Brother Mickey O’Neill McGrath, Oblate of St. Francis deSales, is an artist, writer, and speaker who loves to explore the relationship between art and faith. His work and ministry have been featured in ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER, USA TODAY, and many Catholic newspaper articles around the country. Several of his covers for AMERICA magazine have been given awards by the Catholic Press Association. He creates art for many of today’s leading Catholic publishers including the UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS, for whom he has designed posters for Catechetical Sunday, Home Missions Appeal, and National Migration Week.

Mickey’s most recent book, a collaboration with Kathy Coffey entitled WOMEN OF MERCY , was published in 2005 by Orbis Press. In 2004, BLESSED ART THOU, a collection of paintings and essays about Mary with prayers by Fr. Richard Fragomeni, was published by World Library Publications. He has also illustrated and written a three-volume series on patron saints entitled PATRONS AND PROTECTORS (Liturgy Training Publications) and an art and meditation book, JOURNEY WITH THERESE OF LISIEUX. (Sheed and Ward).

The twenty-one paintings which appear in BLESSED ART THOU are currently on a nation-wide exhibition tour which began in the summer of 2004 at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC. In 2005, it is scheduled to go to Los Angeles, Dayton, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee. This series of paintings has also inspired a concert/exhibit event which will be presented at the East Coast Religious Education Conference (Washington, DC), Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, NCEA and NPCD (Philadelphia), and NPM (Milwaukee).