Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven.
~ Matthew 5:16

How might we tell a story about our values and value?

The deeds and words of our saints, of our martyrs and mystics and philosophers, of our makers community, be they visual artists, poets, or writers, of our teachers and wise elders, of our congregants and our neighbors: these comprise those “great clouds of witnesses” in whom we might see ourselves, our hands inviting and open, our halos mostly askew, our mission to partner, collaborate, inspire, and serve.

This special exhibition, “Celebrating Our Community of Saints, has been created for St. Michaels’s 75th Anniversary. It aims to show us ourselves in the images of those who throughout our long communal history have offered us examples to live by. Few of us aspire to sainthood in the traditional sense, even far fewer, perhaps, to martyrdom; yet, the men and women whose names and portraits appear in this exhibition — Saints Michael and Luke and George, Patrick of Ireland, Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Calcutta; civil and human rights activists Elizabeth Ann Seton, Frederick Douglass, Dorothy Day, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis; poets Sylvia Plath and Mary Oliver; writers James Baldwin and Thomas Merton; philosophers and thinkers Jean-Paul Sartre, Frederick Buechner, Oscar Romero, Henri Nouwen; leaders Joan of Arc, Theodore Roosevelt, Desmond Tutu — once were as we are still: the builders, the administrators and instructors, the advocates and doers, the evangelists and the prayerful, the givers who in service to others walk alongside God.

We are both privileged and delighted to welcome to our anniversary celebration the artists Dana Ellyn, Elise Ritter, Christopher Santer, Kathleen Stark, Kreg Yingst, and George Ziobro. Collectively, these makers show us the many and varied faces in whom we might or do recognize ourselves. Their portraits, no two alike, speak to the diversity we cultivate, the vulnerabilities we expose, the dialogues we inspire, the issues we attend to, the good deeds we do. Look at these portraits and celebrate you, for in this “one body with many parts” we make room where before there was none.

Maureen Doallas
Curator
Leader, Arts & Faith Ministry

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) 

On the occasion of St. Michael’s 75thanniversary, we have had the opportunity to reflect on those who have come before us, those who are here now, and those for whom we are working to build the kingdom. What we find are not models of perfection, but a diversity of gifts and faithfulness that have been shaped by God’s grace. 

In the Episcopal Church, we celebrate traditional feast days of recognizable saints, such as Mary, Peter, and Michael. We also have liturgical resources that lift up the examples we find in the Great Cloud of Witnesses. 

The Prayer Book shows a great reluctance to define the term [saints] or to make specific identifications. The Catechism touches on this issue only briefly, identifying the communion of the saints in broad relational terms: “The communion of saints is the whole family of God, the living and the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in Christ by sacrament, prayer, and praise.” In Christian language throughout the ages, “saint” has carried two referents, a general one that applies to the whole Church—which is the meaning invoked here—and a more specific one that applies to individuals who have been identified as “chosen vessels of [God’s] grace and the lights of the world in their generations” from among their fellows. This ambiguity is appropriate to the range of theologies around sainthood and holiness within The Episcopal Church. While some Episcopalians actively venerate the saints, others hold positions proceeding from Reformation desires to reform the cults of saints, such as those found in the Thirty-Nine Articles (Article XXII, BCP, 872). In other words, the ambiguity exists for the sake of inclusivity and maintains the Anglican tradition of a comprehensive approach to questions not decisively settled by Scripture and the teaching of the received ecumenical councils.[1]

The concept for this exhibit comes from our Episcopal understanding of sainthood – that all are potential vessels of holiness because of the gift of God’s grace. Our hope is that the artwork, which will be displayed alongside photos of parishioners past and present in the parish hall, will provoke curiosity for the saints alongside whom we have, and do, and will walk. 

I am deeply thankful for the thoughtful curation of this exhibit by the leader of the St. Michael’s Arts and Faith Ministry, Maureen Doallas. As usual, she has summoned the talents of a diverse group of artists, who greatly enrich our world view with their work. A tremendous thanks to Dana Ellyn, Elise Ritter, Christopher Santer, Kathleen Stark, Kreg Yingst, and George Ziobro for their generosity and contributions. The celebration of this anniversary leaves me inspired by those who have gone before, grateful for those who I am privileged to lead alongside, and hopeful for those who will come after us. May time spent among these saints serve as a window into the depth and breadth of God’s faithful people. 

