The Catholic Artists Society was initiated in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s Address to Artists at the Sistine Chapel in November, 2009. Following the Holy Father’s call for artists to be “custodians of Beauty” and “heralds and witnesses of Hope for humanity” the Society seeks to encourage the ongoing artistic and spiritual development of artists and media professionals, so that their work may more perfectly reflect God’s glory, enriching and ennobling men and women, our society and our culture. The Society’s apostolate is also directed to patrons and audiences, that they might more perfectly understand and appreciate God’s purposes for the artistic vocation.
The Society has three main areas of endeavor: fraternal, spiritual, and intellectual.
Fraternal
- To build a community of faithful Catholic artists, seeking to serve God, the Church, and their fellow man with their talents and in their daily work.
- To support a culture of excellence among artists, encouraging them to perfect their God-given talents and flourish as craftsmen, so that their work might be a more pleasing offering to God and a more effective sign of His love for Mankind.
- To extend a hand of friendship and cooperation to all artists of good will.
Spiritual
- To pray with and for our fellow artists in pursuit of a deeper spiritual life, growth in virtue, and an increase in Grace, the foundation of all true artistry, especially through devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance.
- To understand and assist the Church’s ministry, rendering accessible and comprehensible to the minds and hearts of all men and women the Deposit of Faith.
- To foster in all artists a sense that their lives have a Divine origin, meaning, and purpose, and that their talents and crafts have moral and social, as well as artistic value.
Intellectual
- To promote a public discourse on the meaning of Beauty, and its relation to Truth and Goodness in works of art.
- To delve more deeply into Scripture, liturgy and Catholic tradition as sources of inspiration for our work.
- To cultivate a greater understanding of the living tradition of Christian sacred art, and of Christianity’s contribution to the shaping of our cultural heritage and civilization.