Artist Statement: This painting honors my grandmother - a New American - and all immigrants searching for a safe home.
The Right Reverend Thomas Ely, Episcopal Bishop of Vermont requested to have this work on the altar with him at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, Vermont, Easter, 2017. Bishop Ely read the prayer below which he wrote in response to this painting:
God of Empty Tombs and Grace in the Wilderness, we lament of the hatred
And violence present in our world today.
On that first Easter morning, the Jesus Movement was given a sign of hope
As love emerged victorious over the grave, and the fear, hatred and violence
That sought to entomb it.
Today we pray for all those who suffer because of hatred and violence in our
World, including refugees, victims of war, victims of domestic and sexual
Violence, victims of gun violence, and all whose dignity is violated by any
Form of bias, bigotry or discrimination.
By the power of the Risen Christ, stir up our hearts, we pray, with the
Strength, wisdom and courage to embrace hope, give love a chance and offer
Grace in the wilderness. Amen
Bio: Janet McKenzie came to national prominence with her controversial dark interpretation of Christ, Jesus of the People. Winner of the National Catholic Reporter's "Jesus 2000" global competition the painting was revealed on The Today Show receiving a worldwide response. Orbis Books published Holiness and the Feminine Spirit: The Art of Janet McKenzie, which won the 2010 First Place Award for Spirituality from the Catholic Press Association, and The Way of the Cross: The Path to New Life, a collaboration with Sister Joan Chittister, OSB.
Janet McKenzie was the 2013 William Belden Noble lecturer at Memorial Church, Harvard University and in 2017 Memorial Church commissioned The Divine Journey – Companions of Love and Hope.
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