A Starry Night in Roanoke (above): Adam Johnson, art teacher at Roanoke Catholic School, still has his left ear. But over the summer, he created a large mural at the entrance of the school that incorporates distinctive Roanoke landmarks into Vincent Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist masterpiece, Starry Night.
The mural, which measures 20 feet wide and 8 feet tall, features the Basilica of St. Andrew, Roanoke, and Roanoke Catholic School on top of the hill. Down in the valley, there are recognizable icons of Roanoke, including the locomotive from the Virginia Museum of Transportation, historic Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, and the H&C Coffee sign.
“It’s been a really cool experience watching the students come in and see that space transformed,” said Johnson.
He expected to spend two weeks on the mural, but in the end, he completed it in just over a month. “It turned into something bigger than I expected,” he said.
This is Johnson’s second year as the art teacher at Roanoke Catholic. Last year, he painted a smaller version of the mural for a bulletin board in his classroom.
“It was the first thing the kids’ eyes caught when they came into the room,” said Johnson.
He is a graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University art program and specializes in portrait illustration.
“I put a lot of love and effort into it,” he said. “I knew the kids were going to love it.”
Love for Our Lady of La Vang (below): The Vietnamese community, and its supporters, at St. Jerome, Newport News, raised more than $25,000 to purchase a statue of Our Lady of La Vang for the church grounds. The statue arrived last September; hardscaping, a Marian garden and a trellis were added afterward. The statue received a special blessing on Aug. 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc, of the Diocese of Kalibo, Philippines. Bishop Tala-oc was visiting the pastor of St. Jerome, Father George Prado, who is from the Diocese of Kalibo.
New place to play (right): Students arrived on the first day of class at Star of the Sea School, Virginia Beach, on Aug. 20, to find a new place to play. A concrete parking lot was replaced by a large, grassy area. It is Phase I of a two-phase project to renovate the school’s outdoor playgrounds. After the school Mass on Aug. 22, Father Esteban (Steve) DeLeon, pastor, blessed the playground.
Four Cadets become Knights (below): Four Benedictine Cadets from the Class of 2024 were inducted into the Knights of Columbus Aug. 14 at Mary Mother of the Church Abbey, Richmond.
“We are proud of these young men, among the newest and youngest Knights in Virginia,” said Major Rich Ramos, Grand Knight of the Father Adrian Harmening Council #17630. Ramos also serves as a military leadership instructor at Benedictine College Preparatory, Richmond, which shares a campus with the abbey.
Ramos’ son, Cristian, was one of the young men inducted into Council #17630. Joining Ramos were Jude Drew, Luke Drew, and Orlando Orellana-Duran. All four departed for college during August; Jude and Luke Drew are at Christopher Newport University, Orellana-Duran is at Virginia Tech, and Ramos is attending Catholic University of America.
“They really liked the ceremony. They were drawn to the whole idea of joining a group of like-minded people, and the strength that comes from being part of that,” said Michael Drew, financial secretary of Council #17630 and the father of Jude and Luke.
Council #17630 participates annually in Coats for Kids, the Special Olympics, and many activities at the abbey and school. Drew added that some of the boys are hoping to start a satellite Knights of Columbus roundtable to Council #17630 at their respective universities. In Blacksburg, Orellana-Duran noted that there is a Knights of Columbus presence on campus.
His first week on the ratline in the Virginia Tech ROTC program was challenging, said Orellana-Duran, but despite his busy schedule, he hopes to get involved with Catholic organizations at Virginia Tech.
“I enjoyed my time at Benedictine, and I think I’m going to enjoy being a Knight of Columbus,” he said.