Beth Franklin
Rector, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church

Dana Ellyn
My portrait of the Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre came about after I read a biography of five extraordinary female painters of the 20th Century, “Ninth Street Women.” I learned that Existentialism appealed to the Abstract Expressionists who were creating in New York during the post-World War II era. 

The other two paintings in the exhibition were created on actual book pages. Being an avid reader, my studio is overflowing with books. Some cross over from being reading material to becoming art supplies. I noticed that poet Sylvia Plath was not included on the index pages of the “Greatest Books of the Western World” so I made this contribution to correct history. On the index page of “Great Ideas,” the concept of happiness simply seemed to fit the smiling image of Teddy Roosevelt, someone I’ve painted many times over the years and whose actions as a conservationist and naturalist I enjoy learning about.

In addition to my love of painting, I am also passionate about reading, cooking, eating, and exercising.

Elise Ritter
An artist and a Christian, I am honored to have my paintings in St. Michael’s anniversary exhibition.

It is through St. Michael’s Arts & Faith Ministry that I met Christine Valters Paintner. Christine is one of the world’s most acclaimed Christian contemplative teachers and authors. She has written many inspirational books and curates a Website called Abbey of the Arts (https://abbeyofthearts.com), based in Galway, Ireland.

Christine selected a painting of mine to appear on the cover of her latest book, “The Love of Thousands: Angels, Saints and Ancestors.” The paintings I submitted for St. Michael’s —“Messenger,” “Community,” and “St. Rose” — reflect the theme both of Christine’s book and St. Michael’s exhibit.

I love the title of Christine’s book, “The Love of Thousands: Angels, Saints and Ancestors.” And doesn’t the art exhibition reflect this same topic? There are angels all around us, and they minister to us. People who are caring and loving are saints in our lives. And supportive family members, both those living and those not, nurture us.

The minister and congregation of St. Michael’s are saints, and it is fitting and right that this exhibition honor them. 

Christopher Santer
“The Portraits of Saints” series began as a commission for St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2008, and I have continued to add to the collection since completing the initial commission of 75 portraits in the year 2015. (The current series total is 115.) I had created a smaller series of saints in charcoal a few years before the seminary commission but for the new series, I decided to begin in black-colored pencil to achieve greater detail. My goal for all the saints is to make them appear as real as possible (which they were, or are), to depict them as if you could meet them on the street (which people certainly did, and sometimes still do, in each saint’s lifetime). Depending on the saint, I also try to infuse each with a sense of joy, humility, or a “knowing look” rooted in the saint’s deep relationship with Jesus.

I research each saint and his or her traditions, looking to iconography and earlier depictions to decide on “essential” qualities or elements to include, such as important symbols the saint holds, period clothing, ethnicity, hair style, age, etc. For saints who lived after the emergence of photography, I simply choose my favorite photo of each and work from that. The challenge for these latter is different from the earlier saints in that I am drawing from very familiar photos and thus need to capture the likeness rather precisely.

It has been an honor and a humbling experience to build this series, reflecting on the saints’ lives and knowing that we still can meet them on the street.

Kathleen Stark
Saint Barnabas is the patron saint of, as well as the name of, my home church, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Annandale, Virginia. 

When I began thinking of what to paint for St. Michael’s exhibit, St. Barnabas immediately came to mind. I thought about what kind of man he was, and why he played such an important role in the entire “Book of Acts.” If Barnabas had not listened to God’s voice, Paul might have stayed in Tarsus. Peter and James might have continued to believe that Jesus was only for the Jews. Christianity would have spread more slowly throughout the world, if at all.

Today, there are many people who carry on St. Barnabas’s work as diplomats, reconcilers, teachers, and role models for what a “true Christian” should be. They do not only speak God’s words but try to live by God’s words. These modern St. Barnabases are the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus in this world. They are St. Barnabas today.

Kreg Yingst
In prayer and stillness, before icons, we see the incarnational light. 
~ Linette Martin

I began creating icons, or portraits of faith, at the beginning of 2013. Initially, I made these as a New Year’s resolution: a means of confronting the darkness I was seeing around me and, more specifically, as a direct response to the Sandy Hook School shootings. Through art, I wanted to bring light and healing: something that could be seen and touched, with prayers that could be spoken often by those who read them.

