Meet Mississippi-based Artist Mary Faucheux
Mary Faucheux is the digital artist behind Simply Joyful Prints. You can learn more about her on her Etsy store, Instagram, and Facebook.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to your current city?
MARY FAUCHEUX: I am born and raised in the Mississippi delta! While it is a beautiful place to live, it has a very small Catholic population which can be difficult at times. I am thankful for the universal Church that connects me to other Catholics all over the world!
How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?
Growing up I always wanted to be an artist; my great-grandmother was an amazing artist. It wasn’t until after I had my daughter that I begin creating Catholic art. I converted to the Church in 2019 and opened my shop in July of 2020! I wanted to create pieces that connected with people and showed the human side of the Saints. Working alongside my husband in youth ministry, I wanted to show the youth (and everyone else) of the Church that the call to Sainthood was a joyful one! Our motto is “Simply sharing the joy of the Lord through modern Catholic art.” We pray that the art pieces you find in our shop lead you closer to the Lord and help you experience the joy that only He can give!
Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
Because we live in such a rural area with a lower Catholic population, I definitely rely on social media for my Catholic community! There are so many amazing people using their God-given gifts, and it’s a really cool thing that we can all support one another and be inspired by one another.
How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
The Church is widely known for its beautiful, traditional sacred art. You don’t walk into a Catholic church that isn’t adorned with beautiful images. But I think the younger generation also needs to see a more modern twist on sacred art, so I think it would be awesome if you saw more churches with a variety of art styles!
What is your daily spiritual practice?
With 3 young children, no day looks the same as the next but one thing that never changes is my time in God’s Word. I look forward to my coffee and Bible time every morning! I also try to pray a Rosary (or a decade) every day as well. I think the graces that come from the Rosary have carried me through many days.
What is your daily artistic practice?
I don’t always have the time to create, so on the days that are just too busy, I will ask the Holy Spirit to guide me and help me to know what to do next. I never create anything without His guidance first.
Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.
One of my greatest honors since becoming a Catholic artist that I have received is having one of my art pieces next to St. Gianna’s relic. In the spring of 2023, Whitney from Lily of the Valley Catholic Ministry in North Carolina reached out to me about using my “No Greater Love” St. Gianna piece for their first-class relic instillation Mass and continuing to leave it displayed for those who come to pray with St. Gianna. I have yet to get the chance to go see it myself, but it’s something I’m so grateful for and I hope to see soon! Lily of the Valley Catholic Ministry is truly doing the Lord’s work for families who are going through the hardest times of their lives. They offer support to those who have had miscarriages, dealing with loss, difficult pregnancy diagnoses and so much more. It’s a blessing to have partnered with them to help bring the faith to life!
Anything else?
To wrap it up, I would like to shoutout my amazing husband, Derrick! For encouraging me to start creating Catholic art and for leading me to the Church, I couldn’t do it without him and wouldn’t be who I am today. Holy spouses are a gift from God!