If you’re a Catholic and like art, then you have probably come across Baritus Catholic’s artwork online or at Catholic conferences in the United States.
What one might not know is that the story behind artist Chris Lewis is one of a beautiful conversion led by our own Mother Angelica.
At the turn of the millennium, young Chris began dating a beautiful girl who came from a very Catholic Middle Eastern family. He considers it his first exposure to Catholicism.
He joked about the irony, saying,
“I knew nothing about Catholicism. And even looking back, it's kind of funny because I grew up in Southern California. There were Catholics everywhere.”
Lewis grew up in a very Protestant household, but considered himself an atheist by the time he met his now-wife.
After they started dating, Lewis went to her house frequently, and he remembers:
"Her parents were watching EWTN, and I started just picking things up about Catholicism, and it seems like it was just always playing in the background. And so, I'd catch things here or there, and I thought that was interesting.
"But then at some point, I caught Mother Angelica, and there was something about her, like just her simple faith, being older, it all reminded me of my grandparents, and there was something really warm and just comforting about it. But of course, she's a nun, so I knew nothing about nuns, and I just thought that was fascinating. Like discovering this nun on TV that just felt like I knew her already. And she became very accessible to me and just brought me back to the faith in a really heartwarming, simple, convicted way.
"That's the thing that I loved about her, that she was feisty, right? So, she would say hard truths, but she would say them in a way that you just accepted."
Eventually, Lewis started a new job where he would come home at one o'clock in the morning. He would grab his food and turn on the TV to EWTN, eating his late dinners while accompanied by Mother Angelica, who was always on at that hour.
Lewis explains how it became a ritual for him:
“I'd come home, have dinner, watch Mother Angelica, and I was just amazed. I didn't quite understand everything. But she was always great about explaining the faith and encouraging people, and just very edifying to watch.”
Years later, Lewis ultimately converted to the Catholic faith and read the book Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles by Raymond Arroyo.
“That's one of the best books I've ever read, honestly, and I tell everybody about it,” he said.
Mother Angelica and the part she played in his conversion to Catholicism continue to hold a special place in Chris’ heart. He is now raising a family with his wife in Georgia and is a full-time Catholic artist.
If you look closely enough at his social media pages, you might be able to spot a few tributes to our dear Mother Angelica!