Made in the Image of God: Divine Images for the Advent and Christmas Seasons
Curated by the Christ, Prince of Peace Social Justice Ministry

Introduction by Fr. Chris Dunlap
As Catholics, we believe that we are all God’s children, made in His image and likeness.  We are called
to see the divine presence in one another and for others to see the divine presence within us. For
many of us, as well as within many of our churches, we see images of the divine and holy represented
in art usually resembling ourselves, in other words, what we look like. There were no Polaroids or
cameras or iPhones in the time of Jesus and the Holy Family. And no one has ever seen God. So we
are left to our own imaginations as to what they looked like. Of course, made in His image and
likeness, we make the Holy Family and God in OUR image, for that’s what we know. For most of us,
this is predominately Eurocentric. For example, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are often
depicted as fair-skinned. God the Father, as Michelangelo envisioned, is perhaps the only image we
know. But that’s not true everywhere. The beauty of sacred art and art in general is that it is often a
reflection of the divine image of the artist, particular to his or her ethnicity and life experiences. This
diversity leads us to see with the eyes of God that His image and likeness truly encompasses all of us.
 
As a new liturgical year begins, our Social Justice Ministry invites us to take a few moments each
week during the Advent and Christmas seasons to contemplate this truth. Each week, a different
sacred image will be featured in church, perhaps different and yet familiar, at the same time.  We are
invited to take time to appreciate the beauty of the art, the artists, and to consider how their
diversity reflects that all peoples are children of God, made in God’s image and likeness. May these
images lead us deeper in our love of God and of one another. 

The Images
Many of the images in our display are copyrighted. We received permission from the artists to use
the copyrighted images in our display, but not to reproduce or distribute them. For that reason, we
cannot include the images here but have provided links so you can revisit the art online.

Jump For Joy – Mary and Elizabeth 
2007-jump for Joy mary and Elizabeth 16x20 Matted - Etsy
Artist:  Corby Eisbacher 
I painted Jump For Joy with the intention to speak not only through the image but the color that
breathed life into it. This was the first painting I did in this series since becoming sober in 2007 so I
was definitely filled with a new life that I prayed others would see through the painting.   I am simply
the brush that God uses.
 
The Windsock Visitation 
Windsock Visitation | Trinity Stores
Artist:  Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS 
This image of the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth was commissioned for the Monastery of the
Visitation in north Minneapolis. In what has become a well-known neighborhood tradition, the sisters
hang a windsock outside their house as a signal to the neighborhood children that they can come in
and enjoy after-school activities.  
Mary, dressed in gold because she is the woman clothed with the sun, also wears a cape with green
stars and blue crosses, which symbolize Bethlehem and Calvary. She is a little fearful of the news she
has recently received herself, that she was pregnant with God’s child. But Luke tells us that she put
her fears aside to be with her cousin Elizabeth and help her in her own miraculous pregnancy.
Elizabeth’s bright and welcoming smile assures Mary, and us, that in God’s plans, everything always
works out for the best. The tops of their halos form a heart which meets at the bottom in the wombs
of the two women. The fluttering windsock behind them reminds us of the wind of the Holy Spirit,
ever fresh, ever new. 

The Holy Family 
The Holy Family Art Print - Etsy
Artist:  Lucas Southerton 
Lucas Southerton took inspiration for The Holy Family from various religious, historical, and cultural
sources.  It was important to him that Jesus, Mary and Joseph looked Middle Eastern. Including the
scripture texts as part of the artwork was inspired by Islamic calligraphy, and the specific texts were
chosen from among the various passages read during the Catholic liturgy throughout the Christmas
season.  

The star on Mary’s shoulder presents her as a guiding star. Her halo harkens to the book of
Revelation, where we read of a woman clothed with the sun and wearing a crown of 12 stars. The
lilies within the stars and her blue sash are both signs of purity.  Joseph is depicted as a strong and
caring carpenter. The tassels on the corners of his garment were commanded by Mosaic law and
show him to be a faithful Jewish man. Jesus is shown giving us the sign of peace. In his hands are the
elements of the Eucharist—his body and blood under the appearance of bread and wine.  Jesus is our
servant-king who calls each one of us to himself.  
  
Navajo Virgin and Child 
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f5/f1/5a/f5f15a7b887bece95d616c756ecc4904.jpg
Artist:  Fr. John Giuliani 
In 1977, Father Giuliani established the Benedictine Grange in Redding, CT, a small monastic
community of brothers who lived and worshipped together and ministered to a growing number of
lay people who were attracted to a more contemplative style of worship and the call to missionary
works of social justice.  In 1990 Father John began painting icons, holy faces of Jesus, Mary, Joseph
and the Saints, but in a new and innovative way. The starting point was no longer across the ocean in
Europe, but right here in the Americas. His icons are contextualized in the rich and varied cultural
traditions of Native Americans throughout North, Central and South America.  “In my work I try to
celebrate a union of a common spiritual understanding, to show how a single mystery can be
approached through diverse cultures."

The Virgin of Guadalupe 
Our Lady of Guadalupe | Description, History, & Facts | Britannica
 In December 1531, at the direction of the Virgin Mary, Juan Diego collected roses in his cloak, went
before the bishop, and then opened his cloak to show him the roses. Dozens of roses fell to the floor
and his cloak had a beautiful picture of the Virgin Mary inside.  The venerated image on Juan’s cloak is
enshrined within the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.  The basilica is the most-visited
Catholic shrine in the world.  
  
