Meet South Bend-based Artist Stephen Barany
Stephen Barany is a illustrator and graphic designer based in South Bend, Indiana. He is a professor of graphic design at Holy Cross College. His debut children’s book, Alphabet Parade, is available for pre-order on Kickstarter. You can find out more about him on Instagram.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to your current city?
STEPHEN BARANY: I grew up in South Bend, IN, in the shadow of the Golden Dome. I now teach graphic design at Holy Cross College and live just outside of South Bend with my wife and kids.
How do you understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?
Although I create ostensibly secular work, I see my illustration practice as a form of pre-evangelization. For example, my book Alphabet Parade is, on its surface, just a playful alphabet adventure. However, I'd argue that it's much more than that. It’s a training ground for attention (which Simone Weil called “the substance of prayer”), it’s a primer for reading the book of nature (since it teaches children to observe the world and discern meaning from it), and it’s a sign that points towards the Word’s intrinsic ordering of creation. These might seem like theoretical rationalizations, but I earnestly hope (and believe) that my illustration can help to prepare young minds and hearts for receiving the Gospel.
Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
My colleagues at Holy Cross College have been an excellent support for my artistic work. So have my family, friends, priests, and religious. The challenge for me in Catholic circles is often feeling like my work is neither here nor there. It’s neither sacred nor liturgical. It’s not explicitly evangelical or Scriptural. It’s not about the saints or the Catechism. So, what is it? Is it even Catholic? Well, I think so, and I have my reasons, but the Catholicity of my work is not evident to most.
How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
The Church can be more welcoming to artists by strengthening the artistic formation of seminarians, religious, and, in turn, the lay faithful. I don’t necessarily mean that priests and religious need to be practicing artists (though, that would be sweet!). I do mean, however, that (as suggested in Sacrosanctum Concilium, 17) our pastors deserve a deep formation in the arts both for their own liturgical sensibilities and for passing on this capacity to their parishes. Think about it. How many of our churches are practically freestanding museums or treasuries of art? A lot. And when’s the last time your pastor preached about a truth revealed through that art or architecture? Possibly never. Catholic artists have a gift to give, but too few people seem interested in receiving it...likely because they don’t know how rich is the gift!
What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists post-graduation?
1) Make something! It’s easy to spend time postulating, theorizing, fantasizing, planning, and so on, but as artists, our vocation is to make something. So start there, even if it’s making something small. If it’s made physically and not digitally, all the better.
2) Give something! The Catechism (CCC 2501) calls art “a freely given superabundance of the human being’s inner riches.” That’s right. Our artistic proclivity is a gift that God gives to us so that we can give it away to others. So, start giving!
3) Prepare your heart. The parable of the sower (Mt. 13) teaches us that the seed that falls on good soil bears great fruit. So, if we want the Word of God planted in our hearts to bear great fruit, then we should prioritize prayer, sacraments, almsgiving, fasting, etc, even above our artistic practice. This is the foundation for everything else. Recall that if the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor. (Ps. 127:1)
Editor’s Note: Stephen has graciously agreed to donate 20% of the sales of Alphabet Parade made through this affiliate link to support our efforts at the Catholic Artist Connection. Kickstarter campaign closes on October 6, 2025.