Portrait of my friend Caroline—
When I go back to my hometown, I tend to go to daily Mass at St. Tom’s, the Catholic center at Purdue University. There, I befriended Caroline who I have enjoyed sitting with at Mass over the past couple of years when I’m home. Caroline is a grad student at Purdue, originally from Kenya. One day at Mass, I noticed Caroline praying the Our Father in her native language, Swahili, with her hands up in this gentle posture of openness and surrender. As she prayed the Baba Yetu at this daily Mass in West Lafayette, Indiana, I was reminded of the universality of the Church, and the beauty of the diversity found in our Catholic faith wherever we go. So, naturally I asked Caroline to pose for me. I hope this drawing can be an awakening reminder of the beauty and dignity of our culturally diverse Church, individually and collectively.
