"Suscipe" was named for a Latin word that translates to “Take, oh Lord” ; the word opens a prayer from the fourth week of the Ignatian exercises. It was originally installed in the summer of 1985 on top of the St. John’s Fountain, which shares a plaza with the church entrance on the Creighton University Campus. Sculptor Jonathon Haschka designed the bronze sculpture specifically for the fountain, matching its proportions to those of the church.

The sculpture was removed from the site after just one week, most likely in response to a perceived controversy over the androgynous appearance of the figure, and because the form was nude. The sculpture was moved from location to location around the campus, then placed in storage, before finally being installed in its current location between the Hitchcock and the Eppley buildings on the Creighton campus.