Associate Joseph Marco – Sharing Faith through Art
Joseph Marco’s life is a story of faith, service and creativity. Through his art and his ministry, he has found a way to share his faith with others. As a Racine Dominican Associate, he continues to live out this calling.
Joseph grew up in Broadview, Illinois, a small, close-knit suburb where neighbors knew one another and families supported each other. Raised in a devout Catholic family, Joseph and his siblings were given the gift of a Catholic education, something his parents worked hard to provide. He remembers those early years with gratitude, saying “I am so thankful both for my family and for the teachers,who helped shape me.”
Art was always part of Joseph’s life. His mother was a talented artist who could draw, paint and refinish furniture, and his grandmother was also creative, sewing and baking with great skill. Surrounded by this creativity, Joseph discovered his own artistic ability at a young age. “As far as I can remember I have had artistic ability,” he says. One of his earliest memories is creating a portrait in fourth grade that was displayed in his school’s art gallery. Over time, his skills grew, and he has continued to study and practice art throughout his life.
Joseph’s professional life was shaped by his desire to serve others. He began as a teacher at the grade school level and then spent time teaching in a high school seminary. Later, he felt called in a new direction and became a certified Catholic chaplain. For more than thirty years, Joseph served in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers and hospice care. In these roles, he offered a compassionate presence to people during some of the most important and difficult moments of their lives. “It has been a real gift and privilege to be present to people,” says Joseph.
It was only natural that his Dominican connections in college would lead him to the Racine Dominican Sisters. He has been a Racine Dominican Associate for more than 17 years. He remains active in the Racine Dominican Community, participating in a weekly scripture group, leading Art Retreat Days at Siena Retreat Center and supporting efforts that promote peace and justice, values that are central to both his faith and the Dominican tradition. “In my time as an Associate, I have come to appreciate the Dominican commitment to truth, prayer, justice, and peace,” says Joseph.
Throughout his life, Joseph lets the spirit guide him, and that includes his artistic journey. Prayer and spirituality were always present in his life, and over the years they have become more deeply connected to his art. He describes his creative process as a form of prayer. “Much of my art is very spiritual. Even the process is spiritual as well as a deep prayer as I am creating and painting,” he says. His work becomes not just something to look at, but something that invites others into reflection. Joseph hopes his art will invite reflection and deepen faith in those who experience it.
In his role as an Associate and through his art, Joseph offers a creative and thoughtful witness to faith, inviting others to notice how truth can be felt and seen as much as it is heard.