My spiritual devotion became this: Find a prayer — one per week — meditate on it, draw it, carve it, print it, and paint it. Each image would feature the saint, mystic, or poet who spoke it. By the end of the year, I had completed 52 prints.

For the next few years, I’d occasionally complete a new print. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, it became another opportunity to focus on this essential spiritual discipline. 

These sacred art prints, like those of my “Psalms” series, allow me to slow down, be silent, and pray.

George Ziobro
A chemist, I experiment. No two of my icons are the same because I constantly experiment with materials, colors, and painting styles. As do all experiments, some of mine succeed and others, well . . . The one thing constant in my work is that I try to stay true to Eastern churches’ canon for iconography.

Painting icons is a form of prayer. One cannot work on an image for 20 hours to 100 hours without reflecting on the scene or the saint and the saint’s importance to the Christian faith community. Each brush stroke in an icon incorporates not only my own hopes, joys, and sorrows but also those of the people who ask me to pray for them.

Dana Ellyn
Dana Ellyn is an American contemporary artist known for her bold and thought-provoking paintings. She has been a Washington, D.C., resident since 1989 and a full-time painter since 2002, when she left her corporate job to pursue her passion as a painter. Her work often focuses on social and political issues, delivering powerful visual messages.

Dana maintains a downtown studio in the District of Columbia, where she both paints and lives, and is one of D.C.’s most successful established artists. Her work is widely collected by history buffs, animal rights activists, and a growing number of art enthusiasts of all tastes around the world.

Dana’s inventory of current work can be seen online on her Website.

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Elise Ritter
Elise Ritter, an award-winning artist who divides her time between Arlington, Va., and Portland, Ore., paints luminous landscapes, seascapes, and mystical images. Her goal for her art is to elicit emotional responses and awaken memories.

A juried member of Studio 10 Artists, Potomac Valley Watercolorists, and Arlington Artists Alliance, Elise exhibits her work regularly at Sterling Framing & Gallery and Gallery Underground, both in Arlington. She also sells her paintings on Fine Art America.

Elise’s work has been published, featured in articles and on covers of many books and magazines, purchased by New York curators, and collected internationally — in Ireland, New Zealand, China, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Elise began her watercolor studies while living in the Chesapeake Bay region, painting seascapes, boats, beaches, and seabirds. After returning to her beloved Arlington/Washington, D.C., she expanded her portfolio to include acrylics and collage, filling her canvases with mystical imagery, transcendent landscapes, and colorful abstracts. Her work has been juried into Virginia’s Best Artists and Virginia Watercolor Society shows, and her paintings have been on view in the Richmond State Capitol Building.

In her previous career, Elise was director of editorial resources at Time-Life Books, production manager at New Republic magazine, and a counselor at The Women’s Center. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a M.S.W. in clinical social work.

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Christopher Santer
Christopher Santer has made drawings of more than 100 different saints and figures from the Gospels, bringing them to life with a realness that gives you the sense that you could encounter these holy people on the street.

Christopher has exhibited works in galleries and museums across the country, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston, and Miami. He has shipped prints of his work, available at pacemstudio.com, to all 50 states and 12 foreign countries.

Christopher is a recipient of the 2004 McKnight Foundation Fellowship (Minneapolis, MN), and his work has been featured in the bi-monthly publication “New American Paintings” (#47).

A graduate of Ohio University, which awarded him a master’s in fine art degree, and the University of Dayton, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in fine art, Christopher is an art instructor at Providence Academy, Plymouth, Minnesota. He continues to work out of his studio in St. Paul. His full body of work can be seen at christophersanter.com.

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Kathleen Stark
Kathleen Stark has been an active artist for more than 35 years. She studied art at The Corcoran School of Art and Design, The University of Hawaii, and privately in the many countries where she has lived. She is a member of The Fairfax Art League (FAL), The Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, and The Episcopal Church Center for The Visual Arts.

Stark has shown most recently at a Fairfax Art League group show at the Ice House Gallery in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. She was accepted into two Art Impact International juried shows, “The Pandemic” and “Joy Within,” in the summer and fall of 2020. In addition, she was accepted in The Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts October 2020 juried show, where she received an Honorable Mention for her painting “Open Heart.” In February 2020, Stark exhibited with other regional and national artists in the Lenten show “Contemporary Artists Interpret Stations of the Cross”, at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Arlington, Virginia.

