Florida Catholic | Evangelizing The Artist

Evangelizing the artist – a call to sacred work

JENNIFER POWERS | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 07.03.08

Scott Stafstrom’s <em>The Narrow Gate</em> is an acrylic on canvas with stone accents. The original painting is 36 inches by 48 inches.

Courtesy of Scott Stafstrom
Scott Stafstrom’s The Narrow Gate is an acrylic on canvas with stone accents. The original painting is 36 inches by 48 inches. It was inspired by a Marriage Encounter weekend Stafstrom attended with his wife, Tina. It represents their journey of life together.

ORLANDO | From Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling to the liturgical music of Mozart to Dante’s Divine Comedy, Catholic artists have made an invaluable contribution to the church and the world.

Historically, Catholic art was designed to evangelize and catechize those who were unable to read or had no access to books. Today, as our society and world become increasingly secularized and replete with competing messages, the need for religious art has become as important for evangelizing the people of our modern day as it was long ago.

Scott Stafstrom, an artist and parishioner at Annunication, would agree. In fact, it has become his mission. Stafstrom, who exhibited at the Festival of Faith in May, said he wants artists to embrace their calling and pursue sacred works along with him. His hope is to create a community of artists who have the desire to do a religious piece, but never had the encouragement to do so.

Stafstrom, whose specialty is in mural paintings, found his encouragement from a letter written by Pope John Paul II to artists in 1999. The letter invites “those who have this kind of divine spark which is an artistic vocation as poet, writer, sculptor, architect, musician, actor and so on … not to waste his talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbor and of humanity as a whole.”

“It is not about me,” said Stafstrom, “that would be too limiting. It’s about reaching out to other artists and letting them know they have a calling, too. Art needs the church and the church needs art,” Stafstrom said.

If you are an artist and would like to join in this mission, or want to see some of Stafstrom’s work, visit his Web site, www.catholicartsource.com.

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Evangelizing the artist – a call to sacred work

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