On the surface, a lump of clay has little in common with a homily, a hospital visit or a late-night counseling call. But for Father Nicholas Spano, OFM Conv., his ceramics hobby has become an important part of his ministry — not because of what it produces, but because of what it clears away.
“I think each one of my ministries, wherever I’ve been, there has been some sort of creative pull that’s either been used for ministry or has just been part of it,” Father Nick explained.
At his last assignment, he was involved with Fat Friar Confections, which makes gourmet treats, and all profits support the Assumption Soup Kitchen in Syracuse, N.Y. In his current assignment in the Diocese of Harrisburg, Father Nick creates beautiful ceramics to benefit his mental health and to bring joy to his parishioners.
Father Nick said, “[Ceramics] is something you can do that kind of gets you out of your own head. When you’re doing it, you do have to focus on it – you can’t be thinking of 53 other things that you have to worry about.”
His love for ceramics started in an unlikely place.
While studying at Gannon University, Father Nick’s love of pottery was sparked when he was assisting the Department of Antiquities on an archaeological site in Jordan. He discovered the very fine pottery of the Nabataean people that was so unlike the chunky pottery typical of other cultures.
Working with pottery sparked nostalgia for the much loved and ubiquitous ceramic Christmas tree, so when he started his assignment at Our Lady of Hope Parish, Coal Township, and St. Patrick Parish, Trevorton, he knew he needed a creative diversion from the normal difficulties of ministry.
A visit to a ceramic shop in Kulpmont was the perfect solution to Father Nick’s creative conundrum. His first project: a Christmas tree. He says the process is “as close to ex nihilo creation as we can get – you can literally take a pile of dirt or mud or whatever it is and turn it into something useful.”
Father Nick is enamored with the process, and he enjoys the added benefit of clearing his mind, even if just for a little while, of the difficult issues that are part and parcel of life as a parish priest. Father Nick’s creative talent is not just used to reduce stress. His talent is used as part of his ministry.
Last year, Father Nick asked parishioners to volunteer to glaze and decorate some ceramics to sell at the Christmas market. Although not a business like Fat Friar Confections, the sale of the ceramics helped with the material needs of the parish. Not only does his hobby help with material needs, but Father Nick explains that he has learned many lessons that help him become a better priest. “You have to keep trying. If it doesn’t work at first, you can’t give up. And I think that goes for ceramics; I think that goes for whatever you’re doing, and I think that also goes for ministry as well.”
Father Nick is like many parish priests. His schedule is filled to the brim, and the demands for his time and presence are unceasing, but his ceramics hobby has taught him not to be discouraged. He once cast an outdoor Madonna that took two days to dry enough to release from the mold. Once the figure was released and placed on a table, the ceramic Madonna “started to list to port and slowly fell over on the table.” Time and materials were wasted, but Father Nick said, “It ties into our sense of hope – that we don’t give up as a Church.”
Our gifts and talents should be shared, and even in life’s most difficult moments, closing off the benefit our talents provide is not the answer. Everyone, at every stage of life, has gifts to share with the Church. Father Nick sees this lived out every week in his own parish, where 40 to 45 volunteers gather to make and sell pierogies as a fundraiser for Our Lady of Hope Parish. The average age of those volunteers is probably mid-60s, yet Father Nick marvels at their impact: “[The volunteers] still have a vital role to play in our parish.”
Father Nick’s ceramics, his parishioners’ pierogies, the soup kitchen in Syracuse — each is a reminder that ministry is never the work of one person alone. “We do have to recognize as a Church how talented we are and how many gifts we have to give,” he said.
Our priests need our prayers, but they also need our hands. When we offer both, we lighten the load they carry on our behalf. Our Lady of Hope, pray for us.
Pierogies are available on the first Monday of the month at Our Lady of Hope, 8563 W. Chestnut St., Coal Township, 17866.
(Photos by Laura Loose, The Catholic Witness.)
By Laura Loose, The Catholic Witness
