MICHIGAN CITY – “This one is so special. When that painting left my house, I cried. I miss that painting,” confessed Andrea Bojrab.
The Fort Wayne artist, and sister to Queen of All Saints pastor Father David Kime, expressed her feelings about her painting, Mary, Queen of All Saints, which she completed for her brother and the QAS parish.
Although Bojrab shed a few tears, she knows the painting will bring much joy to those who gaze upon it.
Located near the main nave entrance, the nearly 7-foot-tall by 6-foot-wide painting was unveiled and blessed by Bishop Robert J. McClory during a Mass on Dec. 8 for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The painting is flanked by relics of saints.
Already etched in Father Kime’s mind for a few years, the idea for the painting began to take shape as the artistic siblings discussed the fine details of the image during a road trip to Georgia for a family gathering.
“He was all excited,” Bojrab recalled. “He had eight saints in mind. And that's what it was going to be, eight or ten saints. That’s it.”
The decision on what size to make the painting and which saints to include soon created a little sibling rivalry. When one would suggest a saint, the other would counter with a saint of their own. When the cast of saints to be portrayed in the painting numbered 30, Bojrab declared, “We have reached our maximum capacity for that canvas.”
“I'm working on it, and I'm like, 'I got to put that saint in.’ I kept adding levels of new saints, putting them in the back. Then he found out I was adding saints, so he added saints. It finally got to the point when one day he said no more saints,” said Bojrab.
Or so they thought.
“I was almost done with it, and he called me and said, ‘Saint Margaret Clitherow. You got to get her in – she's from England,’” laughed Bojrab, referencing the family’s English heritage.
Saints representing many countries, ethnic groups, and time periods are included to appeal to all who gaze upon the painting.
Bojrab worked on the painting on and off for nearly nine months. It was more than a labor of love for the artist, as she soon found herself bonded with the saints.
“It was a very powerful painting, that image,” Bojrab said, “just the intimacy I had with the saints and the Blessed Mother and Jesus as I was painting. Every saint I painted, I felt like I had a personal relationship with. It was really amazing – and they helped me. Every one of them, I prayed and asked for their intercession on how they wanted to look. You know, it came out beautiful.”.
Father Kime and Bojrab hope the painting will enrich the faith lives of those who gaze upon it.
“My feelings are that people can connect with these saints, maybe have their faith grow, maybe have their prayers answered, or even if their prayers aren't answered, that they may get something spiritual out of it – they may get closer to God, and get to know God better through the saints,” Bojrab shared.
Father Kime explained how the parish didn’t have an official image of Mary, Queen of All Saints.
“I wanted to have Mary, Queen of All Saints, along with a representative image of some of the more popular, well-known saints from different cultures, different continents, different walks of life, to sort of manifest that we have Mary, Queen of All Saints – of all the saints,” he said.
He shared how Mary is the mother of the entire world and of all of us. The saints represent lay people, young people, old people, priests, religious, and missionaries. Some of the saints included are St Teresa of Jesus, St. Isidore the Farmer, St. Padre Pio, Pope St. John Paul II, and St. Roch.
“We included a broad spectrum of every type of person; you can find someone in there that you can relate to and say, ‘I'm also called to be a saint,’” said Father Kime.
He noted that the painting related to the parish’s mission and what they’re called to do.
“I think it coincides with the motto of our parish, which is, Be saints, Make saints. It's the heart of the ministry of evangelization and discipleship. It's all related to missionary discipleship,” said Father Kime.
A little bit of sibling joking came with accolades when Father Kime praised his sister on the finished work.
“It’s beautiful,” he gleamed. “I've been painting for about the last six years now. And I love it. I'm not nearly as talented as my sister, obviously. You started when you were 16 - but whatever.”
Parishioners were gifted a reprint of the painting. Members of the parish’s youth group presented Bishop McClory with a framed copy of the painting at the end of Mass.
Bishop McClory praised the work of Bojrad.
“This is a very beautiful, tremendous image of Mary, Queen of All Saints,” he said. “What's really distinctive about it is not just a gorgeous depiction of the Blessed Virgin, but it includes such a wide variety of saints.”
“Any of us will find ourselves in that image because we know that she wants us to be saints and she was the same. And then we draw others into that living encounter with yourself,” added the bishop.
Bishop McClory led those gathered in consecrating the parish and the people to Our Lady. In his homily, the bishop stressed Mary’s role in our lives.
“As we honor Mary, we get drawn closer to her son.
So, for Mary, there are two things that we do. First, we honor her, as is appropriate. Secondly, we imitate her virtues, and in that, we try to become saints.”
Caption: Bishop Robert J. McClory receives a framed copy of the painting Mary, Queen of All Saints from members of the QAS youth group during Mass on Dec. 8. (Deacon Bob Wellinski photo)
