said. "Ever since grade school he had watched over her."

"In high school, when Ted knew she had a date, he would corner the guy and tell him she better not come home crying, or ‘there’s no place you can hide,’" Jim added. Ted loved basketball, had a pleasant laugh and smile, and was a hard worker, Patty said.

"When he was 11 or so, we had a big snow storm, so they closed school," she recalled. "When I went in and told him, he sat up, looked out the window and said, ‘Boy, am I going to make some money today!’

"I loved him, but I also actually liked him," Patty added, her eyes welling with tears. "The grief is indescribable. We miss him so much, but every day we try to keep in mind that we will see him again some day in Heaven."

The VanCampens are the parents of five, including Eric, 31, Amanda, 29, Ted, Molly, 25, and Jacob, 15. They also have four grandchildren, Jonathan, 6, Katelyn, 4, Parker, 2, and Avery, one month.

Patty said she often sees Ted in her youngest son (their "bonus baby" she calls him) and sometimes calls him Ted by mistake, which she said leaves her feeling both happy and sad. Jacob, who "adored Ted, and still does," is a budding artist, his dad commented, and when watching his father at work will sometimes joke when he places a sculpture in to bake, saying, "Jesus is in the oven!"

Having the sculptures placed in the church wasn’t a sure thing. Approval had to first be achieved from the parishioners themselves, who viewed the first piece and decided if Jim should complete the rest.

"I felt that if people thought they were good enough, it would be more important to the memory of Ted than anything else," Jim said.

Today, Jim primarily works with clay, although he also enjoys carving limestone. When he attempted a
bust of Jesus out of marble – a far harder rock — the portrait came to an abrupt end when he accidentally knocked Jesus’ nose off.

The artist also has four clay sculptures at Christ the King Church in Deerfield, two angels with St. Peter and Paul adorn the altar. Jim, who joined the Catholic Church upon the recovery of his daughter, Molly, said that he has many future works in mind, including Our Lady of Guadalupe for a prayer garden and St. Peter made out of limestone.