Ade Bethune
Encyclopedia
Ade Bethune was a Catholic
liturgical artist.
She was associated with the Catholic Worker Movement
, and designed an early masthead of its publication, the Catholic Worker
, first used in 1935. She later re-designed this in 1985, replacing one of the men with a woman.
Bethune was an advocate of traditional iconography
.
She is buried at Portsmouth Abbey, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
.
), emigrated with the family after World War I
. Her mother Marthe was daughter of Viscount Terlinden.
when she was a nineteen year old art student, impressed with the work of Dorothy Day
. This was preparation for her later illustration for Catholic liturgical works such as 'My Sunday Missal' in 1937, and similar works such as 'My Lenten Missal'.
's work with hospitality for the poor when she was an art student. She continued this interest throughout her life, and became interested in the issue of providing housing for the elderly, particularly the poor elderly. In 1969, she founded the Church Community Housing Corporation in Newport County, Rhode Island
, to design and build housing. In 1991 she founded 'Star of the Sea' to renovate a former Carmelite convent into an intentional community
and state of the art housing for the elderly, where she lived until her death in 2002.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
liturgical artist.
She was associated with the Catholic Worker Movement
Catholic Worker Movement
The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics and their associates founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ." One of its guiding principles is hospitality towards those on...
, and designed an early masthead of its publication, the Catholic Worker
Catholic Worker
The Catholic Worker is a newspaper published seven times a year by the Catholic Worker Movement community in New York City. The newspaper was started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin to make people aware of church teaching on social justice...
, first used in 1935. She later re-designed this in 1985, replacing one of the men with a woman.
Bethune was an advocate of traditional iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
.
She is buried at Portsmouth Abbey, Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
.
Early life
Bethune was born Adélaide de Bethune, Baroness, to a noble Belgian family. Her parents, Gaston and Marthe (TerlindenTerlinden
Terlinden is a noble family of the Kingdom of Belgium with origins in Germany and established in the Spanish Netherlands around 1580. Their titles are Viscounts and Barons....
), emigrated with the family after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Her mother Marthe was daughter of Viscount Terlinden.
Career beginnings
Ade volunteered her illustrations to improve the quality of the Catholic WorkerCatholic Worker
The Catholic Worker is a newspaper published seven times a year by the Catholic Worker Movement community in New York City. The newspaper was started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin to make people aware of church teaching on social justice...
when she was a nineteen year old art student, impressed with the work of Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term...
. This was preparation for her later illustration for Catholic liturgical works such as 'My Sunday Missal' in 1937, and similar works such as 'My Lenten Missal'.
Terra Sancta Guild
Beginning in the 1960s, she was the artistic director of the Terra Sancta Guild, a commercial firm that produced religious art works for many Christian denominations.Social activism
Ade was interested in the Catholic Worker MovementCatholic Worker Movement
The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics and their associates founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ." One of its guiding principles is hospitality towards those on...
's work with hospitality for the poor when she was an art student. She continued this interest throughout her life, and became interested in the issue of providing housing for the elderly, particularly the poor elderly. In 1969, she founded the Church Community Housing Corporation in Newport County, Rhode Island
Newport County, Rhode Island
-National protected areas:* Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge* Touro Synagogue National Historic Site-History:Newport County was constituted on June 22, 1703, as one of the two original counties of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. As originally established, Newport...
, to design and build housing. In 1991 she founded 'Star of the Sea' to renovate a former Carmelite convent into an intentional community
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
and state of the art housing for the elderly, where she lived until her death in 2002.
Artistic Works
- Crucifix, St. Paulinus Parish, Clairton, PennsylvaniaClairton, PennsylvaniaClairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,796 at the 2010 census. Under Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments, Clairton is considered a third-class city...
- Design of St. Leo Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, including revival of a central altar
- Altar chapel and stained glass oculusOculusAn Oculus, circular window, or rain-hole is a feature of Classical architecture since the 16th century. They are often denoted by their French name, oeil de boeuf, or "bull's-eye". Such circular or oval windows express the presence of a mezzanine on a building's façade without competing for...
at the Chapel + Cultural Center at RensselaerChapel + Cultural Center at RensselaerThe Chapel + Cultural Center at Rensselaer is an architecturally unique, multipurpose performing arts and spiritual space in Troy, New York, owned and operated by the Rensselaer Newman Foundation . It is conventionally referred to as "The C+CC"; the "+" sign has come to be formally used instead of... - Mosaic wall of the Baptistery, Church of the Angry Christ, Victorias City, Philippines
- Mosaic murals and lacquer tabernacle in collaboration with architect Antonin RaymondAntonin RaymondAntonin Raymond, or , born: was a Czech architect, who lived and worked in the USA and Japan...
, Chapel of Saint Joseph the Worker, Negros Island, Philippines
Biography
- Judith Stoughton: Proud Donkey of Schaerbeek: Ade Bethune, Catholic Worker Artist St. Cloud, MinnesotaSt. Cloud, MinnesotaSt. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
, North Star Press of St. Cloud, 1988 ISBN 0-87839-051-0 - On-line short biography
- James A. Merolla Where are they now? Ade Bethune, Catholic Worker artist
- Information from the Catholic Worker
Sources
- The Ade Bethune Collection
- The long loneliness : the autobiography of Dorothy Day ; illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg ; [introduction by Daniel Berrigan]. ISBN 0-06-061751-9