Sharing the Faith- Signed by the Artist – Canvas Giclee – Limited Edition – 95 S/N – 40 x 32

Description

"Sharing the Faith" depicts two priests, one of whom bears the countenance of Pope John Paul II, in front of the San Jose Mission near San Antonio, Texas.

The painting was presented to the pontiff in a special ceremony at the Vatican on February 29, 1984. "The painting is very beautiful, may God bless your work", said the Pope upon receiving the painting in front of 15,000 people. Following the ceremonies, Dyke was escorted to the Pope's private chambers where the painting had been taken at the pontiff's request.

"I wanted to paint something that was representative of the church's influence in America,' said Dyke. "Religious faith was a fundamental part of the early American experience and the string of missions that stretched across the frontier has come to epitomize that faith. I decided to include the Pope in the painting because of his overwhelming warmth and presence which I felt in our first meeting."