Rita Warren, Capitol Hill's stalwart 'Jesus Lady,' dies at 92

WASHINGTON – Rita Warren, a committed faith activist more commonly known on Capitol Hill as Jesus Lady, died Sept. 1 at the age of 92.

Beginning in 1979, Warren regularly hauled a life-size Jesus mannequin to the steps of the Capitol to share her message of faith with passersby.

Her decadeslong crusade made her a fixture of faith-based activism in Washington. If it was Thursday, you could count on Jesus Lady to be camped out just a stone's throw from the House chamber, with her statue of Christ in tow.

For more than 40 years, Warren was a part of the fabric of life for lawmakers, staffers and lobbyists entering the Capitol from the south entrance.

"My mother was her happiest when she was on Capitol Hill," Warren's daughter, Teresa Pepin, told CQ Roll Call on Tuesday.

She had love for the countless Capitol Police officers who spent some of the most time with her over the years. Their shift station is mere feet from where she erected the Jesus mannequin each week.

Tourists and students on school trips would flock to take photos with her and Jesus. She is undoubtedly featured in thousands of vacation photo albums, all over the world.

Warren was no stranger to controversy, sparring with the House sergeant-at-arms over demonstration rules and making public pleas to former Speaker John Boehner.

She wrote to demand that the Ohio Republican address her plan to have British actor Robert Powell recite the Sermon on the Mount scene from "Jesus of Nazareth" for congressional lawmakers in the House chamber.

"When I get done with Boehner, he won't have much of a choice but to say 'yes,' " she predicted to CQ Roll Call in 2015.

But Boehner did not respond to her demands, and the star of the 1977 TV miniseries "Jesus of Nazareth" did not address the 114th Congress.

As the security posture ramped up on the Hill over the years, it affected Warren's demonstrations and led to drawn-out disagreements with House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving.

"If I have to get arrested on Good Friday … we will be making history," she told CQ Roll Call at the time, about her plans to erect the giant wooden cross. "It takes two or three men to carry it," she noted.

"After 39 years you think I'm going to find a new spot for Jesus? You've got to be kidding me," said Warren.