The St. Thérèse of Lisieux adoration chapel — a simple, serene place on the grounds of St. Martin De Porres — is both the subject and spiritual inspiration for The Night Beckoning.
The chapel itself is dedicated to two girls, the first of whom is St. Thérèse. Though she lived simply and in obscurity, St. Thérèse quietly and completely gave her soul to God. The diary she left behind has inspired millions to follow her childlike trust in God’s goodness.
The chapel is also dedicated to a girl who died tragically as a child. She and I were classmates here in Dripping Springs, at a time when our town was much smaller and far more obscure. Her final diary entry confessed her earnest desire to live fully for God, no matter the cost, in the simple place she and her parents had made their home.
Their stories join many casual testimonies of friends and acquaintances connected to our church. My own soul has been deeply marked by my hours in prayer in the adoration chapel, it's a place of many tears and supplications. I was moved to create this painting as a response to all these stories of yearning for God.
Our community will soon remove the tabernacle within our beloved adoration chapel, and we will take our prayers somewhere new. My painting is a memorial of love for this particular place of prayer: Under a moonlit sky, the quiet glow of the lights, the enshrouding darkness, and the one who waits inside. The Night Beckoning enshrines what many have experienced here: a fleeting moment of mysterious beauty, an irresistible call, the invisible presence that seems to beat with anticipatory reception.
