In a candlelit room at Sacred Heart Church in Sauk Rapids, tables held carefully curated items at each place setting. A plentiful assortment of paint and brushes served as centerpieces.
“I’m not an artist,” said Karen Handeland, who dreamed up and leads a faith-based art ministry she calls “Painting the Word.”
Despite her declaration, a group of nearly 40 women gathered Jan. 28 to paint and pray together.
As a child, Handeland admits she was precocious and got into mischief. At times, she got caught.
“My mom gave me warnings,” she said. “I distinctly remember while riding in the car with her, she reminded me of my behavior. I challenged God at the time, telling him I would not be tested in the way she said I would.”
But, in adulthood, Handeland was tested.
“I broke both my legs,” she recalled. “I broke one leg and was off it for months. Then, two months after I healed, I broke my other leg.”
With light brushstrokes, God brought her to further involvement in her parish, and she was encouraged to attend the Emmaus Institute, a four-year intellectual and ministerial formation program for lay leadership ministry through the Diocese of St. Cloud. Several times, she declined.
Not long after, Handeland heard a call from God.
“God called to me in a dream saying, ‘I want you to dive deeper into your faith,’” Handeland said.
on their projects.
Handeland was accepted into the Emmaus program and continues nearly two years later.
“Emmaus has helped me grow,” Handeland said.
As part of the program, she completed a Small Christian Community Practicum, which she built using a program she developed for her local public school, ‘Crafting with Kindness with Karen,’ and her growing love for lectio and visio divina prayer.
She teamed up with Barbara Sutton, editor of “Seeing the Word” and director of Building Bridges for a Thriving Mission.
“Karen has a gift for encouragement, and her work is focused on evangelizing, building a community and teaching a prayer practice,” Sutton said.
Sutton encouraged Handeland to apply for a Big Ideas grant through Bridge Builders for a Thriving Mission, so she could hold sessions free of charge.
At the most recent Painting the Word class, the parable of the lost sheep was read using “Seeing the Word,” a publication from Liturgical Press, which includes detailed illuminations from the Saint John’s Bible.
After the first reading, participants discussed the meaning of the story. The same Scripture passage was read again, and participants shared a word that stood out to them with their tables. After the passage was read a third time, all journaled about their word or phrase and any images that came to mind.
“I give them time to think about why God is calling them to that specific word from Scripture,” said Handeland.
After journaling, participants doodled with their word and painted an image that corresponded to the word they chose.
“The whole group does not paint a specific image or the same image,” said Handeland, “And, if an image to paint doesn’t come to somebody, we always have images on hand that can be referenced.”
At the end of the class, many participants shared their artwork with the group, displaying images of lambs, colors changing from dark to light, joyous angels and hands reaching out to help. By the end of the evening, stories of struggle morphed into stories of faith and hope.
Handeland’s work and willingness to answer God’s call has led others to strengthen their life of faith.
laugh with others at their table while
they work on the painting project
during the Painting the Word event
at Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids
Jan. 28.
“Karen reached out to say she was doing this painting class last spring. I went and it was good for me,” said Emily Gasperlin, a past participant. “I went through religion classes and then was confirmed, but there wasn’t anything after that. Karen created a group of people my age in a similar place as me.
“Karen is very much an open book. If you ask a question, she will answer. If she doesn’t know, she will find the answer. It makes me keep going in my faith journey — if she doesn’t have all the answers, I don’t need to have all the answers either.”
“I want the doubters and the faithful to come together to learn from one another and build relationships,” Handeland said. “Then, I just let God work.”
Story by Amber Walling / Photography by Dianne Towalski