January 2026
Our Second Mother of Silence Iconography Workshop
Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Bridgeport, Connecticut
In January 2026, we held our second six-day iconography retreat, Mother of Silence, at the Chapel of Mercy St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Chapel of Mercy served as our spiritual center and provided a focused setting for icon writing throughout the week.
Each day began and ended with prayer, with the Eucharist shaping the center of our time together. A significant part of the retreat were the spiritual conferences given by Fr. Norbert M. Siwiński. His talks focused on the theology of the sacred silence, the mystery of sacred images, and the interior life of Mary. He helped participants understand iconography not only as an artistic practice, but as a way of entering more deeply into the mystery of faith.
Following the conferences, we moved into the practical work of icon writing. I guided participants through each stage of the process, offering instruction in technique and while accompanying them individually as they created their Mother of Silence icons.
December 2025
Holy Night Painting is a Finalist at the 2025 Sacred Art Prize
Catholic Art Institute, Washington, DC
In December 2025, I received news that filled me with deep gratitude—I was selected as a finalist in the Sacred Art Prize 2025, organized by the Catholic Art Institute.
This year’s competition received more than 360 submissions from artists representing fifteen countries, a truly international witness to the living tradition of sacred art. To be named a finalist among so many entries is both an honor and a humbling reminder of the responsibility that comes with creating art for the Church.
The Sacred Art Prize seeks to recognize works that reflect not only artistic excellence but also fidelity to sacred tradition and a deep theological understanding. These are values that continue to shape my own work, especially in the practice of iconography.
What makes this recognition especially meaningful is the spirit in which the competition is judged. All works were reviewed anonymously, allowing the focus to remain entirely on the integrity of the work itself.
I am deeply grateful for this moment. It encourages me to continue creating sacred art, a quiet offering meant to draw hearts closer to God through beauty. With a grateful heart, I move forward, trusting that this path of art and faith will continue to unfold.
November 2025
Nativity of St. Francis Card chosen by the Knights of Columbus
Official Christmas Card of 2025
I am deeply honored and grateful that my painting, Nativity of St. Francis, which I later adapted into a Christmas card, was chosen by the Knights of Columbus as their official Christmas card for 2025. It is difficult to put into words what this means to me—not only as an artist, but as someone who approaches sacred art as a form of prayer. To know that this work will be shared so widely, reaching so many hearts during the Christmas season, is both humbling and profoundly moving.
This recognition feels even more meaningful as it coincides with the celebration of St. Francis’ year in 2026. St. Francis has long held a special place in my heart, teaching simplicity, humility, and love for Christ. That this particular painting has been chosen in his honor feels like a gentle confirmation that sacred art can become a small instrument of grace for others. For this, I give thanks.
May 2025
Mother of Silence Iconography Workshop
Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Bridgeport, Connecticut
In May 2025, I had the grace of guiding our first iconography workshop at St. Michael’s Parish in Bridgeport—dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of Silence. For five Saturdays, the Chapel of Mercy became more than just a place; it became a space of prayer, contemplation, and quiet creation.
From the very beginning, I felt this workshop was meant to be more than learning a technique. Fr. Norbert M. Siwiński, OFMConv.—a Franciscan friar, theologian, and Marian scholar—offered spiritual guidance throughout the workshop, while I accompanied participants through the artistic process of writing an icon. In those weeks, it became clear again and again that iconography is not only art, but prayer expressed through color and form.
Each Saturday had its own rhythm. We entered into stillness, often beginning with Holy Mass and spiritual reflection. Fr. Norbert’s talks invited us to go more deeply into the mystery of the icon, the grace of silence, and the example of Mary as the Mother who listens. Rooted in Franciscan and monastic spirituality, our gatherings became a gentle invitation to slow down, to listen, and to notice the quiet presence of God.
As I guided each participant artistically, I witnessed something beautiful unfold. With patience and prayer, each person created their own icon of the Mother of Silence. There were moments of difficulty, of waiting, of learning to trust the process—but even those moments became part of the prayer. Each week, we drew inspiration from a saint, allowing their spirit of contemplation, devotion, and silence to shape both the work and the heart.
By the end of the five weeks, every participant had completed a personal icon of the Mother of Silence. But more than that, something interior had changed. There was a deeper stillness, a quiet joy, and a sense of having encountered God in a new way.
Our time together concluded with a special Mass at St. Michael’s Church, where Bishop Frank Caggiano blessed the icons. It was a deeply moving moment—one filled with prayer and grace, and a sense that what began in silence would continue beyond those weeks.
Mater Misericordiae, ora pro nobis. May the Mother of Silence lead us always to the quiet where the voice of her Son can be heard.
May 2024
The Word Became Flesh Triptych
Recognized as Most Eucharistic at the National Eucharistic Art Exhibition 2024
My triptych The Word Became Flesh was featured at the “Do This in Memory of Me” sacred-art exhibition at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Connecticut. Among more than 650 entries by over 300 artists nationwide, my work was recognized as the exhibit’s most Eucharistic piece.
The triptych’s bold composition—saturated in luminous reds, with circular forms, tender outstretched hands, and a striking bloodstain—became my meditation on Christ’s Incarnation and Sacrifice. My intention was simple: “To show our beautiful God alive in my paintings.” This work reflects my prayerful, deeply personal approach to sacred imagery and affirms my voice as an artist rooted in living faith.
The exhibition formed part of the National Eucharistic Revival, initially curated by the Sacred Art Institute on Enders Island, a serene Catholic retreat. It later expanded into a national exhibition at the McGivney Pilgrimage Center, where over one hundred selected works were displayed from May 31 to August 25, 2024, with some also featured digitally at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
The response to the work was deeply moving. The National Catholic Reporter described it as “explosive red… the circles, the delicate hands reaching, and the wet-looking bloodstain all serve to create a boldness and originality that is almost unnerving.” The National Catholic Register also noted the strong reception to my work among the 109 pieces chosen for display.
Theological Inspiration
The Word Became Flesh draws on deeply Eucharistic encounters, including the 2008 Eucharistic Miracle of Sokółka, Poland, where the Host revealed visible heart tissue—an image that inspired the third panel’s depiction of the Eucharist. A reflection from a young boy’s First Communion also stayed with me: “On the cross, God is dead; in the Eucharist, God is alive.” This helped shape the vision of the triptych.
The structure of the three egg-tempera-on-wood panels reflects the Eucharistic theology of St. Anthony of Padua. The first, The Word, meditates on the Creator’s beauty: “If there is so much beauty in a creature, how much more must there be in the Creator?” The second, Became, reflects on Christ hidden in the womb and offered in sacrifice: “White on the inside, ruddy on the outside… hidden for nine months… ground for us in the mill of the Cross.” The third, Flesh, expresses the true presence of Christ’s body, “inwardly and outwardly filled with all spiritual strength and charity.” Together, these meditations form a single theology of Incarnation—where mystery, faith, and art converge in the image of the Living God.
Visual Testimony
The triptych speaks through vivid color and symbolic form. The gently outstretched hands—reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Creation—evoke the eternal reaching between God and humanity. The deep red field opens toward the mystery of the Blessed Mother’s womb, the Living Tabernacle. The pure white circle suggests both the Eucharistic Host and the cycles of divine mystery, while the bloodstain—unsettling yet sacred—invites contemplation on sacrifice and redemption, drawing me into the presence of the Living God revealed in the Eucharist.
From the press…
