Meet: Br. Joe Hoover, SJ
BR. JOE HOOVER, SJ is a Jesuit brother, playwright, actor and creative non-fiction writer living in NYC. (xaviertheatre.org)
Catholic Artist Connection (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from?
Br. Joe Hoover (BH): I was missioned here by my Jesuit superiors to work in theatre and walk with other artists in their work and lives.
CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? What do you see as your personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts?
BH: The mission of our theatre company is to seek truth, promote dignity and help revitalize the Catholic arts tradition. I see my work and mission as simply using whatever I’ve got to create what flows out of my own vision, truth, sorrows, joys and that of the larger world. For the greater glory of God. Be Catholic. Be an artist. That’s the work.
CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
BH: Sheen Center. The Jesuits have always been supportive of my work, both in word and deed. St. Malachy’s. A burgeoning group of Catholic artists developed out of groups like the one that puts out this one. Going to the Met—seeing Catholic art that draws millions to look at it, simply because it is great, sublime art.
CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?
BH: In events at the Sheen Center.
CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
BH: Providing material goods—rehearsal space for performers and studio space for visual artists…space for theatre companies, for filming, financially supporting artistic work. Recognizing and speaking more about the arts, beauty, as a privileged way to God, as among the most powerful “evangelizing” tools there is—not indoctrinating but simply sharing the wise and surprising glory of God.
CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?
BH: Most artists tend to be very welcoming and non-judgmental towards people regarding their race, gender, orientation, physical ability, income and the like. And rightly so. We can sometimes be judgmental when someone expresses their religious faith. We can feel threatened or put off by it. It’s recognizing the contradiction that (sometimes) happens and working to reverse it.
CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?
BH: St. Francis of Assisi. It diverse, devotional, traditional, non-traditional, simple and straightforward preaching, committed to the poor, to justice, to LGBT, lots of confessions, great side “niche’s” to pray…
CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?
BH: The Barrow Group is slowly becoming a home.
CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.
BH: I work best when I have a deadline. A day when I need to finish a play and running lines for class scenework that have specific deadlines are energizing, and stressful, but the good kind of stress. (Usually.)
CAC: Do you have a day job or do you make a full-time living from your art?
BH: I work as an editor/writer at America Magazine. I teach part time at Brooklyn Jesuit prep.
CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in NYC?
BH: The Ramble in Central Park. A little forest in the middle of the city. Especially at hours when it is more empty, early morning etc, for quiet prayer or just being with nature.
CAC: Any last thoughts?
BH: It is great to see our Catholic faith and the arts getting more and more entwined or re-membered these days. Not only in the stuff I talked about above and groups like this one, but The Catholic Imagination exhibit at the Met, an ongoing discussion in the writing community about the Catholic Literary imagination, the Sheen Center, and so forth.
