The most gentle priest, bought an orange Sacred Heart of Jesus original print on vintage fabric from me at the Catholic All Year Advent Market.
I saw him shopping at other booths and was both surprised and delighting that one of our local clergy was interested in the market and came out to support it.
He stopped by my booth and looked carefully at all the work. He had a contemplative look on his face, taking everything in. As he was leaving, he said he would be back, and he was.
We were able to chat more on his second visit. I found out which parish he was from and that he had an amazing memory, he knew every priest (there are 5) that are assigned to my parish.
He wore a Sacred Heart of Jesus metal pinned to his cassock, so I asked him about it. He said his mother starting pinning one on and that gave him the idea. He wasn’t sure if he was going to keep the piece for himself or give it to his mother.
I was both humbled and honored for my work to be purchased by this priest.
Ask your priest about art!
Your parish priest will surprise you, I promise!
Our previous pastor had been a graphic designer before be joined the priesthood. We truly do have the best designed bulletin in the diocese! He is also a painter, making icons for the church sanctuary to complete a renovation and painting photo-realistic water colors of Italian churches. I emailed him once, to thank him for all of the fine art he had brought to our church, he confessed to me that he was really an abstract expressionist. Think splashes of color on a canvas and comments like “my kid could do that.”
Our current pastor schooled me in the church library after I complimented a painting. It was a master copy that he really loved and was excited to tell me all about it! I had to do a little research later to find out about the piece.
My brother-in-law recently got married at St. Mary of the Annunciation in Charleston, South Carolina. I was really excited to see the church in person, the artwork looked beautiful online. During the wedding rehearsal there was a lull and I had the chance to ask the priest about all of the paintings. He didn’t hesitate to tell me all about the paintings and answer my questions. Some of the paintings, like the crucifix, are originals by a local artist, John S. Cogdell. Other pieces, are master copies by an Italian artist Caesare Porta, some are modeled after Fra Angelico others the source is unknown. He went on to tell me more about the stations of the cross and that some had been damaged and were restored by amateurs. What he was meaning was, the person who restored the damaged stations of the cross couldn’t paint and he was correct.
I have a minor in art history and am generally interested in art, so these sorts of art conversations just come naturally to me. But, don’t be afraid to bring up art with your parish priest, they are a wealth of knowledge!
Wool Folk Studio 