Mysteries of the rosary adorn the hallways of Bel Aire’s Resurrection Catholic School

Elizabeth (aged but pregnant) takes young Mary (also with child) by the hand as her other arm reaches around to embrace the Blessed Mother, who is draped in a blue cloth similar to the one that covered the Ark of the Covenant during its wilderness journeys.

Resurrection Catholic School first grade student Alice Cook gestures at this particular elegantly framed, museum-quality photographic reprint of one of the world’s most famous paintings. The obvious follow-up – “Why is that your favorite?” – prompts a response that might initially confound anyone who knows the mysteries of the rosary, but not High Renaissance Italian art. 

“I like John the Baptist baptizing Jesus,” she states.

And yet, the Luminous Mysteries adorn a different hallway, where the first in that set is beautifully depicted by Francesco Albani’s 17th-century oil painting “The Baptism of Christ.” By contrast, the hallway in which young Alice is standing features the Joyful Mysteries, including Raphael’s 1517 “The Visitation,” at which she points. 

However, a closer look reveals that Alice knows exactly what she’s talking about. That is because, while the mothers bringing together the in-utero Word Made Flesh and wilderness prophet occupy the painting’s foreground, a scene in its distant background foreshadows their sons’ future Jordan River encounter.

“Father told everybody in our class,” explains fellow RCS first-grader Jacob Maugans. “He said, ‘There’s John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the background.’”

When it’s classmate Asher Costley’s turn to identify the painting he likes best, he points to Sandro Botticelli’s 1489-90 “Annunciation,” expressing appreciation for Gabriel’s impressive angelic wings. Then another first grader, Mary Gemma Gerlach, considers the full effect of the entire collection that now adorns her school’s hallways. 

“It looks more holy,” she affirms.

Resurrection Principal Kelly Bright nods as if to say “And there you have it.”

Exceeding expectations

After the artwork was professionally installed during the weekend of Jan. 10-11, Resurrection Pastor Fr. Andrew Labenz, reached out to the school’s middle school math and religion teacher Braden Barr, who was part of the small team driving the project. 

“Fr. Labenz texted me immediately and just said ‘It’s impressive,’” Barr said. “Transforming our hallway from beige cinderblock to blue and adding these gorgeous paintings beautifies our school and lifts our eyes and minds to God. It looks better than I could have imagined.”

Resurrection Parishioners Rachel and Parker Roth are parents of four who send their two oldest children – first-grade Evelyn and pre-K Edith – to RCS. With her background in design, love of art, and passion for the school, Rachel also helped on the team that shepherded the project. Like Barr, she marvels, reality has surpassed expectations.

“The final installation far and away exceeds what I had envisioned,” Roth said.

Fr. Labenz describes the project’s origins in a Jan. 13 letter to RCS parents, and noted that the idea arose when he and Bright sought to use funds from the parish’s 2025 fundraising auction to beautify the school. Last summer, they asked Barr and Roth to help them ascertain “what artwork to choose and where to place it; after an initial meeting, we were left with a lot of questions and many things to ponder,” Fr. Labenz recounted.

The effort gained steam when Bright and Fr. Labenz met Benedictus Art founder Derek Brooks at the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education 2025 Summer Conference. “Derek, we quickly learned, had a ton of expertise on sacred art and was extremely passionate about infusing schools with beautiful pieces of art,” Fr. Labenz’s letter explained. “He agreed to take the lead on our project.”

Brooks was soon walking the halls of the school and church, making mental notes of its layout and atmosphere, and offering input.

“Following his visit, Derek provided us with potential artwork to choose from that matched the overall theme of our project, which was the Mysteries of the Rosary,” Fr. Labenz wrote. “We compiled his recommendations and encouraged our teachers to vote on their favorite piece of artwork for each mystery of the rosary and for the Last Supper piece that is in the hallway leading up to the cafeteria.”

“The faculty was really key in choosing the pieces,” Bright said. “Their votes determined which ones we see now.”

That was one of Brooks’ suggestions, she notes, as were removing the bulletin boards and other distractions in the targeted display areas, and highlighting the art – and honoring Mary – by painting the walls blue in the areas in which it would hang. 

What would hang where was also a matter of discernment, an example of which was the decision to place the Luminous Mysteries in the second through fifth grade hallway to harmonize with “the mystagogy and the spiritual impact of the sacraments that our children enter into in these first years of receiving the sacraments of reconciliation and Holy Communion,” Fr. Labenz wrote. 

He also expresses particular appreciation for featuring the Glorious Mysteries in the middle school hallway. “These mysteries, which evoke so much hope and demand a faith response, seem perfect for these tough years of being a junior high student,” Fr. Labenz said.

Immersed in the mysteries

Sixth grader Junior Alvarado has been walking Resurrection’s halls for six years, and has no problem describing the contrast. 

Before the artwork appeared?

“This was just a normal, boring white wall,” he said.

And now?

“Beautiful,” Alvarado said. “When I walk past, I want to look at it.”

His sixth-grade classmate, Valentino Pfannenstiel, acknowledges that the paintings draw his imagination into each of the scenes. “It makes me think about what it was like there,” he said, pointing to Diego Velazquez’s 1632 “Crucified Christ.” “It just makes me wonder about how sad it was when Jesus was nailed to the cross.”

