Meet: Fr. Frank Sabatte

FATHER FRANK SABATTE, CSP is a sculptor and fabric artist (embroidery) living in New York City. (www.sabatteart.com) 

Catholic Artist Connection (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from?

Fr. Frank Sabatte (FS): I was asked by the Paulist Fathers to start an outreach to visual artists in 2006.

CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?

FS: I have a dual vocation- as a priest and as an artist.  My mission is the one that was given to me by the Paulists: to have conversations with artists.  Having conversations with artists means that both of us listen to each other.  I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit works in conversations, stirring both parties to see that they have a connection with a Power greater than themselves and with all other human beings.  We happen to use art as a “conversation starter.”  In my conversation I begin by asking the artist to tell me what moves them to do the work they do.  Only after that do I introduce myself. My work has resulted in bridges between many faiths and those without faith. That work has been thanks to the Holy Spirit.

CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

FS: The Paulist Fathers have been hugely supporting even starting when I was in the seminary and started doing illustration work for the Paulist Press.

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

FS: I find that support from God’s people, some are artists, some are not; some are Catholic and some are not. 

CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

FS: By seeing that even "secular” art links us to the Ground of Being; by not being afraid of art that does not fit within the confine of “religious” art. 

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

FS: By getting over the “blind spot” some have of seeing anyone who is religious as being ignorant or unaware.   By not buying into the materialist bias against the spiritual.

CAC: Do you recommend any particular parishes for their sacramental life, beauty, and/or community?

FS: My Paulist community.  I recommend the Church of St. Paul the Apostle which has one of the best young adult programs in the city.

CAC: Are you a part of any artist collectives you would recommend?

FS: I work with the Openings Collective and as Senior Curator at The Gallery at the Sheen Center.

CAC: How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist living in NYC?

FS: The most recent example was the Summer Artist Residency at the Paulist house at Lake George.   But also the network I’ve been a part of creating with Openings. 

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice, and where do you like to go on retreats?

FS: Meditation.  I take a yearly retreat at Gonzaga Retreat Center, Eastern Point, Gloucester, MA. I live at the Paulist rectory on W. 59th St. 

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice, and what are your recommendations to other artists for practicing their craft daily?

FS: I try to set aside time in the afternoons to work; varies depending on my other work.  Recommendation would be to draw a lot. 

CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.

FS: Working alongside the artists in our fall exhibit, helping to set up.  Most of them have never seen a priest doing physical work like designing hanging systems, etc.  So both vocations are combined.  Also when I complete a successful artwork.

CAC: What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists moving to NYC?

FS: Lower your expectations; Relationships matter; Join an organization where you can meet like minded people.