The story behind the painting “Our Lady of Staff, Help of the Apostles”, Original 54”x79”
The inspiration of this painting came to my Mom during prayer. While she was praying the rosary before daily Mass, she was observing a stained glass window in the Cathedral chapel. This particular stained glass window represented the sacrament of Holy Orders. To the left of the window there is a seated Bishop wearing a mitre and holding a crosier. As she prayed her rosary while looking at the window she saw an “unintended” silhouette of the Blessed Virgin Mary next to the bishop. The bishop’s crosier (staff) outlined the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. My Mom continued praying her rosary while she meditated on this image she was seeing in the impressionistic stained glass. As she prayed, she heard in her heart the Blessed Virgin Mary say these words, “I am the staff.”
After Mass, I received a phone call from my Mom. Her voice was enthusiastically inspired as she exclaimed she had a painting for me to paint. As she shared the details about the stained glass window, I frowned to myself, because I knew these stained glass windows very well. There was for sure no Blessed Virgin Mary in the Holy Orders window. I gave my Mom the benefit of the doubt and visited the Cathedral to see for myself. Sure enough I did see what my Mom was talking about, but I was challenged on how to paint this image with a sound composition.
My Mom “attempted” to draw a very elementary stick figure drawing in her journal to explain what she saw. As respectful as I can say this, my Mom is not the most gifted person in drawing. What makes me laugh is she even has a note in her journal next to the drawing saying, “I sure wish I was a good artist.” Even with my Mom’s drawing, I still really struggled with the composition. After prayer and some creative freedom, I found that changing the perspective to behind the bishop made for a more sound painting.
Here you can see the stained glass window, my Mom’s sketch in her journal, and my final quick sketch before painting.
After my Mom’s experience in the Cathedral, she documented what she had seen in her journal. With her permission, I am allowed to share her journal reflection on the experience.
I have typed out her journal words here:
“3/20/13
Today before Mass I was praying the rosary while looking at the stained glass image of the Bishop, “pope” who was sitting. The dove was behind his back. The staff was in his left hand. As I was staring at the art I noticed an image of Our Blessed Mother’s face within the opening of the staff handle. I could see the outline of her whole body I was so filled with joy. I heard these words in my heart “I am the staff.” I was speaking to our Blessed Mother during the Rosary.”
Then my Mom drew a sketch of what she saw. She put a side note in her journal “I sure wish I was a good artist.”
For some reason, I felt in my heart that I wanted to make this painting very large (taller than me). So I unrolled some un-stretched canvas, stood on a chair, and nailed it to the wall. Painting on unstretched canvas is not very conventional, but I found it worked the best for me.
At the time, I was constantly moving in and out of dorms or apartments so unstretched canvas was easy to roll up and go. It also made it easier for me to take the painting home so my Mom could critique the painting in person. After all, she commissioned the painting and progress photographs never do a painting justice. It is always better to see a painting in person.
While praying my Mom received another message on 04/09/13:
“My sweet, sweet child,
I have come to bring you peace and love. I am your Mother, your Mother in Heaven, your Mother here on earth. All are my children. All are my children. Little one bring my message of hope to all the world. Bring my message of love to all the world. I am the Mother; God has sent to bring his children to his Son Jesus. My sweet Son Jesus came down from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit to save the world. To save the world. God the Father created me in His image and likeness so I could be the vessel for salvation. The vessel of the Son. The fount through whom all blessings flow. The font through which all graces flow. Holy, Holy, Holy, child. Holy, Holy, Holy. Please my sweet [child]. Spread the message of love eternal, love eternal to all you meet. Show my children that this Mama wants them to come home, come home. I will bring them hand in hand to meet my beautiful, loving Son Jesus. I wait, I wait. I pray, I pray child.
Your Bishops must know that I am the Staff who walks with them on their journey to the Kingdom. I am the Staff that keeps them on the right path to home eternal. I am the Staff that brings them to my only begotten Son Jesus, who in turn brings them to the Father “Abba”, “Abba”, “Abba.” The Staff of the Shepard stays straight, tall, and strong through heartfelt prayer and devotion. The Rosary is a great weapon of knowledge, wisdom and love eternal, love eternal while in the wilderness of life. The Rod and the Staff will hold them up; keep them strong, direct their feet and ward off enemies and opposition. The staff is a symbol of authority, strength and love. I am love, I am love. I was created so pure love may transcend time into the world of man to become man. In turn He brought me back to heaven so I may bring God’s children home through my prayers and love. Child bring the message of hope and love to all. Encourage my Bishop to inspire the flock to stay close to the Staff through prayer, prayer of the most Holy Rosary. Pray, Pray, Pray. Love, Love, Love.
