Catholic Standard wrote an article about Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle’s blessing ceremony for the painting of the Holy Family I made for them earlier this year.

New painting for cathedral meeting space aims to show a Holy Family that reflects the congregation

JUN 1, 2023 BY PATRICIA ZAPOR

The image of the Holy Family in a new painting recently placed in a conference room at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle portrays them sharing the Passover meal, surrounded by what might be relatives, neighbors or friends. It depicts a gray-haired Joseph, Jesus as a child of perhaps 10 or 12 years in age and Mary watching over both. Around the table, which bears traditional foods of Passover, are seated a couple of younger children and several men and women of varying ages and racial backgrounds.

It’s a rendition of how artist Laura James interpreted the request from St. Matthew’s to paint a Holy Family that reflects the diversity that may have existed in Jesus’s own community, as well as representing the contemporary Washington, D.C., parish.

At a simple blessing ceremony May 11, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito said he thought the painting “is a wonderful reflection not only of your parish community but of our archdiocese. It depicts who we truly are.”

Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the rector of St. Matthew’s Cathedral, explained that the process of advising the New York-based artist about what the parishioners wanted to see depicted involved people from throughout the parish.

“It was something that brought all these different groups together,” he said.

Read the full article here.