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Symbolism in sacred art — artist Kate Capato to speak at Marian pilgrimage Oct. 1 at Holy Spirit Church in New Castle

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Kate Capato

When Kate Capato enters a church, her eyes almost instinctively focus on the artwork in the building: the stained-glass windows, sculptures, paintings, for example. All of that, she said, has meaning.

“There’s so many ways that the church is trying to communicate to all of us,” she said. “Sometimes we don’t always know the symbolism behind it all.”

Capato, an artist from the Philadelphia area who specializes in sacred art, will be a speaker at the annual diocesan Marian Pilgrimage on Oct. 1 at Holy Spirit Church in New Castle. The theme of her talk is beauty and symbology in Marian art.

Capato said her specialty, sacred art, is basically creating works based on Scripture and the works of the church. “It’s a way to dive deeper into understanding the truth of our church.”
Father Lewis said Capato’s approach to her presentation is “Visio Divina,” “a variation on the church’s long tradition of Lectio Divina, where sacred Scripture is read over and over again by an individual or as a group in order to encounter the truth therein and to discover how to live that truth in the life of Christian discipleship.”

Capato said she is excited about the opportunity to speak at the pilgrimage.

“I hope that after my time there, people are able to experience the Lord in a deeper level through beauty, through art, to hear him speak in a whole new way, particularly through Our Lady,” she said.

Immaculée Ilibagiza speaks Oct. 1 at the Marian Pilgrimage in New Castle.

Capato’s website is www.visualgrace.org. She will have some of her work at Holy Spirit as part of her presentation, and other works will be available for purchase.

After her presentation, according to Father Lewis, pilgrims will be invited to contemplate sacred hymns through modern classical guitar played by Capato’s husband, Pawel.

The pilgrimage also will feature Immaculée Ilibagiza, who survived the Rwandan massacre in 1994. She will tell her story, one of hope and faith found during a time of despair.

The Marian Pilgrimage begins with morning Mass at 9 a.m. and concludes with the Vigil Mass at 4 p.m.  Bishop Koenig will preside. In addition to the author presentations, the pilgrimage will also include confessions, the rosary, and eucharistic Adoration.