Our Spring 2021 Extension magazine cover features the Christ figure in “Lakota Trinity,” one of the many beautiful paintings by the late artist Father John Giuliani, a Catholic priest who was dedicated to creating Catholic iconography that celebrates the lives and cultures of Native Americans. It was painted for the Lakota community upon the request of Father John Hatcher, a Jesuit priest who served as president of the Catholic Extension Society-supported St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation.
The work came about when Father Hatcher asked the revered artist to help convey the concept of the Holy Trinity to the Lakota. Father Giuliani painted several depictions, including this one featuring an eagle, the most sacred bird.
Traditional iconography gives witness to the human face of the Sacred. This Icon, imaged in the features of America’s indigenous peoples, reveals anew that sacred power. It celebrates the soul of the Native American as the original spiritual presence on this continent, and as a prophetic sign, it celebrates the reconciliation of the spiritual vision of native and Christian peoples of this land.
Sacred Symbolism
A report published by the Inculturation Office of the Diocese of Rapid City, which is home to the Rosebud Reservation, describes the deep spiritual symbolism of the painting. The Trinity is central to Christian revelation in which God the Father gives the Son to the world as a love offering, confirmed and kept alive in the spirit of their mutual love and unity.
In this image, the great Father—Wakan Tanka—appears with a full headdress of eagle feathers in a halo of light.
His open hands deliver the Son, a victorious Sioux warrior whose raised arms and open hands reflect a similar gesture of self-giving.
He wears a richly decorated buckskin war shirt—heavily fringed, beaded and painted with the four color circle of the universe as its breast plate.
The eagle represents the Holy Spirit and completes the spiral of trinitarian love and unity.
About the Artist
Father Giuliani’s profound artwork has heightened Native American representation in the Church and helped bridge Catholic faith traditions with those of native peoples.
He once said:
In my work I try to celebrate a union of a common spiritual under-standing to show how a single mystery can be approached through diverse cultures.”
Though he passed away on January 2, 2021, his work lives on, inspiring the faithful in churches all around the country, including in the sacred spaces of Native American faith communities supported by Catholic Extension Society.
The stories in our Spring 2021 Extension magazine capture the spirit of Father Giuliani’s message and the enduring mission of Catholic Extension Society. We invite you to read our magazine online to discover how inspiring leaders build up hope, community and faith among Native American communities.
