In the March issue of America, Executive Editor Kerry Weber wrote of her appreciation for Catholic art often dismissed as mere kitsch. While some might look askance at the aesthetics of popular devotion, she argued, “Catholic kitsch” should be granted due respect and consideration as a sincere expression of personal faith: “These statues and images evoke vibrant memories of individuals whose lived faith is rich and complicated and nuanced, whose lives were themselves works of art.” Her writing struck a chord with our readers, a sample of whose reactions we have reprinted here.
This article made me smile from warm memories of faithful family members and friends who had questionable artistic taste. My late aunt, who had a notoriously poor sense of direction and was no good at reading maps, always had a St. Christopher statue glued to the dashboard of her car. That statue—and many, many stops at nearby gas stations to ask for directions—was the only way she ever arrived at the destination on her adventures. My husband recently referred to her St. Christopher’s statue as an early form of G.P.S.!
Annette Elmholt
Your article was helpful in my artistic practice. I will never have art in the Metropolitan or the Louvre. I’ve wondered if I am just commercializing my faith with what some might categorize as “kitsch.” My ceramic sculptures tend to be inspired by the angels or are some form of a cross. They do tend to sell quickly and I hope that in some way, they are informing or confirming some unknown family’s home life. I say a prayer for blessings with each one as it goes forth.
Chris Thomas
Back in the early 1950s, I received a 51/2-inch glow-in-the-dark statue of a child standing next to his guardian angel for my First Communion. In 1966, with two years of college under my belt and the statue in my suitcase, I sailed to Europe on a student boat and eventually landed in The Netherlands, where I lived and worked for two years with a Canadian friend, a young woman like me I’d met on the student ship. In the summer of 1968, France was rocked by a national strike, or la grève, as it was called. That meant no trains for our trip to Spain, since all trains must go through Paris to get to the southern provinces and southern Europe. So with the guardian angel snug in my backpack, we hitchhiked to Barcelona. That August we sailed on the very last student ship of the last century headed for North America, the Aurelia. It is now more than, dare I say it, 50 years later. My guardian angel still keeps watch on my bedside table. It still glows in the dark.
Christine Gerber
I teach sacramental prep and my children love glow-in-the-dark rosaries that bring them peace as they go to sleep in a dark room. As the author noted, “Jesus heals” bandages are equally popular. I love to do something akin to lectio divina with religious fine art, but we need to honor the child and the child within us in terms of “simple” things. Children are, after all, “first in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
E. N. Albury
Our Catholic kitsch becomes woven into the fabric of our lives, and I love answering my kids’ questions about the items I have.
Although it is not kitsch, the crucifix has always been foundational to our family’s life of faith, as it is in many Catholic homes. I’ll never forget being blown away by my now-grown child during a conversation about the crucifix. As we were having breakfast, we were chatting about how our children could stop and ask Jesus for help by simply bowing their heads to pray anytime during their school day, even though they were in public school. One of my kids asked me why they couldn’t pray out loud in school. I said, well, not everyone believes in God the same way we do. My first-grader looked up at the crucifix and innocently said, “That’s why Jesus is on the cross, mom. Because others don’t believe in Jesus.” I cried at the depth of understanding.
We never know how our Catholic symbols and art affect visitors who see them, but they form our identity; and kitsch is just as important as fine art, because taken together, they help us tell our stories. Our stories are important, and anything that helps us to tell them is good! Please share your stories with your kids, because if you don’t, who will?
Stephanie Lloyd
