You wonder if the guys at St. John the Baptist Friary ever feel like they’re living in a museum. There is plenty of wall space in those very long halls, and almost every inch of it is covered with paintings. Nothing unusual about that, until you consider the source of the artwork: It’s the friars who live there.

Over the past year we’ve heard jokes about the growing “art colony” at SJB Friary in Sharonville. (If you visit, bring your own beret.)  It all started when Fr. Jim Van Vurst, whose watercolor landscapes adorn offices throughout the province, and Bro. Martin Humphreys, known for his bold abstract acrylics, moved into the same house. When the sisters at St. Joseph Home gave the two of them some much-needed studio space in the old convent, the paint began to fly. It was soon obvious that these two were rubbing off on each other. At Marty’s urging, Jim started dabbling in abstracts, employing techniques that gave him the latitude to make his work more experiential than literal.  “I tried it before, but I never knew how to do it,” Jim says. Next it was Fr. Mel Holtel’s turn. Taking up a paintbrush, he produced a lush, vibrant portrait of an exotic bird in a tropical landscape, rendered in the primitive style of Grandma Moses. 

What’s happened since April is the real story.  Sidelined from golf by knee surgery, Fr. Bill Reichel decided to try his hand at painting. Thirty canvases later, he says, “I like it better than golf.” The abstract work he has produced so far—he figures he’s done 30 paintings—is surprisingly accomplished, bursting with color and vitality, the product of a discerning eye and a lively sense of humor.  “Marty was the one who encouraged me,” says Bill, who considers himself a rank amateur. Ask him, “How would you describe the green in that painting?” and he says, “You’ll have to ask those guys; they’re colorists.” 

 The obvious question, the one that artists hear all the time is, “What does it mean?” The easy answer is that abstract paintings are more evocative than representational. Jim’s recent paintings reflect the complexity of life and the universe. Marty’s symbolic work mirrors his mood:  His post-Katrina paintings convey a visceral sense of despair at the vagaries of nature.  Bill’s often-upbeat renderings are the product of an optimistic soul. As Marty says, “Sometimes the meaning of the picture doesn’t come out until later on,” after it’s finished.  Explaining their subject matter, Bill quotes Marty, who told him, “You have to take what the spirit gives you.” And once you get going, “You surprise yourself.”

There is a tendency for artistic friars to sound apologetic about what they do or to minimize its importance.  In the eyes of some of the brothers, it’s just not practical. “I think it’s a legitimate ministry,” Marty says, because “you want to get it to other people.” He and Jim have been selling their work for years, and Bill is in the process of finding his audience.

Having these guys together in one house has been a blessing for all of them. Art is one bond to brotherhood—a subject to share, to discuss, to explore.  Let’s face it:  Some men have trouble expressing themselves. But when you paint a picture, you’re laying it all out there for everyone to see and possibly judge. It takes nerve to paint a picture, to hang it on the wall, to offer it for sale.  “It is intimidating to see a big white canvas,” Marty admits. The good thing is, “In the process of art, you can start anywhere you want.”

For neophyte Bill, painting has one big advantage over his old hobby, photography. “A million things like this have been painted,” he says, pointing to one of his works, “but they’re not exactly the same.”

Spoken like a true artist.

Martin Humphreys:  The French expressionist Georges Rouault. He sought to express the inner feelings rather than the outer reality.

Bill Reichel:  Van Gogh (social injustice) and Gerhard Richter (minimalist abstractionism; great emotional weight).

Jim Van Vurst:  Favorite painters are really some of the classical watercolorists, e.g. John Singer Sargent, as well as several I took workshops from. Ron Ranson, an English watercolorist, gave me my start with his first video and book, Watercolor, Pure and Simple.  Another was Zoltan Szabo, a world famous Hungarian (recently deceased) from whom I took a five-day workshop in North Carolina. I had the chance to visit his home and see his gallery, which was awe-inspiring. I like both of these painters because they are good teachers and their work is well known. Ron Ranson is famous for his simple style and materials, i.e., just three brushes and seven colors. Right now there are dozens of watercolor demonstration tapes available and these are an excellent way of learning since you can watch them over and over again.

Bill: Knee surgery.

Jim: Actually, I started when I was finished with my “life as Vicar Provincial.” I lived at the motherhouse where I worked and as a result never got away from my work. I needed something to take me away from it. In 1989, Jeremy (Harrington) and I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum to view the traveling Munich art show. I was always interested in painting but had not done any. Watercolor was what intrigued me especially. On our way out, I picked up a brochure for adult ed courses offered at the Art Academy. I took a course in drawing and got acquainted with other students and teachers who were encouraging. I found the video by Ron Ranson shortly afterward at the Cincinnati Library and dove in. As expected there were some moments of frustration and temptations to give up. But I stayed with it and soon was doing some decent kinds of paintings.

Marty:  If the calling is strong enough, one is compelled to follow it. In a way, the path is chosen for you.

Jim:  Painting has made me almost automatically view the world as “potential painting scenes.” There is something about rendering a view in paint, simplifying it, enhancing it, and making it your own that is intriguing and entertaining. I have found a great deal of enjoyment in giving watercolor demos to various groups, e.g., nursing and retirement homes. Everyone likes to see a painting take place before their eyes. I’ve noticed that people get very quiet when they are watching. I think they are intrigued by what they see….and it seems so simple. I have used my watercolor painting and a demo as one of my retreat talks entitled “Watercolor Painting as an Image of Life.”  There are so many aspects of painting that lend themselves to reflection: e.g., the variety of colors and the variety of life; small brushes as well as large brushes can make significant strokes and highlights in a painting.

