About the Display

The art display is divided into two groupings: Historical Catholic art and art created by contemporary artists living today.
The historical art represents the artistic beauty that has been a part of the Catholic Church for hundreds of years. This historical presentation is in the public domain and more examples will be added as time and availability permit. We hope you enjoy the tour and take the time to discover the inherent beauty of each piece of work.

Our primary objective, however, is to draw attention to the need to encourage and reestablish the creation of Christian art. To this end, The Foundation for Sacred Arts, a Catholic nonprofit organization based in the Washington D.C. area, has been founded to encourage and inspire the production and promotion of sacred arts for the glory of God and the transformation of society. Their mission is to inspire artists to pursue beauty, artistic integrity and sincerity in both subject and technique. In recent years, the art world has minimized the importance of beauty to a work of art -- creating beauty has ceased to be the artist's primary and central goal. The Foundation's goal, on the other hand, is to reverse this trend, helping artists and others to rediscover the importance of beauty.

The inspiration of the Foundation's mission is: Christ, the source of all beauty. Revitalizing the art of the Christian faith is a key aspect of the Foundation's mission. Over the past two centuries, the art world has become increasingly secular, and the rich tradition of religious art has been, at best, marginalized. It is essential that in our day artists revive this rich tradition, proclaiming the faith through their work in ways that are fresh and true. As Pope John Paul II stressed in his Letter to Artists, "In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art!"

We encourage all artists, particularly artists in the Vero Beach art community, to contact The Foundation of Sacred Arts to learn about the juried exhibitions, traveling exhibits, a network of Christian artists available as well as other helpful information available to them. The Foundation can be contacted at www.thesacredarts.org.

And to our parishioners, you are encouraged to purchase Christian art for your home or business. Add it to your Christmas, birthday, and anniversary wish lists. This is a necessary component if the revival of Christian art is to succeed. It is a silent way to evangelize, something we are all called to do.

At St. John of the Cross, we hope to have a parish education program in the future to instruct lay Catholics in the meaning, significance, and role of art in the Church and in the world. Meantime, be an admirer of the artwork being added to our beautiful church. Consider a gift of art to our church to help beautify it. Contact Fr. Pasquini for some ideas.

Again, enjoy!

NOTE: We are in the process of getting approval to exhibit the artwork of 46 artists whose Christian art is on tour. Once approvals are obtained, we will add this artwork to our site for your review and enjoyment.