Presentation explores Theology of the Body, Eucharist through sacred art on Feb. 6 at St. Joseph

Kate Capato, a sacred artist based in Philadelphia, will be presenting on the exploring Theology of the Body and the Eucharist through Sacred Art at St. Joseph Parish in Houston on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. The evening will conclude with a time of Eucharistic Adoration and Visio Divina prayer with live music. Below, one of Capato’s paintings depicts the Holy Family. (Photos courtesy of Kate Capato/visualgrace.org)

HOUSTON — An upcoming presentation at St. Joseph Catholic Church at 1505 Kane St. near downtown Houston will explore St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and teachings on the Eucharist.

As the Eucharistic Revival continues in its second year, with the current one focused on parish revival, Father Victor Perez, pastor of St. Joseph, invited Kate Capato, a Philadelphia-based sacred artist and painter, to visit St. Joseph on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. and share her original sacred art and presentations on the Theology of the Body and the Eucharist.

“Just as we experience God through the tangible Sacraments, we can also find God through beauty,” said Father Perez. “The presentation will appeal to the hearts of people through beauty, not just teaching.”

Want to go?
Exploring Theology of the Body and the Eucharist through sacred art with Kate Capato
When: Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.
Where: St. Joseph Parish
1505 Kane St., Houston
Cost: Free

Sacred art painter Kate Capato hosts an evening of immersive art showcasing her original sacred art paintings and ending with a time of Adoration and Visio Divina prayer accompanied by live music from Pawel Machura.

“By appreciating sacred art, it helps us appreciate the sacramental way of seeing the world and God through visible beauty,” Father Perez said. “Our souls can be lifted up to God through beauty.”

Capato said she was looking forward to her Houston stop on a nationwide tour.

Inspired by the notion to “lead with beauty,” Capato’s presentation will focus on the Theology of the Body, the Eucharist and sacred art, including her own paintings, as well as a variety of other works by well-known master artists, such as Michelangelo, DaVinci and others.

With a message focused on the “ultimate call to communion with the Lord and what it means for us to be in full communion, body and soul,” Capato said the presentation will feature different artworks and types of beauty, such as music and physical art. Capato’s husband, Pawel Machura, will accompany her with live music during her presentation and Eucharistic Adoration.

“Everyone receives things differently. Different types of beauty, like painting and music, help us enter into and better grasp the Gospel messages,” Capato said. “We hope to re-ignite, for some people, the idea of the True Presence of the Eucharist. We’re in a day and age where reason alone is not easy to have conversations with, where it’s your truth versus my truth. Beauty has the power to pierce through all that noise. The hope is to use beauty to help pierce hearts to receive that truth, or be reminded of that truth, of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.”

Capato’s sacred art features realistic depictions of the Holy Family, saints and other faithful devotions.

She said she hopes the presentation will remind those looking for truth of “all the things that we truly ache for.”

“Sometimes a homily at Mass isn’t enough for even parishioners,” she said. “They maybe heard about the Eucharist at Mass or in passing, but did they really receive and understand it? We hope to plant more seeds in hearts and that it will have a ripple effect in their friends and family.”

Though the presentation is geared towards young adults, Capato said the evening is open to anyone, especially those who can appreciate art and spirituality. Part of the evening will also feature “Visio Divina.”

Not a well-known way to pray, Capato said, “Visio Divina” is a meditation similar to “Lectio Divina,” that focuses on art rather than Scripture.

“Instead of the Bible, ‘Visio Divina’ refers to visual art,” she said. “The goal is to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through a work of sacred art by gazing upon it and just asking the Lord, ‘OK, What do you want to say to me through this artwork?’ and just really listening. Sometimes, you can picture yourself in the artwork, maybe one of the figures in the piece particularly draws you in, or maybe there’s a color that draws your eye. It’s just listening to the Lord through a sacred visual. It’s really powerful to see what the Lord might say.”

In “Visio Divina,” Capato said it can take an effort to become still enough to hear what the Lord has to say, just like in any other prayer.

Capato and her husband recently welcomed a new child, and she said she understands how hard it is to be still, especially as a new mother.

“It takes stillness,” she said. “Just being still enough where you’re patient to hear what He says in response to your questions. We’re so busy today, we often don’t take time to be still and receive the Lord in such a way.”

Capato said she hoped to articulate God’s beauty through her sacred art and offer a unique encounter with God’s love in a “safe space to hear it in a way that’s beautiful” and to “help [others] realize how the Lord is drawing us with love.”

“When we fully encounter the love of Christ, our whole world shifts,” she said. “It doesn’t mean everything gets easy, but we receive a new strength and in that love.”
Father Perez said he looked forward to welcoming Capato at St. Joseph, especially in a church well-known for its own beauty.

For more information, call the St. Joseph Parish Office at 713-222-6193 or visit www.saintjoseph.org online. To learn more about Kate Capato, visit visualgrace.org.