THE STATUE OF ST. FRANCIS

The statue of Saint Francis which graces the grounds of St. Peter's Episcopal Church was commissioned and given as a gift to St. Peter's by James H. Sorenson, Jr. in memory of his father and grandfather.

The statue was carved by Robert Borglum (1912-1986) in 1956. Mr. Borglum's father, Gutzon Borglum, created the national monument at Mount Rushmore.

The model for the child figure standing with St. Francis is the son of the artist, James Gutson Borglum.

Robert Borglum had carved a bird that was placed in the up-raised hand of St. Francis but it was lost over the years. Eventually, Mr. Bob Hillman, a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, created another bird to replace it.

In 1996, the University of Texas Press published a book entitled "Outdoor Sculpture in Texas" and included a picture and short survey of the St. Francis statue. The book carried a brief historical overview of outdoor sculpture in Texas and contained a large survey of approximately 1000 sculptures.