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I first met 3-year-old Rebecca Pohlmeier when she toddled into the Catholic Herald office hiding behind one of her mom’s legs when she came to visit her dad, Keith, one of our advertising managers.

Almost 15 years later, that once shy little girl is now an 18-year-old young woman who is headed off to college soon to pursue a teaching career. Boy, time flies.

This self-confident and humble young lady is talented, yes. But, the thing that comes across most when you talk to her is her love of the saints, and her strong Catholic faith.

Rebecca opened an Etsy shop a few years ago — to support her way to the Arlington diocesan WorkCamp — where she sells prints, stickers, digital downloads and magnets of her drawings. It all started with one of her favorite saints, St. Therese of Lisieux, and she now has illustrated nearly 100 saints. Each saint includes a small detail or two particular to that person. Some are well known, such as St. Joan of Arc carrying a banner, shield and sword, or St. Blaise with two crossed candles. But did you know St. Catherine of Bologna carries a painter’s palette as well as a cross and Bible? I didn’t.

Rebecca takes custom orders for saints that she hasn’t drawn yet, and one of her favorite things is learning about the saints and who they were and researching the types of symbols she should include and how to draw them.

She calls the saints her friends, and, really, what better friends could you want?

Find out More

Watch the video below of Pohlmeier drawing a new illustration of Venerable Carlo Acutis, who will be beatified soon by Pope Francis, and listen to the podcast (above) where she talks about her business and what she has been up to since I last interviewed her in 2018.