Art - St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church, Kapaa, HI

St Catherine Art

St Catherine Church Art

St. Catherine parish has been blessed by the donation of beautiful artwork from some of Hawaii's most renowned artists. In St. Catherine church this artwork includes the large fresco "Compassionate Christ" by Jean Charlot behind the altar, the fresco "Hawaiian Madonna" by Juliette May Fraser on the left side altar, and the fresco "Francis Xavier, Apostle of Asia" by Tseng Yuho on the right side altar.

Compassionate Christ

The 7 x 10 foot fresco, "Compassionate Christ," by Jean Charlot occupies the wall behind the altar and captures the eye. It is aglow with sunrise colors: palest blues, primrose, apricot, and rose that move and swirl like clouds around a magnificently robed Christ. Even at a distance you can see his face is filled with unutterable compassion as he looks down on his brethren.

There's an interesting story about the painting of this fresco. All three artists painted as the church was under construction. Two young cousins who were related to one of the workmen, Trudy Lizama-Debusca and Ginny Cruz-Rapozo, spent hours watching them. Charlot in particular took a liking to the two girls, who were around 10 at the time, answering their countless questions.

Lizama-Debusca remembers Charlot’s smile. He “was always so kind and gracious,” she said.

Charlot was so fond of these two young ladies that he painted both Trudy and Ginny as two angels looking down from the top of the crucifix.

Trudy still attends St. Catherine Church as did Ginny until her death in 2021.

Jean Charlot was born in Paris with French, Spanish, and Aztec Indian ancestry. He moved to Mexico in 1921 where he and Diego Rivera were largely responsible for the renaissance of the fresco mural medium in the Americas in the first half of the 20th century. From Mexico Charlot moved to the United States and ultimately settled in Hawaii as a professor at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Jean Charlot

Compassionate Christ

Fresco, 1958

Image ©Jean Charlot Estate LLC, used with permission.

Photo ©Philip Spalding III, used with permission.

Hawaiian Madonna

Juliette May Fraser

Hawaiian Madonna

Fresco, 1958

Image ©University of Hawaii at Manoa Library, used with permission.

Photo ©Bob Kass, used with permission.

Mary wearing a muumuu and lei. Joseph carrying a sugar cane stalk instead of a staff. Filipino fishermen bearing fish.

Angels wearing blue jeans. A jeep instead of a donkey. Just as renaissance artists portrayed the nativity as Italian, Spanish, or Dutch families, Juliette May Fraser has cast the scene with Polynesians performing a tradition Hawaiian Ho'okupu (gift-giving) ceremony.

Fraser tells the story of Christmas from the local point of view. There are goats instead of sheep. Jesus reaches for the lei being brought by a young shepherd boy. The women bring leis and young wheat symbolizing the forthcoming Eucharist. The Ali'i bears a special cape of feathers signifying the Christ Child is of royal birth. In the foreground are gifts of bananas, pineapple, coconut, taro, sweet potatoes, and sugar cane.

Note that the license plate number on the jeep bears the dedication date of the new St. Catherine Church: 4-20-58.

Juliette May Fraser was a Hawaiian-born artist with an international reputation. Her art work is found throughout Hawaii, the mainland U.S. and Europe. The fresco mural was her special medium - painting on freshly spread moist lime plaster.

Francis Xavier, Apostle of Asia

St. Francis Xavier was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and a missionary to Asia, particularly India, Indonesia, and Japan. He died in 1552 on Shangchuan island as he was planning to extend his mission to China.

The fresco, "Apostle of Asia", is a memorable joining of East and West. The exquisite figure of Francis, done in Chinese rubbing style, expresses with great clarity the consuming love of the Savior that was the mainspring of his life. In the background, the hills of China spill out of a white border, and are interrupted in the middle ground by a typical Japanese screen. The foreground holds the figure of a kneeling Xavier evoking a spirit yearning to travel to the hills beyond.

The artist, Tseng Yuho, also known as Betty Ecke, was born in Peking in 1925 where her artistic talent was recognized from an early age. In 1949 she fled the Chinese civil war and moved to Honolulu with her husband, Gustav Ecke. She became an international recognized artist who blended traditional Chinese styles with modern western influences.