Hundreds of Chicagoans are expected to gather at the corner of Belden and Sheffield avenues in front of the DePaul University Student Center, at 1 p.m. April 23 to commemorate a soldier for social justice through the unveiling of a 9 and ½ -foot bronze likeness of Msgr. John J. Egan. The imposing sculpture will rest on a limestone base centered on the entrance plaza of the building.

Carol Marin, special investigative reporter at WMAQ-TV and director of DePaul’s documentary project, will serve as emcee for the dedication program. Numerous dignitaries, family members and friends of the late priest are expected to attend the event, among them Peggy Roach, social justice activist and Egan’s longtime collaborator, and Kathleen Egan Martin, his sister.

Egan, who died at the age of 84 in May of 2001, began and ended his career at DePaul. After graduating from DePaul Academy High School, he spent one year at the university before beginning his studies for the priesthood at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary. At the age of 70, he came back to DePaul, where he served as assistant to the president for community affairs until his death.

Egan’s legacy as a human rights activist is immense. A lifelong civil rights activist and one of the first Roman Catholic priests to take part in the nation’s civil rights movement, Egan marched in Selma, Ala., with the Rev. Ralph Abernathy and supported the Rev. Martin L. King, Jr.’s push for fair housing in Chicago. As a force for lay Catholic involvement, he directed the Cana Conference of Chicago, a marriage preparation and enrichment program that became a significant influence in the lives of Catholics nationwide. He worked tirelessly for labor organizations and workers’ rights. One of his last public stands was for the ordination of women and married men in the Catholic Church. As champion of poor and disadvantaged people, Egan spent his last days marshalling support to stem the spread of exploitive payday loan operations in Illinois. DePaul’s center for urban research, planning and community partnerships is named for Egan, and in 1992 the university established the Egan Hope Scholars program to assist community service-oriented minority students who might not otherwise attend college.

“DePaul University is honored to again welcome Jack Egan back ‘home,’” said the Rev. Edward R. Udovic, senior executive for university mission and one of the event organizers. “His entire life and ministry as a Chicago priest embodied the Vincentian values he learned as a youth at DePaul. The presence of this memorial will serve to remind us that our Vincentian values are activist values.”

The statue is the work of nationally acclaimed artist Margot McMahon. The Oak Park resident said that Egan became a mentor to her and her husband, Dan Burke, after he officiated at their marriage in 1988. Egan was also her advisor for one of her most popular works titled, “Just Plain Hardworking,” a series of busts of 10 Chicagoans who made a difference. Included in the series are a black steelworker and a gospel singer, a Chinese housing developer, a Mexican artist, an Irish monsignor (Egan) and a Swedish homemaker. The collection opened at the Chicago Historical Society and is now on permanent exhibition at DePaul’s Egan Urban Center, 243 S. Wabash Ave., 9th floor.

“What he taught me was to look into your conscience, look at yourself and what you have to offer, then don’t be afraid to stand up and say what you think,” she said. McMahon wanted the sculpture of Egan, which conveys a lively, action-oriented figure, to beckon the question: “What are you doing for justice?” She said she entitled her work “A Twentieth Century Priest,” because Egan is a shining example of the work that dedicated clergy do every day. McMahon relied mostly on memory, drawing on images of Egan from the era that they worked together. For proportions, she used photographs from the opening of “Just Plain Hardworking” and some snapshots her father took while traveling in South Africa with Egan in 1984. To portray Egan as an organizer, she placed great emphasis on his hands, which are clasped in front of him and seem to be gesturing: “Come on, let’s get going!”

McMahon, whose father, Franklin McMahon, is also an artist, models her figures in clay and has them cast in metal and concrete. Other public works by McMahon include: “Holy Family,” “Offering,” “Font,” “Breastplate of St. Patrick,” “Ambry,” “Celtic Cross” “Creche,” and “Fourteen Stations of the Cross” for the St. Patrick Church in Lake Forest; “Father and Child” for the Homewood Flossmoor Park District; and “John D. MacArthur” for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundationsof Chicago and North Palm Beach, Fla.

A digital screen depicting Egan’s life story – as part of the university’s “Windows to DePaul” campus-wide displays – will be permanently positioned in the northeast window overlooking the plaza where the bronze statue is installed. A 10-minute video of the creation and casting of the sculpture will be included on this screen. A reception will follow the dedication at 1:30 p.m. in Cortelyou Commons, 2324 N. Fremont St. A video tape of the casting of the sculpture will be broadcast in the South Room of Cortelyou during the reception.

The dedication and reception are free and open to the public. Those planning to attend should R.S.V.P. by calling 312/362-5264 or emailing mbaranci@depaul.edu by April 16.

Editors’ Note: Digital images of the sculpture are available upon request.