This picture is from the rear of the church. What you are looking at is the bell tower, which was built in 1886. The Jesuit graveyard is in the foreground.
I walked around the area taking pictures of the beautiful grounds and architecture before settling down to paint a chunk of the tower.
We were visited by many interesting people. One of the visitors who spent some time with us was Brother John Puza, a Jesuit Brother, born in Pennsylvania. Brother John, who lives down the lane we were painting on, had some wonderful stories to tell. I really enjoyed my visit with him and took this picture of him as he headed back home.
Below is my completed painting...a chunk of the bell tower I took home with me.
Happy Painting Y'all!
Wow, happy to see that Brother Puza is still getting around over thirty-five years since I last saw him. He was my teacher at a Catholic school in 1979 (I think), he taught Speech, Theology, and (unofficially) Sex Education. If you ever encounter him again, ask him the story of why he stayed a Jesuit brother rather than taking the final vows to become a priest... it was a quite fascinating story for a high school sophomore anyhow. He was a very interesting and enlightened / enlightening man, and if there were more like him the Catholic church would be much better off.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the information about Brother Puza. I really enjoyed visiting with him and hearing his stories. You must have enjoyed his class. I will be painting there again and if I see him will ask the story. He told me the stories of when he fed the cows with poop all over his boot and would go into the dinning room and everyone avoided him....made me laugh. I will be posting more about Grand Coteau in the future when I paint there again. Thanks again for the comment!
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