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It's one thing for a Catholic to pitch in with parish ministries; it's quite another to be dubbed an "unsung hero" -- and have one's portrait painted for a public exhibit, to boot.

Two parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Hancock are part of a series by Oneonta artist Janet Wentworth Erickson titled, "Community Heroes in Living Portraiture."

An adjunct professor in the art department at SUNY-Oneonta, Ms. Wentworth applied for a "creative activity" grant from the college to portray 10 Delaware and Otsego County residents nominated by community members as unsung local heroes.

"Portraiture is permanent," she told The Evangelist. While portraits are usually commissioned to honor and memorialize heads of state or corporate presidents, the artist wanted to make sure local people know "we're surrounded by heroes. [Portraits] are images that will remain in people's minds."

In Hancock, three names surfaced over and over, and two were Catholics: Paul Bartholomew and Socorro Marin. (A third person declined to be included in the project.)

"It was about their character and service," Ms. Wentworth explained. "People can go to them with any issue; and of course, they are people of faith who draw everything from that."

Mr. Bartholomew said he had "no clue" why people surveyed at a local diner and library would mention his name as an unsung hero, although he allowed that "I do a lot of volunteering at the church.

"I do the bulletin, the website, emailing...set up for Mass...work bingo...do the books for bingo...post the homily [online, for Rev. Christopher Welch, pastor]...work funeral lunches...take communion to people....I'm a lector and a eucharistic minister....I lead communion services....I lead the Rosary...take the garbage to the dump...clean the bathrooms...."

Mrs. Marin has been profiled in The Evangelist before (see www.evangelist.org) for opening her home to up to a half-dozen adults with disabilities who needed a place to live; she also runs both a preschool program out of St. Paul's and a thrift store in Hancock, and she volunteers with a long list of parish ministries.

Other subjects for the series included a teenager who trains seeing-eye dogs for people with visual impairments, an artist who has used her work to serve her community many times and a 20-something man whose community service involves sports. Ms. Wentworth is keeping most of the subjects' names -- and the completed paintings -- under wraps until they're exhibited this summer.

For the series, done in a classical style, each subject was photographed extensively; some also sat for their portraits at Ms. Wentworth's studio. The artist said Mrs. Marin's 30X40-inch portrait was done twice, which isn't unusual; Ms. Wentworth starts over again she's not satisfied with her own work.

"I'm really in love with this whole thing," the artist said of the project. "I love to paint portraits and connect that to the community."

Besides, she said, "These individuals are wonderful people; I'm happy to know them. I'm glad to make the quiet, daily actions of people who may not be noticed known more broadly."

Her students have painted items associated with the "unsung heroes" and are writing the text to accompany the exhibit, including a history of portraiture.

Mr. Bartholomew said he doesn't like to brag, but "I guess I'm happy somebody recognized what I do."[[In-content Ad]]

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