“The Mirror of Hope” — a panoramic sculptural history of Bible stories — has transfixed visitors to the first floor gallery at the University of Dayton’s Roesch Library for more than a decade.

The sculpture couples the imagination of the Rev. Johann Roten with artist Kevin Hanna’s attention to detail. This Catholic and Protestant collaboration has been a resounding success.

The piece covers a lot of ground, from creation, to the ill-conceived Tower of Babel, to the birth of Jesus and his crucifixion.

It attracts many visitors, including Sharonda Payne, who recently led a group of eight through U.D.’s 2012 “At the Manger” exhibit.

“I’m speechless, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Payne, a production support associate at People with Disabilities. “The creativity is amazing; the display is absolutely beautiful. Seeing the different parts of the Bible, and then seeing Jesus on the cross almost puts tears in my eyes.”

Indeed, the sculptural installation features expressive faces, exquisite detail and historical settings.

“U.D. is known for its collection of Nativities, but I wanted to have something special. I had seen Kevin’s artwork in Time magazine,” said Roten, who emigrated to America from Switzerland when he was in his late 40s. “I told him, ‘Make the sculpture prominent with the opposition between the poor people and the rich people. But make it in such a way that it is open to everyone.’ ”

Between dozens of calls between the artist in Connecticut and the reverend at U.D., the panoramic installation started with the Nativity scene. And it grew, expanded and multiplied from that starting point. The celestial bodies hover above Jesus’ birth and make the connection to Jerusalem, a city with spires pointing upwards to heaven.

If a viewer looks closely enough at the building of one of them, then they may see is a nod to U.D., as well.

“It’s the silhouette of U.D.’s Immaculate Conception Chapel. We are looking at our very own mirror of hope in present day. This university can help people make it to heaven,” he said.

The sculpture also encompasses many of the well-known Bible stories, such as Jesus teaching in the temple, the wedding feast in Cana and the woman at the well. The installation also includes an event that is not in the Bible — Jesus as a 5-year-old playing in the dirt with Mary and Joseph nearby.

“It’s in the apocryphal gospel. Jesus forms birds from clay and throws them in the air, and they begin to fly away,” said Roten. “He’s a little boy, but at the same time he’s more than a little boy.”

Just as the Mirror of Hope is more than just another spiritual artwork. Descriptions pale in comparison to the real installation. Hanna is adept not only in exquisite artistry, but also in conveying true emotion.

The work is so expansive that it deserves its own book. So Roten wrote a 110-page historical description of how it came to be: “The Mirror of Hope” was published this year. The book includes photography by Robert Beckman Breen and was designed by Ann E. Zlotnik, a U.D. alumnus.

Roten recently held a book signing at the sculpture site in the library.

The book includes more information about Hanna, the artist. Here is an excerpt from the book:

“It began in 1996 with the commission of a nativity set. Little did I know what it meant to commission Kevin Hanna,” wrote Roten. “He is a deeply religious soul. In Kevin’s hands religion becomes visual and tangible. Religion becomes art.”

Roten was director of the International Marian Research Institute and the Marian Library for 21 years. In that time he added thousands of items to the library and increased the institute’s academic program. He also spearheaded the electronic Mary Page (www.udayton/mary) in 1996. This religious studies program attracts about 360,000 visitors a year, offering information in English, French, Spanish, Korean and Chinese.

Roten himself is a learned gentleman who can speak six languages. But his best language is one of visually communicating what’s most important in today’s world: faith as a mirror of hope.