Parish to get rescued painting of its patrons

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

The pastor was thinking of holding a “senior prom.”

Then he learned of a rescued painting that he says will make his church look Catholic – and remind praying parishioners of their patrons.

That’s why North American Martyrs Parish in Auburn is holding “Dancing for the Martyrs,” a dinner dance for any interested adults, in place of a “senior prom” as a social just for its older parishioners, according to Father Frederick D. Fraini III, pastor, and Lisa Burkitt, religious education director.

The June 14 dinner and dance in the parish hall is a fundraiser to help pay for the restoration and installation of a painting of the parish’s patrons, which is to be put up in the church.

The patrons are French Jesuits, missionaries to the American Indians, some of whom tortured and killed them between 1642 and 1649 in what is now New York and Canada. They were Sts. Rene Goupil, Isaac Jogues, John de Lalande, Anthony Daniel, John de Brebeuf, Noel Chabanel, Charles Garnier and Gabriel Lalemant.

How the stage was set for the local parish named for them to get this painting is a story told by people who played different roles along the way.

Enter Michael Martino, owner of Martino Stained Glass Studio in Uxbridge and a member of St. Mary Parish there. He said his company was commissioned to remove the stained glass windows from St. Mary Church in Marlborough (a French-Canadian parish in the Boston Archdiocese), when it was closing in 2004, and they were asked to get rid of this 7x12 foot oil painting on canvas which was glued to the wall.

Mr. Martino said he salvaged the painting and stored it at his studio; he was unsuccessful in finding a home for it among Jesuits.

Enter Deacon Richard C. Martino – no relation except as sons of the same heavenly Father, according to Mr. Martino – who served as a permanent deacon at St. Mary’s in Marlborough. He is now stationed at St. Mary of the Hills Parish in Boylston.

Mr. Martino said he told Deacon Martino he was storing the painting.
Father Fraini said Deacon Martino told him about it and Mr. Martino emailed him a photo of it.

“As soon as I saw it I said, ‘Absolutely’” to taking it, Father Fraini said.

Enter Nikolay and Svetlana Burinskiy, a husband and wife who are both artists and met in an art college in her native Moldova. (He’s from Ukraine, so they sometimes attend St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Boston.)

Mr. Martino said Mr. Burinskiy worked for him since 1992, helping design and paint stained glass windows, but this year he became an independent artist. He connected the couple with Deacon Martino, who connected them with the Auburn parish, and they started restoring the painting in April.

Mrs. Burinskiy said they charged the parish $2,200 to restore the painting, which took them about three weeks, with tasks such as fixing tears and touching up with paint, which then had to dry. It is to be varnished and stretched over a frame, she said.

Father Fraini said he is considering what renovations should be done in the church to create an appropriate space for it.

“It was kind of like fun and interesting” to work on this painting, Mrs. Burinskiy said, adding that she feels like the quality of artwork has been declining little by little in recent times.

Through art, God talks to people; the artist is a connection between the art and the person, she said. She said if an artist did his work quickly just to make money, if he didn’t put his soul into it, “it wouldn’t come out nice.”

As a professional, she can tell this is a good painting, with good composition and good color combinations, she said.

“And lots of soul,” added her husband.

Mrs. Burinskiy said she likes to do something for her soul. So, hearing Father Fraini say he likes the painting makes “you feel special that you saved something.”

North American Martyrs Church will be nicer with this painting in it, Mr. Burinskiy said.

Father Fraini thinks so.

“I think my church looks Protestant,” with plain white space, he said. “This is going to make it look Catholic. I think it epitomizes Catholicism,” because it depicts the sacrifice of martyrdom. He recalled Jesus’ words that there is “no greater love than to lay down one’s life,” like these martyrs did.

“While people are praying, they’ll always have the martyrs in mind,” by seeing them depicted in this painting, he said. They’ve just been portrayed at the church entrance with a statue of St. Isaac Jogues surrounded by small plaques of him and the other North American Martyrs.

Parishioners have seen a poster of this painting advertising the dance and some have asked “Who are these guys?” he said.

He figures it’s time they find out.

“It is divinely providential” that this beautiful painting should come to the church named for these martyrs, he said.

“And I love the heavenly liturgy” depicted, he said. “They’re all saints. ... They’re surrounded by angels, and our Lord” - in the Eucharist.

– Editor’s note: For more information, see namartyrsauburn.org/news/dancing-for-the-martyrs. To purchase tickets for the dinner dance call 508-798-0612. Tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple, and must be purchased by June 9.