A mural dedication will take place at the Holy Family Parish Faith Formation Center, St. Joseph Campus on Sunday, September 10 at 1:15 p.m. CST as part of Kermes, a festival featuring Mexican food, games and a mariachi band. The mural was sponsored by the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte.

The project came about as the result of a grant proposal to HFL from Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) in Michigan City, Ind. as a part of their effort to spearhead more murals in La Porte County, specifically giving the community a voice.

LCA’s executive director, Janet Bloch, spoke to Father Nate Edquist of Holy Family Parish early on to “take the temperature” of the desire for a mural in the Holy Family Community. She was not surprised after speaking to his parish, he reported a lot of enthusiasm, as this has been her experience thus far.

“People recognize the value and power art bring to their communities, and they have a desire to express themselves through the art. LCA has developed a process for listening to the community and letting each artist they work with develop a design that translates the values that are expressed,” said Bloch.

The important subjects that were expressed by the public for this mural were family, diversity, faith and the City of La Porte. The mission of Holy Family Parish to exist to be a family of God and to form disciples who serve is also at the heart of the mural. The hope is the community feels heard and they feel ownership over the resulting mural.

“This project has become a way for us to artistically express the new identity of Holy Family Parish, officially created in 2021. From our past as three separate church communities in LaPorte, we are both excited and grateful that this mural will represent our present and future as a united and diverse parish family,” said Edquist.

The mural was designed and painted by artist, Felix “Flex” Maldonado. Born and raised in East Chicago, Ind., Maldonado is a classically trained and award-winning artist with 30 years’ experience in murals, painting, graffiti art and commercial art direction.

Bloch also stated, “The Healthcare Foundation of LaPorte was instrumental in bringing this project to life. We are thankful to them for their knowledge and vision in understanding that art improves the quality of life for a community.”

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