Meet the Siblings Who Painted St. Carlo’s Encounter With Mary

In a departure from traditional portrayals, siblings George Capps and Polly Capps Paule have unveiled a painting that captures a young St. Carlo Acutis in a mystical encounter with the Blessed Mother.

 

Unlike common depictions of St. Carlo in casual attire, their artwork, titled The Consecration of Carlo Acutis, presents him as a child experiencing a profound vision of Our Lady of Fatima offering him her heart.

 

This piece was commissioned by the Real Presence Education Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

 

The foundation sought an image to serve as the visual branding for a new parish-based ministry focused on family consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through Carlo’s intercession.

 

The inspiration stemmed from a passage in Carlo’s mother’s book, revealing that around his First Communion, Carlo received a vision of Our Lady of Fatima offering him her heart.

 

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George and Polly, founders of Goretti Fine Art in St. Louis, Missouri, are known for their commitment to creating sacred art that bridges tradition and modernity.

 

They aim to produce works that represent an organic development of the traditional stream, avoiding extremes of either copying past styles or making radical breaks from tradition.

 

By studying the works of the Old Masters and understanding the theological and aesthetic principles underlying their iconographic approach, they honor the Church’s heritage while engaging modern audiences.

 

For the artists, sacred art is deeply intertwined with prayer.

 

They believe that an active prayer life is essential to the creative process, as it purifies the imagination and informs the creative vision.

 

By developing a relationship with God through prayer, they can perceive in created things a glimmer of their divine source, which they aim to communicate through their art.

 

Through their work, George and Polly strive to evangelize the culture by making churches havens of beauty.

 

They recognize a hunger for authentic beauty in the life of the Church and seek to meet this need through their art.

 

By depicting saints from modern times and grappling with themes relevant to contemporary society, they aim to create art that resonates with today’s audiences while remaining rooted in tradition.

 

As St. Carlo Acutis is canonized, The Consecration of Carlo Acutis stands as a testament to his profound spirituality and the enduring power of sacred art to inspire and uplift.

 

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