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Kreg Yingst
A painter and a self-taught printmaker, Kreg Yingst received his bachelor’s degree in studio art from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, in 1983. While teaching, he finished his master’s degree in painting, awarded in 1996 by Eastern Illinois University. Kreg, who lives in Florida, makes his living solely from sales of his work.

Kreg’s art can be found in numerous private and public collections, including those of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, South Carolina; College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois; Pensacola State College, Pensacola, Florida; and Janus Corporation, Denver, Colorado.

Kreg has exhibited his work, which encompasses a remarkable music series, in many venues, from commercial and noncommercial art galleries, to museums and arts centers, to art fairs and art festivals throughout the United States, including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C., and British Columbia, Canada. He is especially active in Pensacola, Florida, where he has had both group and solo or two-person shows. He boasts a long list of awards and honors.

Among other publications that have featured Kreg’s art are Sunshine Artist magazine, The California Printmaker, The Evanston Review, News Sun, and South Bend Tribune. The online arts magazine Escape Into Life presented selections from Kreg’s music series in May 2022. In addition, Kreg created the illustrations for Christine Valters Paintner’s Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal (Ave Maria Press, 2022). Some of Kreg’s own books are The Psalms in 150 Block Prints (2016), Light from Darkness: Portraits and Prayers (2014), Psalms, Poems, and Prayers (2008), and The Blues in Black and White: A collection of block prints (2006).

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George Ziobro
George Ziobro’s career has been anything but that of an artist: he was a food chemist. When an opportunity came to him to learn how to paint icons, which have fascinated him since early childhood, when he saw them in various churches where he grew up, George jumped at it and has pursued it as a hobby ever since.

Now both artist and world traveler, George has taken courses from teachers from Russia, Belarus, France, England, and the United States.

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Exhibition viewers who wish to purchase an available artwork or obtain additional information about a piece should contact the artist directly to arrange payment or discuss availability as a print or a commission.

A purchaser with a receipt is expected to pick up an artwork at the close of the exhibition.

Physical business cards are available to viewers in the gallery space, and artists’ social media links are printed in the Exhibition Notebook maintained in the gallery space. Online, each artist’s email address, Website, and social media links are published in the exhibition section labeled “Artists’ Biographical Information.”

Below are the captions (title, medium, size, year) and purchase price for available artworks in “Celebrating Our Community of Saints.” Artworks that are not available for sale are marked “NFS.” All the artworks in the physical gallery space are framed, unless otherwise noted.

Dana Ellyn

“Existential Balancing Act (Jean-Paul Sartre),” Oil on Canvas, 24” x 24,” 2022; $450 (Unframed)

“Pursuit of Happiness (Theodore Roosevelt),” Ink and Watercolor on Book Title Page, 6” x 9,” 2018; $70

“What About Me? (Sylvia Plath),” Ink and Watercolor on Book Title Page, 6” x 9,” 2018; $70

Elise Ritter

“Community,” Acrylic and Collage; NFS

“Messengers of Light,” Acrylic and Collage; NFS

“St. Rose,” Acrylic and Collage; NFS

Many thanks to Elise Ritter for lending these artworks from her personal collection.

Christopher Santer

“St. Audrey (Etheldreda, Abbess of Ely),” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2020; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Augustine,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2011; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Brigid,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8”x 10,” 2019; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Charles Lwanga,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2018; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Dominic,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2013; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Elizabeth Ann Seton,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2008; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Josephine Bakhita,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2020; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St Martin de Porres,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2019; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Michael,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2010; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Teresa of Avila,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2009; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Thomas a Becket,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2011; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

“St. Veronica,” Black Prismacolor Pencil, 8” x 10,” 2016; $50

(This is a signed print of the original 8” x 10” drawing.)

Christopher Santer is pleased to accept a commission to create an original portrait of a saint of your choice. Please contact the artist directly to discuss a commission.

