Artist Statement: In 2015, Fr. Paul Morrissey, a chaplain in the Philadelphia Prison system, asked me if I could paint an icon of Mary holding handcuffs. It was a calling “out of the blue”. This is what I painted, Mary Mother of Captives.
It is currently enshrined in the Healing Garden at St. Augustine church in Philadelphia. Thousands of prayer cards of this icon have been distributed to inmates from NY to CA. Four women, currently on death row in a Texas Prison include this card in all their correspondence. Please email me to get more information about this ministry.
Bio: Jack Pachuta is a contemporary iconographer who has been painting icons for over 25 years.
He was born in Trenton, NJ and has lived in Yardley, PA for over 30 years. After a 25 year career
in business, he dedicated himself to ART. His first icon course was in 1994 with Phillip
Zimmerman at the St. John of Damascus Icon Studio near Pittsburgh, PA (philzicons.web.com).
In 1999 he studied with Fr. Peter Pearson in Scranton, PA. In 2012 he joined the Prosopon
School of Iconology, studying with Vladislav Andrejev and Maureen McCormick (
prosoponschool.org). He is a member of Christians in the Visual Arts ( CIVA) and Episcopal
Church Visual Arts ( ECVA).
His icons depict the Face of Jesus, the Crucifixion, scenes from Jesus’ life, Mary, saints and
angels. They are inspired by medieval Russian icons, Slavic folk icons and Romanesque
frescoes.
The icons are being displayed by Roman Catholic, Byzantine Rite Catholic, Episcopalian and
Lutheran denominations. He has been in solo exhibits in churches in NJ & PA and a juried
exhibit at Nails in the Wall Gallery, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Metuchen, NJ. His icons are
in seminaries, monasteries, churches, chapels, shrines and retreat centers in North America,
Mexico, Central America, Europe, India and Africa.
His icon of Mary, Mother of Captives is enshrined in the Healing Garden of St. Augustine
church in Philadelphia, PA. and is being used as a prayer card by Adeodatus Prison Ministry. His icons are in the collections of Jim Forest, Robert Ellsberg, Fr. Richard
Rohr, Fr. James Martin, Fr. Thomas Ryan, Archbishop Chaput and many other bishops, priests,
deacons, nuns, prison ministers, laity, friends and relatives.
Hundreds of thousands of book markers and prayer cards have been made from his icon of St.
Nicholas and distributed all over the world (stnicholascenter.org ). Tens of thousands of prayer
cards have been made from his icons and donated to prisoners and detainees through prison
ministry organizations in Philadelphia, New York City (thriveforlife.org), St.
Augustine’s Church in Miami and other places. They are in prisons from Sing Sing in NY to San
Quentin in CA. Donating prayer cards is Jack’s primary way of evangelizing, his way of using his
talents to serve God.
His original paintings are either acrylic gouache or egg tempera with 23k gold leaf halos. Most
measure 10x12 inches and are painted on wooden boards.
For information about purchasing originals or about distributing prayer cards,
contact Jack at pachuta42@verizon.net.
Wall art made from prints of his paintings are also available. For information about them
Google.....fineartamerica/jackpachuta.
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