Meet The Artist

My name is Sister Mary Grace, and I have been a member of this community since 198I. I am the oldest of twelve children, from a devout Catholic family of the fifties, and I have wanted to be a sister since I was a little girl. I graduated from high school in 1968 and went on to Marygrove College in my hometown of Detroit. 

All the while I was pondering where to live out my religious calling. I knew the work of the sisters who had taught me and whom I had grown to love, but it seemed to me that I wanted to do more than reach one classroom of students a year. 

I left college after two years and joined a monastery in North Carolina in 1970. I was there for seven years, but the monastery eventually had to close. As they were closing, this Carmel of Terre Haute was publishing a booklet that I read, and I knew in my heart that Terre Haute Carmel was the perfect fit for me. It took a few years to recover my balance, but I finally found my true home in this community in 1981, and the fit was right. 

I made my Solemn Profession in 1986. I have worked in many areas of the monastery. Eventually God allowed the artistic talents implanted deep in me to come to daily use, which is a great joy and a great challenge. Especially I have been privileged to enter into the contemplative work of writing icons. But the deepest challenge I experience is to continue to let God transform me and to be open to the new spiritual gifts with which I am constantly presented. 

A northern Illinois native, Sr. Jeana Visel, OSB is a sister of Monastery Immaculate Conception, Ferdinand, Indiana, where she entered in 2003, made first profession in 2006, and perpetual profession in 2010. She is Dean of School of Theology Programs and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Spirituality at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. Her research and teaching interests include Church art, especially iconography, and monastic studies. She also serves as a cantor, and assists with Saint Meinrad’s chant offerings. Her first book, Icons in the Western Church: Toward a More Sacramental Encounter, was published by Liturgical Press in 2016. She has studied iconography with Ksenia Pokrovsky, Anna Gouriev, Marek Czarnecki, and George Kordis. 

I am a Sister of St. Francis of Oldenburg IN. I grew up in a rural area of Missouri near St. Louis. The Franciscan Sisters of Oldenburg IN were my teachers. When it was noted that I wanted to be a Sister, the Sisters steered me to the Aspirancy in Oldenburg for High School. I entered the Community in 1960. After formation, my ministry was teaching in Ohio, Indiana and Missouri for many years. Then my ministry took many twists and turns: physical therapy aide, office manager in a high school, pastoral ministry, parish bookkeeper, secretary for Formation offices at the Motherhouse. My last ministry outside of the Community took me to Washington, DC working for the Franciscan Federation. While there I saw the Iconography Retreat advertised in Easton Pa. This intrigued me as I did and do many creative activities. After my first Icon Retreat I found this form of creativity and prayer important to me. I went back year after year for the summer retreat even when I moved back to Indiana. I also did some online Icon classes taught by another Iconographer. Currently I work in the Communications Office of the Sisters of St. Francis. At this time I pray and write the icons when I have time mainly on weekends.