Kathleen Stark

“Saint Barnabas Today,” Acrylic and Collage on Canvas, 13” x 17,” 2023; $150 (Framed)

Kreg Yingst

The following 12 artworks are part of both the physical and online presentations:

“St. John the Baptist,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2020; $225

“Sts. Perpetua and Felicity,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2023; $225

“St. Teresa of Avila,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2013; $225

“Josephine Bakhita,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2023; $225

“Howard Finster,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2022; $225

“Martin Luther King Jr.,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2020; $225

“C.S. Lewis,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2013; $225

“Takashi Nagai Saint of Nagasaki,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2022; $235

“Henri Nouwen,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2022; $225

“Rainer Maria Rilke,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2020; $225

“Mamie Till,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2023; $225

“Ida B. Wells,” Painted Block Print, 11” x 9” x 1.5,” 2023; $225

The following are part of the online presentation only. Please contact the artist directly for information about these or other painted block prints in the artist’s series. Purchase prices will differ, depending on whether the artworks are framed and in black and white or in color.

“Thea Bowman”

“Frederick Buechner”

“Black Elk”

“Fannie Lou Hamer”

“Joyce Kilmer”

“Martin Luther”

“Thomas Merton”

“Reinhold Niebuhr”

“St. Patrick of Ireland”

“Sadhu Sundar Singh”

“Sojourner Truth”

“Evelyn Underhill”

George Ziobro

“St. George,” Acrylic on Gessoed Plywood Board, 1996; $800

“St. Luke,” Egg Tempera on Gessoed Plywood Board, 1998; $800

“St. Michael,” Egg Tempera on Gessoed Plywood Board, 2005; $800

The artist is pleased to accept commissions. Please contact him directly.

The Art Collection at St. Michael’s 

In the fall of 2022, St. Michael’s became the beneficiary of 10 woodblock prints from Kreg Yingst’s “Psalms” series. (See the “Past Exhibitions” section for the online presentation of the “Psalms Visualized” exhibition. The donated prints hang in the parish library.) The donation served to initiate an art collection for St. Michael’s.

Art enthusiasts and artists participating in Arts & Faith exhibitions are encouraged to consider donating an artwork to help grow the collection. In lieu of an artwork, a monetary donation, which will be used to frame donated works, sponsor receptions for artists, purchase necessary art supplies, or the like, also is welcome, and may be made through the OnRealm giving site used by St. Michael’s.

Additional information about the Art Collection and the Art Fund is available from The Very Rev. Beth Franklin.

Just a Few Facts

Saint Patrick was born in Britain, not in Ireland. He was captured by Irish pirates just before his 16th birthday and subsequently taken to the Emerald Isle, where he was sold as a slave to the Druid tribal chieftain Miliuc and became a herder. At 22, he escaped enslavement and, eventually making his way back to England, began studying for the priesthood. Yet, Ireland beckoned, and one night Patrick dreamed of receiving a letter marked with the words “The Voice of the Irish” — the voice that begged he return; thereafter, against his distraught parents’ wishes, Patrick went back to the island nation, evangelizing throughout the country. His efforts to convert the Druids to Christianity met with considerable opposition, though Patrick somehow survived numerous attempts to poison, re-enslave, torture, imprison, or kill him.

St. Thomas Aquinas once insulted a nun, telling her she had ugly feet.

St. Luke is the patron saint of physicians and artists.

The gruesome murder in 1170 and subsequent canonization in 1173 of St. Thomas a Becket, who is venerated in the Anglican Communion, was the subject of a 2021 exhibition at the British Museum in London. Eyewitness accounts, illuminated manuscripts containing scenes from Becket’s martyrdom, jewelry, and sacred reliquaries were part of the exhibition.

St. Josephine Bakhita was born in the Sudanese region of Darfur and is the patron saint of human trafficking survivors. Kidnapped by Arab slave traders in 1877, she was bought, sold, and given away numerous times, and her body bore some 114 scars from abuse. Italy’s vice consul, Callisto Legani, to whom Bakhita ultimately was sold in 1883, took her with him when he returned to Italy and soon after arrival gave her as a “gift” to another family. Later, the family had to conduct business in Sudan and placed her in temporary custody of the Canossian Sisters in Venice; during her time with the sisters, Bakhita learned about God and felt called to follow Christ. Refusing to return to her owners, she became the subject of a court case in Italy that declared that slavery had been outlawed before Bakhita was born. Thus declared free, she decided to remain with the sisters and was both baptized and confirmed on the same day in 1890. She received the sacraments from the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, who later became Pope Pius X. Bakhita was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2000.

