{"id":1452,"date":"2008-11-16T00:05:00","date_gmt":"2008-11-16T00:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2008\/11\/a-brush-with-the-divine.html"},"modified":"2008-11-16T00:05:00","modified_gmt":"2008-11-16T00:05:00","slug":"a-brush-with-the-divine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/11\/a-brush-with-the-divine.html","title":{"rendered":"A brush with the divine"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> From Texas comes this enlightening and inspiring story<\/a> of a deacon of many talents — one of them, using a brush and paint: <\/p>\n

On any afternoon, artist Rolando Lujan could be found working on an art project, whether it’s painting on cantera tile or his latest mural, a Noah’s Ark theme in a new East Side pediatric dental clinic.<\/p>\n

And yet, like some modern-day hero, Lujan is always prepared to drop the brushes, change his clothes and don an alb and stole to help lead a funeral service or give a blessing to the sick.<\/p>\n

Lujan, who has been married for more than 20 years to his wife, Norma Angelica and has three daughters, is also a dedicated deacon at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Central El Paso.<\/p>\n

As a recently ordained deacon, Lujan is part of a wave of religious leaders who are helping the Catholic Church meet the needs of its members. In May, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso ordained 15 deacons — including Lujan — who assist with baptisms, witness weddings and conduct funeral rites at various churches.<\/p>\n

Even when he’s not wearing the religious vestments — and is back at the drawing board — Lujan said he experiences a connection to his creator and appreciates God’s gifts on Earth.<\/p>\n

“Being an artist just gives me another perspective on life,” he said. “Often, when I’m working on a mural in a home, I’m around construction workers. And it will happen that they will feel comfortable around me and start talking to me, and sometimes talk to me about their problems.<\/p>\n

“And it can become a chance to evangelize and to talk about God — and becomes another way that enriches my life. It is like a gift that God has given me to be able to relate to people.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s more at the link. Bless him, and the remarkable work that he’s doing. <\/p>\n

Photo: Deacon Rolando Lujan, standing by one of his murals, depicting Noah’s Ark. Photo by Rudy Gutierrez\/El Paso Times<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Texas comes this enlightening and inspiring story of a deacon of many talents — one of them, using a brush and paint: On any afternoon, artist Rolando Lujan could be found working on an art project, whether it’s painting on cantera tile or his latest mural, a Noah’s Ark theme in a new East…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deacons","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nA brush with the divine - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/11\/a-brush-with-the-divine.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A brush with the divine - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From Texas comes this enlightening and inspiring story of a deacon of many talents — one of them, using a brush and paint: On any afternoon, artist Rolando Lujan could be found working on an art project, whether it’s painting on cantera tile or his latest mural, a Noah’s Ark theme in a new East…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2008\/11\/a-brush-with-the-divine.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-11-16T00:05:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_0DySLTT4PWo\/SR-T8puynPI\/AAAAAAAADVE\/igUfbYKhhag\/s400\/20081113__1114-d1-deacon~1_Gallery.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"deacon greg kandra\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A brush with the divine - 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