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The 2018 Santa Fe High School Shooting

The 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting was a tragic incident that unfolded on May 18, 2018, at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, United States. Ten people, eight students, and two teachers lost their lives, and thirteen others were wounded, making this event the third-deadliest high school shooting in the United States at the time.

The event sparked a nationwide debate about school safety and gun control, leading to renewed efforts to heighten security at schools. The grief, loss, and changes that followed this event remind us of the devastating impact of such violent acts on communities and the importance of ongoing discussions about school safety and firearm regulation.

I was honored to accept the award to create a monument to honor and commemorate the victims of this tragic event. The memorial was placed at Santa Fe High School to mark five years since the shooting that killed 8 students and two teachers. It’s called Warrior Spirit and honors the 10 lives lost on May 18th, 2018 with 10 feathers.

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This 10-foot high equestrian monument was unveiled on October 28, 2000 in Seguin, Texas, providing a long-overdue tribute to an overlooked Texas hero, Juan Seguin. The Tejano leader fought alongside other well-known Texas icons, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, William Travis, etc., at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.

Juan Seguin became one of the few survivors of the massacre because Colonel Travis dispatched him to carry the last appeal for reinforcements to Colonel Fannin who was in Goliad. Seguin’s efforts were futile. Nevertheless, after Seguin found Sam Houston, the General ordered him and a band of vaquero volunteers to warn the scattered Anglo settlers of the Mexican General Santa Anna’s threat. Consequently, Texas historians remember Seguin as the Paul Revere of Texas.

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For over 90 years, the annual Bonfire at Texas A&M embodied many layers of meaning centric to the Aggie Spirit – teamwork, leadership, and an enduring sense of tradition. It was passionately observed, and one of the most storied traditions of any college campus in the United States. Tragically, on November 18, 1999, exactly one week before it would be ignited, the Bonfire collapsed killing twelve Aggies and injuring many more.

Ten years later the tragedy was memorialized with the construction of the Bonfire Memorial. The memorial unites all Aggies, past, present, and future by recalling the tradition, history, and spirit of Texas A&M – especially dedication of those involved in the tragic collapse.

Erik Christianson was honored to be selected as the sculptor for each of the 12-foot high bronze inlays which represent the injured and fallen students. For more information about the Bonfire Memorial please visit the Texas A&M website devoted to the memorial, and for the complete story about the tragedy we suggest reading Texas Monthly’s article. To read a very moving account about the design and construction of the memorial we suggest this article in Texas Monthly.

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The Guadalupe County Veterans Memorial was built in 2006 and was Dedicated on September 23, 2006

The Guadalupe County Veterans Memorial is located at the northwest corner of the Guadalupe County Courthouse, at the intersection of Austin Street and Court Street, in downtown Seguin, Texas.

This memorial is dedicated to all veterans who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces.

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This life-sized depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located at the Mexican American cultural center in San Antonio, but there are also versions of this piece placed at parishes in Austin and Dallas, Texas, and in Missouri.

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This 3/4 life-size bronze of the prophet Elijah was placed at the Basilica of the the Little Flower in San Antonio, Texas.

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Arguably, Paul the Apostle (also known as Saul of Tarsus) is the most important figure in Christianity beyond Christ himself. It’s difficult to imagine the history of Christianity, or its contemporary version with the influence of Paul. Along with Simon Peter and James the Just, Paul was one of the most prominent early Christian leaders. For example, the writings of Paul became a significant portion of the New Testament, and his influence on Christian thought and philosophy persists into the 21^st century.

The New Testament indicates that Saul (which was his name before his conversion) dedicated himself to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus. The Book of Acts describes Saul’s journey from Jerusalem to Damascus to “bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem.” Along the way, the resurrected Jesus appeared before him in a great light, and he was struck blind. However, three days later Ananias of Damascus restored his sight, and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God.

Paul’s conversion changed his life. Through his missionary activity and writings, he transformed religion and philosophy around the Mediterranean Basin. His leadership, influence, and legacy created communities of Gentiles that worshiped the God of Israel, but relaxed or abandoned the ritual and dietary teachings of the Law of Moses. According to Paul, the old laws and rituals either were fulfilled during the life of Christ or were symbolic precursors of Christ. Paul’s teachings about the life and works of Jesus Christ slowly evolved into a New Covenant (New Testament) established by the death and resurrection Jesus.

Historically, 14 epistles in the New Testament are attributed to Paul (although modern scholars question attributing seven of them to Paul). Nevertheless, Augustine expanded Paul’s assertion that salvation is based on faith, rather than “works of the law.” Additionally, Martin Luther’s doctrine of sola fide stems directly from Paul’s writings; consequently, “faith alone” is foundational to Protestantism, and distinguishes it from Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

The inscription on the bottom of the monument reads: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7-8.

This bronze depiction of Saint Paul was commissioned by Bob Scott of St. Paul the Apostle Church, Horseshoe Bay, TX, which is where this monument was placed.

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St. Juan Diego (1474–1548) was the first indigenous American saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Saint Diego is said to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary on four separate occasions in December 1531 at the hill of Tepeyac on the outskirts Mexico City. The Basilica of Guadalupe, built on the foot of the hill of Tepeyac, claims to possess Juan Diego’s cloak (tilma) on which an image of the Virgin Mary is said to have been impressed miraculously to prove the authenticity of the apparitions. These apparitions and the imparting of the miraculous image are known as the Guadalupe event, “el acontecimiento Guadalupano,” and became the foundation of the cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is ubiquitous in Mexico, and prevalent throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas. The Basilica of Guadalupe is now one of the world’s major pilgrimages for Roman Catholics. Juan Diego was beatified in 1990, and canonized in 2002.