St. Francis of Assisi Parish celebrates its patron saint

Friday, Oct. 10, 2014

OREM — With a week of Masses, recitation of the rosary, a visit from Bishop John C. Wester and a dinner/dance, Saint Francis of Assisi Parish celebrated the feast of their patron saint Sept. 29 - Oct. 4.

During his visit on Oct. 4 – the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi – Bishop Wester blessed a bevy of animals that included chickens and a rabbit in addition to dogs and cats.

Pets “are symbolic reminders of the gifts of salvation,” Bishop Wester said prior to asking for God’s blessing, through the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, on the animals.

After the blessing of the animals, the bishop and parishioners moved into the church, where a set of newly installed murals lined the walls. The nine murals, which depict the life of Christ, were created by Jim McGee, an art teacher at Juan Diego Catholic High School who also crafted the mural behind the church’s altar and the series of murals above the entrance that reflect Old Testament themes.

Before blessing the new murals, Bishop Wester said that the images reflecting important events in the life of Christ “are above all the truth that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”

Bishop Wester complimented McGee on his work, saying the murals are lifelike and “you can see the Spirit at work in Christ’s life. … They draw me in to the mysteries of the Lord’s life.”

The art does two things at the same time, the bishop added: It allows the viewer to reflect on the beauty of the work itself but also brings him or her “into another reality, the mystery of Jesus and his life in our midst.”

Ultimately, the murals are a reminder “that God is the painter and each of us is a bristle on the paintbrush of God and God is painting a picture with us,” Bishop Wester said. “When we come and see this beautiful artwork and these murals and pray in this beautiful church, it inspires us to go forth and allow God to pursue his painting with us. When you see these beautiful murals in this beautiful church, remember how God is using you and me to paint his masterpiece of creations.”

McGee began working on the New Testament murals last Halloween, he said, and installed them just days before the Bishop blessed them. The murals are strongly rectangular; he based the shape on the church’s stained-glass windows, he said. “I thought the idea would be nice to take that shape and repeat it in threes, which is another theme that I’ve got throughout.” 

As befits a tribute to St. Francis of Assisi, McGee credits his dog Molly for helping him with the first of the murals. The Shih Tzu “was a really important part in the early days because it was just me. Painting is a very lonely activity to do, so to have a little companion that was there and never gave me any negative criticism – she was an important part of staying calm,” he said, adding that although the dog was a silent companion, “I could always talk to her.”