A Call to Artists
What I learned on retreat
A couple weeks ago I attended a retreat hosted by the Catholic Art Institute. It was my first time leaving my kids to go on an overnight retreat, and I knew God probably had something good in store.
There is something special about standing in a room full of Catholic artists. We were a group of men and women of varying ages, sizes, and talents. More than that, we were a group of people who deeply love God and firmly believe in the power of beauty.
That’s the energy that I felt buzzing in the air the whole time: the Holy Spirit flying through the flames that sparked with every testimony and discussion. There was fire in every person’s heart as they talked about the way they painted or wrote for the glory of God.
I can’t possibly write about every insight I gained in this one newsletter, but I’ll share some tidbits that struck me the most:
The gift we’ve been given is more than a gift: it is a responsibility. Those with a gift a responsible for developing that gift and sharing it in a way that God calls them to. There may be pain and solitude in the work of an artist, but we must pursue beauty through our work if that is what God wants of us.
Not everyone has artistic talent and we need to fight for that again.
And one of my favorite quotes written by Flannery O’Connor…
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.
I am still digesting everything and making sense of my notes, but this is what I have internalized so far. Needless to say, this weekend has inspired me to push on in my writing journey. I hope you will keep me company along the way!
Through Christ,
Stephanie Petters
It sounds like a wonderful experience! As it happens, I attended an artists retreat last weekend with the NYC Catholic artists group called Arthouse2B. It was phenomenal!