by John Sorce
john.sorce@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When Archbishop Shawn McKnight spoke at the Archbishop’s Canvas and Quill High School Invitational on March 6, he likened art to God’s creation of humanity in the Book of Genesis.
“Our first two stories of creation from the Book of Genesis reminds us that we are made in the image and likeness of God,” he said. “We share God’s ability to create, and it’s as if God created the universe and specifically had us as part of this creation.
“When we produce things, we’re reflecting something of that creativity of God. That’s especially seen in the work of art. There’s something Godlike about it.”
The theme of this year’s awards was apostolic succession, which traces the historical lineage of bishops and popes back to the original apostles.
Archbishop McKnight is intrigued by the topic and compared it to how an authority structure affects all of humanity.
“I find the subject very fascinating,” said the archbishop. “Authority isn’t something unique to us Catholics. It is part of the order of nature. All groupings of human beings need structures of authority to remain cohesive as a social group.
“Our Lord knew that, and that’s why he established authority that he gave to Peter and his successors.”
The event was formerly known as the Archbishop’s Art Invitational, but it grew this year to include the written word and incorporate poetry.
It also introduced two new awards for top honors: the St. Bede Award for poetry and the St. Luke Award for art.
St. Bede the Venerable was an eighth-century monk, scholar and doctor of the church. He devoted his life to studying, writing and preserving the history of the church and had a strong love for the written word.
St. Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, was also an artist and is considered the patron saint of artists.
Those awards went to Lenexa’s St. James Academy senior Luke Toepfer for poetry, and sophomore Ella Wondra for art.
Wondra’s pencil drawing called “Inheritance of the Faith” shows a key being passed from one set of hands to another.
“I was confused [about the theme] at first, but I figured it out and I’m glad that my gifts from God were really portrayed in my art,” Wondra said. “It took a while but ended up being something that I am really proud of.”
Toepfer’s poem called “A Broken Record Sings” relates to Peter’s three denials of Christ and his ensuing forgiveness.
He said the Holy Spirit spoke it through him during adoration.
“I was sitting in front of the monstrance and asked Jesus what he wanted me to hear,” Toepfer said. “After that, I took out my pen and started writing.
“I was inviting the Holy Spirit to show what he wanted to reveal about myself, and that’s what I got. It’s one of my favorites.”
Toepfer also took home the poetry popular choice award, as voted on by the public leading up to the event.
The art popular choice award went to Roeland Park’s Bishop Miege junior Mary Alice Solano, who was a first-place winner a year ago.
Her colored pencil drawing called “Glowing Respect” shows three men looking up towards Jesus.
“I combined a lot of reference pictures together,” Solano said. “Jesus was easy to draw, and I think the hardest part was finding the right shades and colors because I don’t work with colored pencils often.
“For the people next to him, I wanted to cover every age to be more diverse.”
Archbishop McKnight hopes to see the arts continue to thrive in archdiocesan schools.
“It is very important that we highlight the importance of the arts in Catholic education,” he said. “Encouraging young, budding artists and their teachers is a wonderful way of doing that.”