Our Lady of Deliverance, Empress of China
Our Lady of Deliverance, Empress of China - The American TFP
This image is the centerpiece of a shrine called the “Marian Healing Exhibit with Saints” in Shangri-La
Plaza in Mandaluyong City, Philippines.  The artist is unknown. 
In 1900, during the Boxer Uprising in China, the Boxers besieged the Beitang Cathedral for more than
two months.  The miraculous survival of more than 3,000 Catholics inside was attributed to the
appearance of a woman in white, Our Lady of Deliverance.  Those outside the cathedral reported,
“Every night, a white Lady walked along the roof, and the balustrade was lined with white soldiers
with wings.” The bishop had a chapel erected in the cathedral of Beitang in honor of Our Lady of
Deliverance.  She is represented as the Empress of China holding in her arms the Child Jesus, Who is
depicted as an imperial prince. 
 
The Birth of Jesus with Shepherds 
The birth of Jesus with shepherds: Art in the Christian Tradition (vanderbilt.edu)es
Artist:  Jesus Mafa  
This image is a response to New Testament readings by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa.
Each of the selected readings was adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. 
Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these photographs were then transcribed to
paintings. 

In this painting from 1973, Mary sits with a beautiful smile as she holds a wiggling baby Jesus for the
shepherds to see. Joseph stands watch over his small but important family. The shepherds’ faces
show a mixture of curiosity and joy at this miraculous newborn. In the background are bright and
shining stars dotting the sky, reminding us of the praise the angels sang for the shepherds to hear:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” 
 
Refugees La Sagrada Familia 
La Sagrada Familia – Kelly Latimore Icons
Artist: Kelly Latimore  
Kelly Latimore is a self-taught St. Louis artist who began painting as a member of the Common Friars,
a monastic order in the Episcopal Church. In Refugees: La Sagrada Familia, he draws on his
experience of meeting a young immigrant who spoke of his travels through the desert and across the
border to arrive in the United States.  Latimore writes that the immigrant had the image of God
within him and that refugees “have something to teach us about what we know, about who God is,
the world we live in and who are our neighbors. This is the real work of being human and of art. . .
This experience immediately came to mind while creating this modern holy family image and how the
refugee Jesus, Mary, and Joseph must have felt fleeing from Herod 2,000 years ago.” 
  
 The Flight into Egypt 
https://www.usccb.org/about/migration-and-refugee-services/national-migration-week/upload/Booklet-of-Prayers-2.pdf
Artist:  Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS 
This is the second painting of Br. McGrath included in our Made in the Image of God display. The
Flight into Egypt accompanies “Prayer for Migrant Families” in the Booklet of Prayers 2 which the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published and distributed in 2010.   Br. McGrath, an
award-winning artist and author who speaks on the connections between art and faith, now lives in
Camden, NJ.  “I love being here because it’s taught me to find beauty in places that the world has
rejected – seeing beauty in faces and places around me, new expressions of Christ.” 

Chiefs Come from the East to See Jesus and His Parents
https://melaniejeanjuneau.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/d5233b13852087e29add619be310056a.jpg
Artist: Fr. John Giuliani
Fr. John Giuliani also painted Navajo Virgin and Child included in our Made in the Image of God
display. Fr. John noted that “even though I’m not Native American, I have a tremendous amount of
respect for the varied indigenous cultures of this land. Their understanding of the world of nature
and of God, with their emphasis on being caretakers rather than exploiters of the land – all that is
wonderfully consonant with the best of Christian thought and tradition. In my work I try to celebrate
a union of a common spiritual understanding, to show how a single mystery can be approached
through diverse cultures.”
This image of the chiefs coming from the east is one of 14 icons of the Mary series that are
permanently installed in St. Dennis Church on the Crow Reservation.
You can see more of Fr. Giuliani’s art and learn more about him at this website:
Native American & Christian art by Rev. John Giuliani Official Site (jbgicon.com)

Ministry leaders here at Christ, Prince of Peace, with the help of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, are prepared to lead this faith community into a deeper understanding of the topic racism and social justice, why it’s so important to have the conversation, and how we, as Catholics, can and should respond to it. 

Our learning and conversations are being guided by the topics from the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) listed below. We will host parish events to explore
these topics, list additional related resources on this web page, and share information about
other social justice opportunities here and in the parish bulletin.

Click on the topic for a brief introduction. We will add related videos, podcasts, articles and
books for each topic.

The Impact and Possibilities of Diversity
in the St. Louis Banking Industry
Presented by Tasha Pettis Bonds

Vice-President of Community Engagement and Business Development
at Midwest BankCentre

The Zoom presentation was held on May 4^th, 2022.

Click HERE to view the recording of the Zoom presentation.

Just 60 years ago, civil rights activists protested hiring practices at Jefferson Bank in St. Louis.  Now community-based banks, like Midwest BankCentre, focus on providing all members of the community with access to reasonably priced capital as the door that opens the way to dreams.  Tasha Pettis Bonds, Vice-President of Community Engagement and Business Development at the bank, shared her perspectives as an African American woman in a banking leadership role and her insights into the role banks can play in addressing inequities in housing and business opportunities.