Near-drowning inspires Philadelphia-native’s contemporary religious artwork

By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer

A near-drowning experience is the inspiration for a lively work of religious art, by a Philadelphia-born artist and religious brother, now on exhibit at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.
“Assumption Over Bethany,” which will remain on display through the end of September, was created by Oblate of St. Francis de Sales Brother Michael O’Neill McGrath, 47, after his experience at Bethany Beach, Del., in September 2002.
“It’s really about the mystery of it all — about life and death happening at the exact moment,” the oblate brother, who is known as Brother Mickey, told The CS&T in a recent interview.
The painting depicts a blue sky, white clouds, colorful beach umbrellas and sun-bathers — and two arms bobbing in a green sea, with a small, inconspicuous lifeguard sprinting toward the drowning swimmer with a lifeline. A red sea serpent bobs on the horizon, while a golden Mary, surrounded by four angels, looks down with outstretched arms over the whole scene.
The painting is part of a show at the Cultural Center titled, “Mystical Rose, Star of the Sea: Images of the Virgin Mary from the Litany of Loreto.”
Describing the incident that inspired “Assumption Over Bethany” in his latest book, Blessed Art Thou: Mother, Lady, Mystic, Queen, (World Library Publications, Franklin Park, Ill., 2004), Brother Mickey wrote: “I imagined Mary hovering above our heads.
“Some of us on the beach that morning were merely soaking up the sun, sipping lemonade and wondering where to have dinner that evening, while others among us were nearly drowning. Life is like that, isn’t it? Birth, death, and the ordinary stuff in between happen at the same time, packing every moment of our day with mystery,” he said.
Describing the event to The CS&T, Brother Mickey said he had gone to Bethany Beach for the weekend in the midst of putting together the “Mystical Rose” exhibit.
“There I was on the beach. I had just been finishing up the painting[s] for the book — I had one or two more to go, but I was switching modes and starting the writing process.”
He went into the water and rode the rough waves to take a break from his work. “It was fun,” he said. But his fun would soon take a fearful turn. “At one point, I couldn’t feel the ocean floor anymore. I realized I was stuck in an undertow or rip tide.”
He struggled to get to shore, then, his legs cramped. “I … waved to the lifeguard and she came running over. She threw a life preserver to me and fished me out.”
Although thoughts of drowning crossed his mind, he told himself not to panic.
“It seemed like slow motion,” he said of watching the lifeguard’s rescue. “I realized moments were getting real precious. …The image in the painting started coming into my mind that very afternoon, after I had the near-drowning.”
After the rescue, he remained on the beach for the remainder of the afternoon and sketched “Assumption Over Bethany.”
When he looks at the artwork now, he is reminded how protective forces watch over man. The painting is “about just enjoying to the fullest the days we have because they’re so limited — having fun and not dwelling on the darkness,” he said.
“I would like others to come to an image of Mary which presents her as a friend and soul companion, a human who suffered and enjoyed all that it means to be fully human,” Brother Mickey explained. “I grew up with a mother who had great devotion to Mary, but a devotion which always struck me as familiar and friendly and not at all pious or sentimental.”
Brother Mickey graduated from St. Matthew School in Northeast Philadelphia in 1970 and Father Judge High School for Boys in 1974.
A former instructor at Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, he holds a master’s degree in fine arts in painting. For the past decade, he has worked as an artist, retreat director and writer. He resides in Washington, D.C.
Penelope Fletcher, deputy director of the cultural center, said she was impressed with the artist’s ability of expression: “Brother Mickey’s paintings are very personal and filled with many layers of meaning.”
Other works by Brother Mickey at the cultural center exhibit are visual depictions of Mary’s titles in the Litany of Loreto. In a depiction of Our Lady of Refuge, for example, Mary’s gown is made of the type of quilts that were used to give directions to fleeing slaves on the Underground Railroad. A representation of Our Lady of Angels shows an angelic jazz band inspired by a Chicago jazz scene.
The exhibit gallery also features an arts-and-crafts area where young people can create their own interpretations of the paintings in the exhibit.
Catholic News Service contributed to this article.

Contact Christie L. Chicoine at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org