Another RCS sixth grader, McKenzie Dolechek, takes a few steps to the left to highlight the preceding mystery that is depicted in Paolo Veronese’s 1571 masterpiece, “The Carrying of the Cross.” “I like how the artist put all the details and people into it,” she said. “It reminds me how hard Jesus suffered.”

Arlee Nava, also in the sixth grade, expresses appreciation for aspects such as the detailed plaques that accompany each piece of art. She goes on to laud Fr. Labenz’s tours, citing how he drew attention to the different ways in which angels were rendered. 

“Father wants it to be a prayerful experience, and not just a piece of art hanging on the wall,” Bright said. “We also gave tours to parishioners and they loved it. It’s sacred. They understand how it helps people to pray with it.”

“There are always new insights and reflections that come to mind,” Fr. Labenz said. “It has been such a joy to ask the students what they see in the sacred artwork, what they think it means, and what the artist was trying to teach us about the faith through his artwork.”

Barr noted that his eighth-grade religion class takes an in-depth look at the mysteries of the rosary. “Before this display, I would put artwork up on the board, but it’s different when you see it almost every day,” he said. “Being able to walk through our halls, see these images, and connect them to the passages from Sacred Scripture helps. You can read the same passage every day and the Lord will always show you something new. That’s also true with these images: No matter how long you spend in front of them, the Lord can speak to you in a new and different way each time.”

Roth strikes a similar note.

“Our students are now uniquely immersed in the mysteries of the holy rosary as they go about their day-to-day,” she said. “As the years go on, their familiarity with the rosary will deepen and their prayer will be enhanced by the connection to the art and the opportunity to learn to pray with sacred art in a familiar setting. Even after years of seeing the same pieces, there will be days that a student experiences something new and unexpected.”

“I don’t think you can walk through our hallways now without thinking of Mary and her rosary,” Fr. Labenz said. “It is a daily reminder for our students and staff about how the rosary tells the story of Jesus and Mary, and also, how the rosary helps to shape our stories too – especially by how our faith and spiritual lives are formed and grown by the lessons we learn through the rosary, the virtues taught by the rosary, and the encounter we have with the story of salvation because of the mysteries of the rosary. In other words, being immersed in the mysteries of the rosary is so essential and necessary to a truly Catholic education and formation.”

A worthy investment

Much as the Church was a major patron of the arts during the eras in which most of those artworks were created, Resurrection parishioners were patrons of their school’s ability to obtain and display them, Roth notes.

“The sacred art project was funded by the generosity of school families and our parish community coming together through the annual school auction,” she said. “Our leadership identified and prioritized sacred art as something worthy of investing in. The scale of the art (large and impactful), the accompanying reflections (beautiful and thought provoking), the professional installation (following gallery standards), the art itself (museum quality reproductions and custom framing), the breadth of subject matter (all 20 mysteries of the holy rosary), the emphasis on selecting classical art pieces that have stood the test of time – in some cases for centuries – and have impacted countless Christians over the years, the thoughtfulness in how each piece was selected (inviting teacher feedback), Derek Brooks providing prayerful formation for our teachers (staff retreat). All of this matters in small and large ways to aid in the success of this project and lay the foundation of ‘why sacred art?’ in the first place.”

Like many students, each member of the team that drove the project has a favorite piece. For Barr the haunting tongues of fire in Restout’s 1732 “Pentecost” are particularly powerful. Roth cites the same painting – in which all characters except the Blessed Mother appear overwhelmed by the sudden indwelling of the same Spirit that overshadowed her in Nazareth more than three decades previous.

“Our Lady’s serene heavenward gaze amid the chaos around her is so striking,” Roth said. “Isn’t this so perfect in our own lives? The Blessed Mother is always with us as a gentle and consistent reminder to keep our eyes fixed beyond everything happening in our world.”

Fr. Labenz predicts his answer will change through the years, but says his current favorite is Vicente Juan Macip’s 1560 creation, “The Last Supper.”

“I was able to pray a Visio Divina with this art with our second graders after they received their first Holy Communion, and it was so powerful to hear their reflections and their insights, especially their thoughts on why all the apostles are both staring at the Eucharist and physically leaning towards the Eucharist,” Fr. Labenz said. “It was a really special moment to share with them.”

Bright cites the same scene, but a different depiction: Philippe de Champaigne’s “The Last Supper,” which hangs by itself near the RCS gymnasium in a spot students must pass on their way to lunch and that every visitor will encounter when attending events in the RCS gymnasium. In fact, she adds, the school’s trophy cases were relocated so as not to compete for attention.

“This artwork was a later idea for the space, but it still fit beautifully with our focus on the mysteries of the rosary, especially the Luminous Mysteries and the institution of the Eucharist,” she said. “My hope is that this painting becomes a steady, familiar reminder of who we are and what we believe, and that it gently points hearts back to Christ and the gift of the Eucharist.”

And what about it resonates most with her? 

“It invites me to slow down and really stay in the moment of the Eucharist,” she said. “There is a calm seriousness to the scene that feels prayerful rather than theatrical. The expressions and stillness draw my attention to what matters most, Jesus giving himself, freely and intentionally, to his friends.”