Charism of Craftsmanship

Definition: Inspired artistic or creative works that beautifies and/or orders the physical world.”

Testimony for the Charism of Craftsmanship

Attending the Called and Gifted process was very energising and brought a way of seeing various elements of my life as part of one specific charism.

I’ve always been involved in many different creative activities, for example in art design especially painting, in being a homemaker, organising crafts for children’s groups, also as a church flower arranger, and in making church vestments. The Called and Gifted process enabled me to view these different activities as facets of the charism of Craftsmanship. This creativity has been very fulfilling and has generally been done for others.

Formerly an Anglican, and becoming a Catholic through the Personal Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham, I have been on pilgrimages to both the Catholic and Anglican shrines at Walsingham. During the Called and Gifted process, while exploring the charism of Craftsmanship, I felt inspired to make a devotional picture of Our Lady of Walsingham in watercolour and gold leaf).

“Designing and painting it was a time of peacefulness and prayer.”

Since then I have had it professionally produced as small devotional bookmark sized cards to give away. Happily, the subsequent feedback has been very appreciative, with people seeing them as little prayer cards. I have also had larger sized cards produced, for Christmas or other greetings and I feel encouraged to consider going on to make other devotional paintings, especially of Our Lady.