GREENSBORO — An original painting depicting the Conversion of St. Paul was installed recently at St. Paul the Apostle Church.
The 72-inch-by-40-inch acrylic ink on wood panel work depicts the key moment when Jesus appears before Saul as he heads towards Damascus in order to persecute the followers of Christ. Greensboro artist and illustrator Erik Shea Saalmuller created the piece, working 400 hours over four months in consultation with Father Joseph Mack, pastor.
Based on research, Saalmuller created the composition to include the following points:
- At the time of his conversion, Saul was less than 30 years old and held a position of authority among older Pharisees. His conversion occurred en route to Damascus, located in modern-day Syria. The landscape is primarily plains and flat stretches of land, with mountains and hills breaking up the terrain
- Most Renaissance paintings, in which Saul is shown being tossed from his horse as Jesus appears before him, were probably inaccurate. As a devout Jew, Saul would have kept to the traditions of his forefathers by praying three times a day: morning, noon and evening. In his own recollection recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul said he saw Jesus appear before him at midday, which would have coincided with the time of his prayers. Even if he had a horse to help ease the burden of traveling the long distance from Jerusalem to Damascus, he would not have been mounted on horseback at the time Jesus appeared. This led Saalmuller to show St. Paul as if he fell while walking the path, rather than depicting the horse in a chaotic bucking motion.
-In the Bible passage, Jesus appears before Saul on the road to Damascus, but the other men accompanying Saul on his journey could only hear, not see, Jesus. Since the men could not see Jesus, they would naturally either look around, or reach out to help the now-blind Saul, who to their minds was being afflicted by something far beyond their understanding.
CHARLOTTE — Registration for the youth tracks for the 14th annual Eucharistic Congress Sept. 7-8 at the Charlotte Convention center is now open. Children’s tracks are divided into K-5, middle school and high school.
This year’s congress theme is “I am the living bread.” It is taken from the Gospel book of John (6:51) and is a part of the discourse on the bread of life in which Christ repeatedly explains to His followers that they must eat His Body and drink His Blood if they want to have eternal life.
Every year hundreds of students from across the diocese gather at the Eucharistic Congress. Families, parish groups and individuals participate in morning worship and a vigil Mass. During the middle part of the day, students attend age-appropriate instruction that combines praise and worship with high energy fun.
The Hintemeyer Scholars, students from Belmont Abbey College, will again be leading the Middle School Track for children in grades 6-8. The theme of the track is “Fully Alive, Fully Awake.” Tim and Catherine Przybysz will be the featured speakers at the Middle School Track.
High School Track registration is also open online. High school students may also register the day of the event, Sept. 8, and fill out a walk-in registration.
Youth tracks typically fill up, so early registration is recommended for high school (grades 9-12) students and it is required for K-8 students.
Registration is free.
The registration deadline is Aug. 15.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Go online to register
At www.goeucharist.com: Register by clicking on “K-12 Tracks” and selecting the appropriate youth track for your child from the drop-down menu.