Marty:  It gave me a greater understanding of God’s presence in all things.

Bill: Yes—what an artist God is!

Marty:  I hope they will detect a spirituality brought about through the substance of paint.

Jim:  Whether it is one of my abstract paintings or a landscape, I hope my paintings can be viewed with pleasure and enjoyment. Sometimes the abstract can symbolize the complexity of life, where lights and darks can symbolize its ups and downs.  Also, with a brilliant abstract painting, done with liquid watercolors, the eye can dance around the painting one day and come back again and see new things the next day. In landscape paintings, I like to think of the viewer being invited into the scene and explore the surrounding areas, e.g., the field, behind the trees, inside the house. Most of all, I would like my paintings simply to be pleasing and give enjoyment.

Bill:  I hope they might like the work enough to take away the work and leave a check.

Bro. Norbert Bertram was on hand the weekend of Nov. 12-13 to help with food service at the final event scheduled at Friarhurst Retreat House, an Engaged Encounter for eight couples. “This was a long and successful ministry for the friars,” he says.  “It was a little sad. At the end I knew it was the last meal after 57 years.” At the candlelight dinner that weekend, Norbert wished the couples luck in the future, saying, “I hope you last as long as they did here.”

On Oct. 30, Fr. Jack Wintz was one of a handful of Christians and Jews who joined more than 100 Muslims at the West Chester Mosque (Cincinnati) to break their month-long fast at the second annual Ramadan Interfaith Iftar banquet. “We have to do these kinds of things more often,” Jack told a reporter from the Cincinnati Enquirer who covered the event. “It is important to get to know other people, especially in light of what is going on in the world.”

After seeing firsthand the devastation from the October earthquakes in northern Pakistan, friar Samson Shukardin, Custos of St. John the Baptist Vice Province, sent us his impressions last month in the form of an e-mail. He says that the dead are still being counted—landslides made some areas inaccessible—but estimates on loss of life are as high as 100,000. More than 3 million people were left homeless. Teams from Catholic Relief Services are working around the clock as winter sets in. Donate online at www.crs.org, call 1-800-736-3467, or mail a check to:  Catholic Relief Services; P.O. Box 17090; Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090 (memo line: South Asian Earthquake Response).To donate to the International Response Fund of the American Red Cross, call 1-800-HELP-NOW or send donations to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.

Work has started in earnest on the renovation of Sacred Heart Church in Peoria, as Fr. Bert Heise wrote in a recent e-mail. “The church is now completely stripped. The benches are in storage and will be restored and put back in. The altars will go to other churches except for the marble altar of sacrifice, which is from the original church. The organ could not be restored and has been destroyed. The surprise is that there were three large windows that it covered up. The sun now shines brightly all the way to the sanctuary. The floor is concrete on the aisles. This week they will be pouring concrete over the rest of the flooring. Then they can bring in all the scaffolding. This past week they had two big trucks next to our building sucking dirt out from under church. What a noise!” For the time being, “The noon Mass is down the block at the Twin Towers. Have about 30 people a day. Should grow as people find us.”

Fr. Don Miller has an invitation for you:  “Brothers, we have been featuring a ‘My Journey’ piece on the Franciscan Formation page under the Vocation Page on our provincial web site, franciscan.org. So far all of the men in temporary profession and the novitiate have written a brief article on how they discerned their call to be a Franciscan. Now it is time to open the spot up to the solemnly professed in the province. So…would you be so kind, if you are inclined to do so, to write a paragraph or so concerning how it came to be that you are a member of the province? I personally like to use a template for this kind of task, so you might want to check the web site for a model to follow (at www.franciscan.org/vocations/franciscan_formation.asp). The intent of this feature is to let those thinking about joining us know a little about how we got here; about ‘My Journey.’ Thanks in advance for your help. You can e-mail the finished product to me at the Vocation Office: sjbvocations@franciscan.org.”

Last month Fr. Murray Bodo was one of the award-winning poets invited to read their work as part of a special series at the University of Cincinnati sponsored by the George Elliston Poetry Foundation and the Department of English. Murray read from his poetry collections The Earth Moves at Midnight and Icarus in Assisi. The Elliston series dates back to the 1920s and boasts Robert Frost as an early participant. 

After hearing that Holy Rosary Parish in Houma had adopted three families evacuated from Hurricane Katrina, the residents of St. Leonard’s Community in Centerville collected more than $5,000 to help with their expenses. Many of them had stayed in touch with Pastor Joe Rigali, former sacramental minister at St. Leonard’s.  In addition, employees at St. Leonard’s collected 35 boxes of non-perishables, hygiene items and bed linens for the adopted families. Their generosity was reported in the Neighbors section of the Oct. 27 issue of the Dayton Daily News.

O Lord Jesus, this Christmas, we thank you:
For food as we remember the hungry,
For health as we remember the sick,
For friends as we remember the friendless,
For freedom as we remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service, that
your many gifts to us may be used for others.