Good night my baby daughter. Peace and love your Mama.”
In order to paint this inspired painting for my Mom I needed references. So I was resourceful with what I had and put family members to work. Here is a peek at some reference photos I used while creating the Our Lady of the Staff, Help of the Apostles painting.
For the Virgin Mary, I dressed up my little sister with a bed sheet and gave her a broom to hold onto. This reference photo really helped me figure out the folds in Mary’s mantle and the placement of her hands.
For the bishop’s hair, I took a photo of the back of my brother’s head. When I did not have access to family to pick on, I use myself for reference. You can see my hand holding a weight to reference the Bishop’s hand holding his crosier. Later on in the painting process I felt inspired to add a rosary in Mary’s hand. You can see the photo of my hand holding a rosary.
So here is the final image of the Painting “Our Lady of the Staff, Help of the Apostles”
A Bishop kneels in Adoration while holding the staff (his crosier). Mother Mary, the Immaculate Conception, holds the staff hand on hand with the Bishop. The staff is part of Our Lady’s mantle. When our Bishops stay close to the Blessed Virgin Mary she shows them how they too can crush the head of the serpent. Therefore, Mary’s foot and the end of the staff, prevents a snake that is in full spring, from biting the Bishop.
Mother Mary’s hand holds the Rosary while directing the Bishop to the Monstrance containing Jesus in the Sacred Host. For my non-Catholic friends, a monstrance is a sacred vessel, which holds the consecrated Eucharistic host of Jesus Christ. Catholic’s believe the consecrated Eucharist is truly the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. So the purpose of the monstrance (in Latin monstrare meaning “to show”) is to show or display the Eucharistic Jesus so we can adore and venerate Him.
So some people do not notice this, while others see it right away, but hidden in the Eucharistic host of the monstrance is an image of Jesus’ face (in yellow). The face of Jesus is painted in yellow where the Eucharistic host is placed in the monstrance. The image of Jesus’ face was inspired from a miraculous photo that friend shared with my Mom.
The friend’s family member took a photo of a “peach tree in full bloom” on November 1929 in Detroit, Michigan. The camera snapped 8 times when it was taken and this black and white image on Jesus’ face developed in the photo. I always loved the story and photo growing up, so I decided to use this version of Jesus’ face in my painting.
The Monstrance contains the symbols of the Alpha and the Omega, the Chi Rho, and a crown. The base of the Monstrance resembles the shape of a home plate from baseball. Hence, Jesus is the final “home base” in life.
The angels adore Jesus in the stone altar. One angel is holding incense referring to Rev. 8:4 “The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.” The flowers have dual meanings. The seven lilies represent three theological virtues and four cardinal virtues, and also the seven sacraments. The five red roses represent Jesus’ Five Holy Wounds and the five First Saturday Devotion as requested by Our Lady of Fatima.
Hidden behind the lilies and near the foot the angel, is a small metal box containing the three thorns from Jesus’ crown, some pieces of cloths, which had wrapped the infant Jesus, and linen, which caught the most precious blood of the Circumcision and Passion of Jesus. According to the book The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda, Mother Mary, the Treasure-keeper of heaven, entrusted these relics to the Apostles. Our Lady also procured twelve crosses of the height and size of each Apostles and gave one to each of them, before they set out to preach the gospel in their appointed countries. Notice the cross on the Bishop’s crosier.
The Bishop’s mitre, is embroidered with Jesus’ Merciful Heart, Mother Mary’s Immaculate Heart and St. Joseph’s Most Chaste Heart. On the lappets of the mitre, are a “gold jar containing the manna, the staff of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tablets of the covenant” all found in the Ark, of the Covenant (Heb. 9:4).
On the back of the Bishop’s vestment is the Lamb with the seven seals from Rev. 6. The Holy Spirit is descending upon the Bishop and the Blessed Virgin Mary, as it happened at Pentecost while the Apostles were in the upper room. Our Bishops are the successors of the twelve Apostles. Our Lady of the Staff brings our Bishops to her only begotten son, Jesus, who in turn brings them to the Father.