Elizabeth Ann Seaton was the first U.S.-born citizen to be given the title of “Saint.” An educator, she founded America’s parochial school system. Canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI, Mother Seaton, as she was known, is entombed in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in the Basilica at the National Shrine bearing her name.

Together with 11 Anglicans and 12 other Catholics, St. Charles Lwanga of Uganda was martyred in 1886, age 26, after refusing to renounce Christianity. He is the patron saint of African Catholic Youth Action.

Martin Luther King Jr., born Michael Luther King Jr. was just 15 when he enrolled at Morehouse College, his father’s and maternal grandfather’s alma mater. King is the subject of voluminous FBI records, including audio surveillance.

Thomas Merton’s autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, sold more than one million copies and was translated into more than 15 languages. Enormously prolific, Merton published scores of articles, more than 60 other books, and hundreds of poems. His political writings were deemed “unbecoming” of a monk (he belonged to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, or Trappists).

Sadhu Sundar Singh of India, born into a Sikh family, claimed to have seen Jesus in a vision and subsequently was baptized in an English church. A Christian missionary who had no use for church authority and conventional church rules, he traveled to Ceylon, Australia, Israel, Malaysia, Japan, China, Tibet, Peru, Germany, and other countries in Western Europe. Known as “the apostle with the bleeding feet,” because he walked everywhere for long periods, he was celibate, owned no possessions, and lived on others’ charity. (Note: “Sadhu” means religious ascetic or holy man who renounces worldly life.)

Frederick Buechner published in 1980 a Pulitzer-nominated novel, Godric, about St. Godric of Finchale. At the time of his death in 2022, he had published 39 books, including a memoir that had been translated into 27 languages.

Fannie Lou Hamer, a voting and civil rights activist who helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, ran for Congress in 1964, four years before Shirley Chisholm.

Reinhold Niebuhr, author of the famous “Serenity” prayer and approximately one thousand books, articles, reviews, editorials, sermons, and prayers, was known as “America’s theologian.” An adherent to the concept of original sin, he preached and lectured widely, and counted Eleanor Roosevelt, Erik Erikson, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., George Kennan, and Hubert Humphrey among his friends. Lyndon Johnson awarded him in 1964 the President’s Medal for Freedom.

As a child, Theodore Roosevelt witnessed the New York City funeral procession of Abraham Lincoln. Deemed “Father of the Modern U.S. Navy,” the 26th president received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his global peacemaking efforts.

Jean-Paul Sartre declined to accept the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded him in 1964. In addition to philosophical works (especially those on existentialism), the French philosopher wrote plays, novels, and short stories, as well as literary criticism.

John Buscema Francis, St. Francis of Assisi, was the star of the Marvel comic titled “Francis, Brother of the Universe” (1980). At his birthplace in Italy, an entire bookstore is devoted to him. Through July 2023, the exhibition “St. Francis of Assisi,” at London’s National Gallery, showcased the work of artists for whom the saint, canonized two years after his death in 1228, became a deeply inspirational figure. In addition to a piece of sackcloth said to have been worn by Francis, the exhibition included various relics, such as the ivory horn Francis received from a Muslim sultan in 1219 as a gesture of cordial interfaith relations.

References

“Saints and Commemorations of the Episcopal Church”
“So, are there unique Episcopal saints or not?”

St. Patrick
History.com
Biography.com

St. Thomas Aquinas
Catholic.org
Stanford.edu

St. Luke
Catholic.org

Saint Thomas a Becket
Catholic.org
CatholicNewsAgency.com

St. Josephine Bakhita
SetonShrine.org
Catholic.org

Elizabeth Ann Seaton
SetonShrine.org

Martin Luther King Jr.
NobelPrize.org
NPS.gov
TheKingCenter.org
Stanford.edu

Thomas Merton
Merton.org

Sadhu Sundar Singh
CCEL.org

Frederick Buechner
FrederickBuechner.com

Fannie Lou Hamer
WomensHistory.org

Reinhold Niebuhr
Stanford.edu
ChristianityToday.com

Theodore Roosevelt
NobelPrize.org
WhiteHouse.gov
PBS.org

Jean-Paul Sartre
Stanford.edu
NobelPrize.org

St. Francis
FranciscanMissionaries.com
UCatholic.com