At Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House in Waverly, every detail is meant to draw hearts closer to Christ, and sacred art plays a powerful role in that encounter. In the dining room of the retreat house, the Immanuel Series works are more than decoration—they are visual invitations to encounter the presence of God, to sit with Him, and to be renewed.
Amanda Weeder, marketing coordinator for the retreat house, recently interviewed the artist behind the series, Meghan Scdoris, about her inspiration, process, and the heart behind her work. The sacred art was made possible through the generosity of donors, to create a space where beauty leads to encounter. The interview has been edited for length.
Q. How did you choose which saints to include?
A. The first two, St. Francis and St. Ignatius, were already chosen because the retreat house has Franciscan roots and the weekends often incorporate Ignatian spirituality. I was excited about painting them because they are two of my favorite saints....
Because the two male saints were from earlier in Church history, I thought the other side of the door needed two female modern saints for balance. I chose St. Mother Teresa and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross because they offer different ways that we can experience the presence of God. All four paintings are a reflection on ways we can encounter God. St. Francis: prayer and nature, St. Ignatius: reading as well as vulnerability/dependance, St. Mother Teresa: service and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: sacrifice.
Q. What guided your decision in selecting the specific scenes from each saint’s life?
A. The St. Francis painting depicts when he receives the stigmata. I wanted to somehow incorporate his profound connection with God as Creator, his appreciation to nature, as well as his deep intimacy with the suffering Son of God. That is why I painted him receiving the stigmata while looking out upon a beautiful sunrise.
The St. Ignatius painting shows him in bed recovering from a battle injury, this time of dependence on others which sparked his conversion. I often find that closeness with God requires a letting go of our independence.... I can relate to this kind of experience of one’s heart stirring after reading and discerning what is Good, True and Beautiful. I feel this is how God has reached out to me several times in my life. I wanted to depict him looking up from his book, that moment of pause after reading something that moved him.
I am inspired by St. Mother Teresa’s “I thirst” reflection. In her convents, she has these words, spoken by Jesus while on the cross, beside each crucifix. She felt that when Jesus said, “I thirst” not only did he mean that he thirsts for each one of us spiritually in relationship, he also is in the sick and suffering thirsting to be cared for. In this painting, I chose to have St. Mother Teresa assisting a weak and suffering man with a drink of water on the streets of Calcutta to illustrate this “I thirst” concept.
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was born Jewish and converted to Catholicism as an adult. During WWII, the Nazis captured her and sent her to the gas chamber. She chose to courageously die with her people as an imitation of Christ. (Before her death) she studied and taught philosophy. Her writings inspired St. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Because she had so much to say about women, their unique feminine genius... I wanted her to be walking with a crowd of women. Her devotion to Mary inspired me to paint St. Teresa Benedicta supporting a pregnant mother.
Q. Can you share a bit about your creative process while making these images?
A. Surprisingly, the beginning of my creative process involves running.... I don’t really know why, but running helps me to organize my thoughts and see images in my mind. I read a lot, both by the saint and about the saint. I obsessively search for pictures and videos, images that will help me solidify what I want to portray. I talk to a handful of trusted friends who are not put off by my ramblings. I do some sketches and then a practice painting.
When all that is said and done, I finally begin on the actual painting which may go back to the previous steps as I go along. On the spiritual side, all of these stages involve praying....
Q. Were there any parts of the artwork that were especially meaningful or challenging to create?
A. Absolutely! I think (of myself as) a novice painter, considering I only started painting on a regular basis about a year and a half ago. I’m honestly still shocked this opportunity came my way. I had to fight many spiritual battles, mostly of feeling inadequate during the process, but I did have a spiritual cheering section following me around so I felt bolstered by their presence daily.
All of the paintings were meaningful, but I felt St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was probably the most challenging and also the one that impacted me the most. I knew the least about her so I did the most research. Some of that research included pictures that were difficult to look at. When you are visual person, images have a tendency to stick with you.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her philosophical ideas. She describes that at the center of our souls is the “empathetic eye” where we find relationship with Jesus and also empathy for others. This concept summed up my entire experience.
Q. Did working on this project impact your faith in any way?
A. Saying yes would be an understatement. The only word I think of that best describes my experience is “enchanting.” To tell you every detail of how this impacted me spiritually would consist of too many pages... but I will try to give you a brief summary.
While I was running, I heard God say to me, “I’m writing a love letter to someone, and you’re going to help me write it.”
The whole time, I felt I was creating these paintings for just one person—because we have a God who would do that. He would go to great lengths—hours, years, millennium—just to say I love you, just for one moment, just for one person. As I worked, I knew that I was doing His work, and I experienced exactly what St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was writing about, that “empathic eye.” I love that person, whoever they are, because God loves that person. It’s hard to explain, but I felt this oneness with God that I have never felt before.
Many times, I felt overcome by self-doubt in my artistic abilities. At one point, I almost called Corbert Gauthier, the amazing artist who painted (the murals at) St. Michael (Parish in Lincoln) with something like, “Hi you don’t know me, but could you paint these pictures because I can’t do it.”
However, before I could make the call, a gentle voice spoke to me, “Meghan, it has to be you.” I still don’t fully understand it, but I think it means that He was also doing this to show His love for me....
That’s not even the best part! God even orchestrated circumstances so that I got to know who the love letter was for! That same day I was running; God showed me a kind of movie in my mind of how this person would experience these paintings. I saw the person walk in the room and sit down at the table. I didn’t see a face or any physical attributes, but I felt their epiphany! For whatever reason, God needed to tell them that He has been with them all along whether they were aware of it or not, just like He was present to these saints.
About a month after I finished them, I happened to be having a conversation with someone who knew I had been working on the paintings. One of her family members called her after going on retreat. This person described to her the exact situation that God had showed me. God will never be outdone in generosity!
Q. What do you hope people take away when they see this artwork?
A. The main message is simply that God is with us whether we recognize it at the time or not. He is with humanity, and He is with each one of us individually.
After reading this interview, I hope people will think about the love letters God has written to them throughout their lives. I want people to try to grasp all He had to arrange to make these messages of love happen. I want them to identify how God is asking them to do His work. I sincerely hope that they will agree to do it, even if they feel inadequate because it’s not just for the other people. God also wants to spend quality time with each one of us, together, doing His work of Love.
Courtesy photos
