Written by Clare McCallan
Jessica didn’t intend to pursue a life in the arts or even to start a business. All she had intended to do was find a way she could best use her gifts to serve the church.
Five years ago, Jessica participated in the “Called and Gifted” workshop through the Catherine of Sienna Institute The workshop teaches about the twenty-four common charisms and the role they play in the life and service of both individuals and the church community as a whole.
After the workshop, Jessica and the other conference attendees were given a comprehensive test in order to find which charism their gifts most lent themselves to. Jessica’s top result was craftsmanship, which was interesting considering her background as a dental hygienist.
Soon after the workshop, Jessica underwent a major surgery. Her mother took the kids while she rested but by only the third day, still very much in recovery, she felt compelled to act on the results of her test and try her hand at the craftsmanship it had suggested.
Lo and behold, the test knew exactly what it was talking about. She began creating digital designs that reflected both her faith and her love of all things beautiful. As she explained to me, “One way you can know that something is your charism is that once you start, you simply can’t not do it.”
I smiled when she said this, thinking to myself that it sounded a little bit like falling in love.
And one of the things that makes Jessica’s love affair with craftsmanship so profound, is the accessibility she sews into her business model in order to ensure that everyone can have a little bit of beauty in their home.
“I love providing Catholic art for people in an affordable way”, she told me. And for that reason, she started off by just selling printables. These days she’s expanded her line, but has kept printables available for those decorating their space on a budget. In this way, she fulfills her charism twofold: by using her God-given gifts to create, and by making sure that creation can reach all members of the church, no matter where they are at.
In this quarter’s box, Jessica has included twelve designs from her new line, entitled: “Domestic Church Botanicals”. She offers a range of thirty-six of these liturgical designs, all of which can be found and purchased at her Etsy page, “Sweet Little Ones”.