(Catholic Herald photo/Mary C. Uhler)
MADISON — Fr. Gary Wankerl, a priest of the Diocese of Madison, has presented a portrait of Pope Francis he painted recently to Bishop Robert C. Morlino and the diocese.
Bishop Morlino thanked the priest-artist. “I’m very deeply grateful to Father Gary for all of his beautiful work, especially the portraits of the popes and bishops he has painted.
“It’s a unique gift to have a priest-artist in our diocese. There’s a beauty about Father Gary’s work that will survive for the good of the diocese and the good of the Church,” said Bishop Morlino.
Painted portraits of bishops, popes
At the invitation of the late Bishop William H. Bullock, Father Wankerl painted portraits of the bishops of the Diocese of Madison — the late Bishops William P. O’Connor, Cletus F. O’Donnell, and Bullock — as well as Pope John Paul II for the Diocese of Madison’s Golden Jubilee Celebration in 1996.
Since then he has done portraits of Bishop Morlino as well as the late Auxiliary Bishop George O. Wirz, along with a portrait of Pope Benedict XVI.
It took him about three months to paint the new portrait of Pope Francis from a picture of the Holy Father selected by Bishop Morlino.
“I always am governed by a deadline,” said Father Wankerl. “I wanted it finished by the feast of St. Francis on October 4, and I delivered it on October 3. I didn’t realize at the time that Bishop Morlino would be meeting with the pope the following week.”
Father Wankerl said the painting of Pope Francis “is very realistic” because he painted it from one of his official portraits.
Started painting in third grade
The priest’s interest in painting started when he was in third grade at St. Luke School in Plain. “I started oil painting at my mother’s and dad’s encouragement and with the Racine Dominicans who taught at the school. They didn’t start me with paint by numbers,” he said with a smile.
His mother, Lucille, also dabbles in painting. She and his father, Joseph Wankerl, still live in Plain. “They’ve been a visible presence in every parish in which I’ve served,” said Father Wankerl, who noted that his parents, who still live in Plain, like to visit his parishes.
Studied during seminary days
Father Wankerl, who was ordained to the priesthood in 1980, studied art while he was a student at Holy Name Seminary in Madison and at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.
“I painted all the time in high school,” he recalled. “My teacher Mary Lybarger and I often went shopping for art supplies. Since I used them, she thought I should help pick them out. At that time, I remember thinking I wanted to give back to the diocese for what they gave me.”
He was trained as a classical portrait painter. One of his final projects at St. John’s was to paint the portrait of the Abbot John Eidenschenk.
Parish work comes first
Now the pastor of Holy Mother of Consolation Parish in Oregon, Father Wankerl said his parish work always comes first. “It’s a big parish of 1,300 families, so it keeps me busy. I just paint a little each day and I paint more when there’s a blizzard or a holiday.”
For the priest, painting is a passion and “a way of giving glory to God.”
He likes to be engaged in some project. “I’m always working on something. When I finish a painting, I feel a great sense of accomplishment. Practice keeps it fresh.”
Last year he painted a portrait of the Holy Family for the chapel of the Women’s Care Center in Madison. It features St. Joseph holding the child Jesus. “He’s giving Mary a break,” said Father Wankerl, who said it’s unusual to see St. Joseph holding Jesus.
He also did four life-size portraits for his previous parish, St. Olaf in De Forest. They included the parish’s patron St. Olaf, St. Joseph the Worker (patron of the linked St. Joseph Parish in East Bristol), St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
He had to finish the paintings for St. Olaf after he was transferred to Oregon, so he painted a portrait of Holy Mother of Consolation for his new parish.