FR. MICHAEL ST. PAUL, pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ladera Ranch, recently unveiled a new work of art at the parish known for its stunning paintings of the crucifixion, the Virgin Mary and many saints. But this time, the art results from a parish-wide collaboration meant to envision what the future of Holy Trinity might look like.
ON JUNE 15, FR. MICHAEL ST. PAUL, PASTOR OF HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LADERA RANCH, BLESSED A NEW MURAL ON THE PARISH CAMPUS. PHOTO BY DREW KELLEY/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Holy Trinity is a vibrant and diverse parish comprised of both young families and retirees and is one of the newer Orange County parishes. Bishop Kevin Vann celebrated its solemn dedication on Nov. 11, 2017.
While the church structure is long complete, Fr. Michael is tasked with finishing the future parish hall, rectory, offices and all the accouterment of a thriving church community. The challenge is helping the parish community see the possibilities and embrace coming attractions.
MURALIST TARA LUTHER PAINTED HOLY TRINITY’S NEW WORK OF ART. PHOTO BY YUAN WANG/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
The answer to his visioning challenge came in a rusty old storage container the Knights of Columbus used to store their equipment. He could see the container, whimsically painted with a vision of the future, inspiring what the parish would become when the hammers go quiet and the dust settles.
“If we paint it, they will come,” quipped the pastor, who spent 25 years as an executive with Disney’s Magic Kingdom before becoming a priest.
PARISHIONERS AND STAFF OF HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LADERA RANCH POSE FOR A GROUP PHOTO IN FRONT OF THE PARISH’S RECENTLY DEDICATED MURAL. PHOTO BY DREW KELLEY/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
This was not a new idea for Fr. Michael. He had done this kind of visioning before when he was pastor of St. Polycarp in Stanton.
“We were able to transform an unsightly utility box in front of the church and paint it to show the church and gardens. It took a couple of years to get permission to paint it, but the result made something beautiful at the entry to the church,” said Fr. Michael.
And so, on Saturday, June 15, the inspiration for the future vision of Holy Trinity was unveiled on the side of a 40-foot metal shipping container planted at the far end of the church parking area. But the backstory of how this came about is a lesson in parish community building.
“From the beginning, the parish was invited to participate in the visioning,” Fr. Michael added. “In the bulletin, we asked young people at the parish to submit their ideas about what should be painted on the side of the container. We received several really wonderful drawings and decided to blend the ideas into a cohesive portrait.”
The children’s ideas were turned over to Sarah Mikhail, who was an active Holy Trinity youth ministry member for many years and now attends Chapman University. Sarah took all the wonderful ideas and combined them into a concept drawing.
Daniel Catania, Business/Facilities Manager for Holy Trinity, coordinated the project.
“The mural came together so beautifully, with the cooperation of the whole parish, that it really was a work of the Holy Spirit,” recalled Catania.
Finding the right artist who could grasp the intention of the project was a big challenge.
“I had no idea how to find an artist who could paint murals,” he added, “But I happened to talk to an old high school artist friend who recommended I contact his girlfriend, Tara Luther, who is a muralist for the Laguna Sawdust Festival, among many other assignments.”
Luther moved to Laguna Beach from Chicago several years ago, and her father, Leonard Luther, is a long time Knight. It wasn’t an easy commission.
Painting on the side of corrugated sheet metal had unique challenges, recalled Luther.
“Getting lines to look straight on wavy surfaces is tricky,” she said. “I first drew the outline in chalk on the container to make sure that rooflines looked straight; then I painted it in sections.”
To withstand the weather and sunlight, Luther hand-mixed the mural with quality exterior paint to achieve the color. Veteran Knight of Columbus and parishioner Lou Gabriel led the effort to prepare the container as an art canvas. He assembled a team of Knights to volunteer and procured donations for tools such as sanders to smooth and prepare the surface.
“We were excited about the project,” said Gabriel, “We started at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to sand, patch and paint a base color on the container to get it ready for the artist. We had a great team, and the work was done by 1 p.m.”
Then there were the donations. Parishioners and Knights were able to get donations for most of the materials, from power tools to paint. “It was definitely a team effort,” said Gabriel.
What would a parish celebration be without the Knights and their barbecues? The unveiling ceremony was followed by a parish barbecue with hot dogs and refreshments.
The Catholic Church has long been known for using beauty and art to convey important messages and images, and at Holy Trinity – they demonstrated how an old shipping container can become a thing of beauty with a little nudge from the Holy Spirit, and as Fr. Michael always likes to remind everyone, “it’s all
about hospitality at Holy Trinity, a place we call home.”