Come January, visitors to the Mall of America will be able to hop off the roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe or finish that meal at Rainforest Cafe and head to the second floor to check out a collection of Vatican treasures.
In celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced on Tuesday that it will host Vatican Unveiled, billing it as the largest collection of papal and other artifacts outside of Rome.
The exhibit, featuring approximately 300 items, will be open daily from Jan. 10 through Feb. 1.
It started with Jimmy Carter
Rev. Richard Kunst, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth, is the curator of Vatican Unveiled, a collection that he began years ago after first going through a presidential phase.
The Rev. Richard Kunst (Courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis)
“As a high school senior, I had an assignment in my government class to write to a politician,” Kunst noted in a biographical news release. “I chose President Jimmy Carter. He sent me an autographed photo of himself and his wife and that started my interest in autographs.”
Kunst says he eventually lost interest in presidential and celebrity autographs, selling off most of his collection to purchase papal autographs and other religious artifacts, many of which will be featured in this 19,000-square foot exhibit. Highlights include a papal ring, a cassock and a Swiss Guard uniform from the time of Pope Pius X (1903-1914), so rare that the Guard reportedly asked to borrow it for its own exhibit.
“I am often asked what I intend to do with this collection,” he said in the news release. “It has always been and remains my intent to donate it to the Church where it may be enjoyed forever. In the meantime, I am happy to share my collection with the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis …”
Popes were once kids with homework
The exhibit will feature a variety of items.
“It’s curated to have several points of interest,” says Molly Litecky, manager of the archdiocese’s Office of Project Leadership. “If you are a history buff, there’s interesting historical items that are related to different pieces of art, history and government, and how the Vatican and government intersect. If you have an artistic eye, there are interesting, beautiful items with old-world craftsmanship. And there’s several papal artifacts from different popes through the centuries and some are touching, they show their humanity like the homework on one of the popes when they were young and in grade school.”
An image of some of the artifacts from “Vatican Unveiled.” (Courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis)
Archbishop Bernard Hebda, who reportedly was inspired by the priest’s collection when some of it was previously on display in Duluth, announced the exhibit to the public via an announcement posted to YouTube.
“I’m inviting you to a very special celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,” Hebda said in the short video. ” … it is a special exhibit of the largest collection of papal and other artifacts outside of Vatican City, the home of the Catholic church.”
Other press materials from the archdiocese note that the exhibit is also a celebration of the recent election of the first-ever pope from North America, Pope Leo XIV, who studied as a seminarian in the Twin Cities in 1980 as Bob Prevost of Chicago.
The archdiocese, which was first established on July 19,1850, noted in its announcement that it is still waiting and hoping for a local visit from Pope Leo.
Pre-sale waitlist
Starting Dec. 1 through Jan. 30, tickets and merchandise can be purchased at the Vatican Unveiled kiosk on the first floor of the Mall. However, a pre-sale waitlist is available now through early November; people on the list will be alerted when they can purchase pre-sale tickets. Sign up at archspm.org/vaticanunveiled/.
Ticket prices have not yet been set.
Situated near the Mall’s main entrance, by the JW Marriott and in close proximity to mobility scooter rentals, escalators and elevators, it is meant to be an exhibit that is accessible to individuals and groups.
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