A Bookreview of Dan Paulos' BEHOLD THE WOMEN by Ann Carey

After artist Dan Paulos had attended the musical "Nunsense," he asked a Sister of Charity friend what she thought about the show. "I think we deserve better," was her response.

The more Paulos thought about that sister's reaction to his question, the more he realized that women Religious often are portrayed unfairly and inaccurately in the media, so he decided to do something about it.

The result is "Behold the Women," a handsome coffee-table book with oversized, glossy pages filled with photos, paintings, prose and poetry, all of which pay tribute to religious sisters and their many contributions to the Catholic Church and society.

"I wanted to share my own warm emotions with those who may not have had the opportunity to encounter the goodness of women Religious," Paulos told Our Sunday Visitor.

Paulos is a prize-winning artist in the medium of paper-cutting and is well known for his intricate black-and-white silhouettes of religious subjects, particularly the Blessed Mother. His work hangs in private collections and art galleries and museums all over the world. He also is an accomplished calligrapher, and has published several books that include his art, as well as a book in which his art illustrates quotes of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: "He's Put The Whole World In Her Hands."

Paulos credits nuns with getting him started in his art, but perhaps more importantly, Paulos says that nuns are his best friends.

"I have strong relationships with nuns across the world," he said. "Nuns have always accepted me just as I am and have been my most ardent supporters. When we are together or chat on the phone, there is always laughter, always complete agreement and understanding.

"Their kinship is as much a blessing in my life as are the talents God has entrusted to me. Their positive attitudes are like plentiful meals; they keep me healthy and happy."

Paulos first came into contact with nuns as a grade-school student at St. Boniface Parish in Sioux City, Iowa, which was staffed by the Sisters of Christian Charity. One of eight children, Paulos loved to spend his free time with the sisters, who taught him compassion for the poor and suffering, as well as reverence for the spiritual. Nuns also got Paulos started in his paper-cutting art, and he went on to develop a close friendship and partnership with the late Sister Mary Jean Dorcy, a Dominican sister who was a world-famous scissorist herself.

Paulos already had the foundation for his book in his own personal collection of photographs of nuns, sent to him over the years by his many sister friends.

Paulos requested some additional photos from the archives of many orders of sisters and also set about writing to a wide variety of people he knew, or people who were friends of friends, telling them about his project, and asking them to contribute a personal testimony about how nuns had touched their lives.

He was so taken with the response to "the nun project," as it came to be known, that he used every one of the testimonies he received. He also included excepts from the archival histories of some orders, as well as several poems by obscure writers and better known figures such as Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan.

Readers of "Behold the Women," may be surprised by the diversity of original written contributions to the book, for they represent private individuals from many different backgrounds and educational levels, as well as prominent figures such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu. All the contributors offer touching and sometimes powerful insights about the influence of nuns on their lives.

Paulos added several of his own essays, but he didn't shy away from controversy in making selections for his book; rather, he also included essays about women who had left the convent, and stories of sisters who struggled in the vocations and in their lives.

"I didn't want to make readers think that the life of women Religious in the earlier days was a bowl of cherries. It was difficult," Paulos said. "I wanted to tell the story from different viewpoints, and I think that the many participants helped make this my theme, helped make the collection a visual and inspirational success."

Indeed, the 200-page book is full of visual and inspirational treats, with the even-numbered pages being all photos or an occasional painting, while the odd-numbered pages are all text. Some of the photos are related to the text, but most are not. Yet, all the photos tell the story of Church women who, as Paulos says, "were capable of bettering the world while they, themselves, were living lives of constant toil and sacrifice."

Paulos placed his favorite story first in the book with an accompanying photo of a large group of Sisters of Charity marching in a 1965 civil-rights demonstration in New York City. The story is the recollection of Sister of Charity Anne Courtney, who participated in the march.

"I have always been attracted to individuals who were radical or activists," Paulos said. "This is exactly how Jesus lived, as an activist and a radical. So the opening story about the nuns who marched against bigotry and hatred - this is my favorite. It's told with such passion and honesty; I am moved every single time I reread it."

The virtues of sisters that shine through the various stories are bound to move readers, too. Paulos includes stories about famous nuns like the sisters from a variety of orders who volunteered to nurse the wounded during the Civil War; the teaching Sisters of Charity of Nazareth who lost half their number caring for the victims of yellow fever in Mississippi in 1878; the missionary sisters murdered in El Salvador in 1980. But equal attention is given to the every day sisters remembered by most adult Catholics - a beloved kindergarten teacher, an understanding confidant, a revered mentor, an inspiring role model.

The photographs and paintings, all black-and-white, also reflect this diversity, showing sisters in a variety of activities: rejoicing at profession ceremonies, challenging politicians, helping the poor, making music, collecting alms, sewing, praying, teaching, nursing, farming, even fishing. One very poignant painting is an artist's rendering of the 1943 execution of 11 Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth by Nazi soldiers in Poland. Equally poignant are several photos that depict orphaned children gazing adoringly at the sisters who acted as their mothers.

The title for his book came to Paulos one day as he was looking at a sculpture of Christ wearing the crown of thorns. This image of Christ is entitled "Ecce Homo," meaning "Behold the Man." Paulos thought about how much sisters had inspired him in his own life, and realized that sisters deserve the kind of reverence evoked by the phrase, "Behold the Women."

Proceeds from "Behold the Women" go to support the St. Bernadette Institute of Sacred Art in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The institute, founded and directed by Paulos, organizes traveling art exhibits, encourages interest in sacred art, and promotes projects by artists working in sacred art. The Institute also maintains a database of artists working in the sacred arts - so that parishes looking for sacred art for their churches will know where to find the artists.

This review is reprinted from the May 3, 1998 issue of Our Sunday Visitor. Copyright. Used by permission.