Artist creates murals for Holy Name of Jesus Church SACRED ART

By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When Mattie Karr was commissioned to create triptych murals for Holy Name of Jesus Parish here, she decided to use real parishioners as her subjects.

“I was at church looking for inspiration,” she said. “I saw this woman at Mass, and I thought she was really beautiful.

“I was like, ‘She’s Mary.’ I just felt it in my heart.”

Karr told Father Anthony Ouellette, pastor of Holy Name, that she had someone in mind to portray the mother of Jesus.

“He was like, ‘I have someone in mind, too. It’s that woman with the really long hair,’” said Karr. “And that’s exactly who I was wanting.”

It seemed providential for Leticia DeCaigny to represent Mary.

“She said it actually means a lot,” said Karr. “[She and her husband] lost their son to cancer [around] 10 years ago, so she said, ‘I know what it’s like to walk with a suffering son.’”

DeCaigny’s son was just 8 years old when he passed away after a five-year battle with cancer.

“Toward the end,” said DeCaigny, “I

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“When he passed, I said, ‘Look at him! He has a smile on his face.’ I think with that smile, it made me think he’s in a great place.

“He knows where he’s going.”

‘Time capsule’

The murals already hold a special place in the hearts of parishioners who are eagerly anticipating their installation sometime after May.

Father Ouellette said they’ll be a lasting legacy for Holy Name, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026.

“It’s a time capsule in the sense of capturing some of the image and likeness of the people that come to our parish,” he said.

Like DeCaigny, Ernest and Marketta Hickman were thrilled to be part of the project.

Marketta has been a Holy Name parishioner for nearly 60 years, and she and Ernest were married there 40 years ago.

As volunteers, they had their photographs taken at Karr’s studio, wearing costumes borrowed from the Little Sisters of the Lamb.

>> See “COLORFUL” on page 6

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