New York News

Only In Print: Church of St. Francis Xavier Updates Its Look to Reflect Its Parishioners

Artist Patricia Brintle puts the finishing touches on her portrait of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman. (Photo: Paula Katinas)

CHELSEA — Kristen Beckles has been attending Mass at the Church of St. Francis Xavier for eight years and loves almost everything about it — except that when she looks at the statues and paintings of saints displayed around the church, she never sees any that resembles her.

As a woman of color, Beckles is longing for depictions of saints and icons that reflect…


The rest of this article can be found exclusively in the April 2 printed version of The Tablet. You can buy it at church for $1, or you can receive future editions of the paper in your mailbox at a discounted rate by subscribing here. Thank you for supporting Catholic journalism.