Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated a special Mass followed by a blessing to mark the installation of two large museum-quality paintings, “Saint Louis at Prayer” and “the Good Samaritan,” at St. Louis Church in Alexandria March 1.
The paintings hold special meaning to both Bishop Burbidge and Father Keith M. O’Hare, pastor, as the artworks come from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. Bishop Burbidge spent 15 years at the seminary, first as student, then as administrator. Father O’Hare was a seminarian there for five years before being ordained a priest in 2002.
After the 2024 graduation, the seminary relocated about 30 miles from where it started and downsized some 150 years’ worth of possessions in the process, including paintings and statues. Father O’Hare said he jumped at the opportunity to acquire the St. Louis painting, which he had seen daily during his years there as a seminarian, and seminary records indicate is attributed to an artist known simply as A. Gaioviz and completed in 1803. “I just knew that it should be the one I should get,” said Father O’Hare.
As for the Good Samaritan, the painting is the work of a French priest, Father Paul Buffet. It was hanging in a prominent location at the seminary, and Father O’Hare remembers seeing it on his way to class. “You couldn’t just walk by and not let it inspire you,” he said.
Echoing the same sentiment, Bishop Burbidge said he was thrilled to have the artwork in his diocese. “To think now they found a new home in my diocese, it’s just very inspiring,” he said. It’s as inspiring, he added, as hearing Father O’Hare’s explanation that the paintings remind us that prayer and charity go together; they can’t be separated. The painting of St. Louis illustrates the vertical life, the life of prayer, turned to God, while the Good Samaritan represents the horizontal life, the life of community and charity, Father O’Hare said. It’s a very simple way to say love God and love your neighbor, he said.
The paintings hang on each of the transepts and when people return from receiving Communion, they see either one of them.
Eight priests joined their bishop to concelebrate Mass. They included Msgr. Bob Cilinski, pastor of Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, who was baptized at St. Louis and attended grade school there; Father Paul Richardson, former parochial vicar of St. Louis; Father O’Hare; Fathers Gregory Thompson and Luke Poczatek, parochial vicars; Father Thomas Ferguson, pastor of nearby Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria; Father Noah Morey, diocesan vocations director; and recently ordained Father Richard Malebranche, who served at St. Louis during his diaconate year. Fathers Poczatek and Richardson both also attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
“I would like to thank the parish for the gracious welcome, for the many ways that they live out the inspiration these paintings provide,” said Bishop Burbidge. “It’s a parish known for its love of the Lord, for beautiful prayer and for imitating the Good Samaritan.”
Parishioners were grateful for the bishop’s presence. “It was truly special to have the bishop here,” said Lupita Williamson, a parishioner, mother of four children and also communications coordinator for Porto Charities. She said she was grateful for the time he spent after Mass talking to parishioners and meeting volunteers at the parish’s Little Way Café.
Chapman is a freelancer in Alexandria.
This story has been updated.
