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Illinois Catholic Artist Lives Out Vocation, Faith Through Self-Led Business

By Sydney Clark

Feb 3, 2025

Throughout Maria Ference’s Cincinnati home, several custom Catholic art pieces are on and near her Christmas mantel.

 

A small, refurbished statue of St. Cecilia, Ference’s confirmation saint; sketches of the Sorrowful Mother and The Visitation, inspired by a window in her former church parish and the site of her daughter’s baptism; original paintings of St. Faustina and St. Margaret Mary contemplating the Sacred Heart, commemorating her daughter Margaret Mary’s birth; and a “Draw Near” original of Mary, a wedding gift from her parents, all came from a close friend of hers  --  Monica Skrzypczak.

 

Skrzypczak owns the Outpouring of Trust, an online business based in Rockford, Illinois. The late 20-year-old Catholic artist started the company in October 2018, and it has evolved into her solo-operated, full-time passion and career.

 

Most recently, the primarily self-taught artist has had pop-up setups displaying prints of original artwork, stickers, rosaries and chaplets at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana, in July and at the Women of Christ Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in November.

 

“[Skrzypczak’s’] creativity comes from her spirituality, but also, like her intellect, and that shows up a lot in her artwork… She has such a gift for evangelization through art, and her art draws you,” Ference said.

 

Ference, a current stay-at-home mother and former religion teacher and CCIA coordinator, met Skrzypczak in 2017 when they were in college. Ference attended the University of Pittsburgh, and Skrzypczak attended Carnegie Mellon University, also in Pittsburgh. They occasionally interacted through their school’s Catholic Newman Centers, which are Catholic campus ministry centers at non-Catholic universities.

 

“We didn't know each other super well while in school, but we got a lot closer later when I started buying from her business because I was like, ‘Wow, this is great stuff.’ It's rare to find true artistic gifts like this anymore,” Ference said.

 

Art, faith and creativity always have been a part of Skrzypczak’s life. She recalled a photo that her parents took of her drawing on a chalkboard outside in diapers. Skrzypczak is a cradle Catholic whose devoutness significantly increased during high school and college.

 

“I had a couple of impactful retreats that drew my heart into Jesus, especially through the Eucharist and adoration. In college, we had the FOCUS missionaries there who got me into Bible study and created an atmosphere of prayer and discovery of who Jesus is on a personal level.”

 

However, Skrzypczak said the Blessed Mother has had the most significant impact on her faith. She completed a Marian consecration in college, and then life shifted. Skrzypczak studied theater production and stage management. She ran and led several productions at Carnegie Mellon. She loved theatre, but there was a conflict.

 

“By the end of college, I was looking at job applications, and they were like, ‘You must want to work weekends and holidays.’ And I was like, I want to go to Mass and not work on Christmas,” Skrzypczak said.

 

“Everything started changing as I continued to deepen my faith, and I decided to start something small on the side, and something small became something large, and it's kind of just grown from there.”

 

Skrzypczak’s business name, Outpouring of Trust, is a testament to her career choice.

 

“I was pouring out my trust with the Lord that taking an artistic journey was going to be okay, was going to bear fruit and was his plan. So, it was my outpouring of trust but also the invitation that you can make an outpouring of trust to the Lord through your own prayer,” she said.

 

She initially launched her business by showcasing photos of her rosary designs and paintings on Instagram.

 

“It started with whatever I could do. I didn't know what I was doing in the slightest. I figured out which things were more and less popular from the feedback I received,” Skrzypczak said.

 

Her rosaries are popular among customers. They have a dedicated title and a meditation based on the color of the beads to help others draw deeper in prayer.

 

“I still look back at the rosary side of my business and have always known I wanted to do it, but I never really questioned it at all,” she said.

 

Ference has purchased several rosaries that mark special moments in her family’s life.

 

“When my husband and I got engaged, I got the Our Lady of Sorrows rosary, and it helped me pick our wedding date. On the rosary, it says, ‘Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.’ So we got married on the Immaculate’s feast day,” she said.

 

Ference also has a Seeds of Faith rosary that she initially bought when her daughter was born, but her grandmother, an immense faith influence, died unexpectedly. Ference placed the rosary in her grandmother’s casket on the day of her funeral to honor her.

 

Despite the popularity of her rosaries, Skrzypczak said she wants to focus more on painting sacred art.

 

“This next year, I'm going through a transition where I'm downsizing the rosaries to maybe just a few designs. I haven't fully decided what the transition will look like, but it's where the Lord's calling me,” she said.

 

One of her most ambitious projects is a painting series on the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, featuring her 50-plus titles.

 

“I want them to be big and symbolic, filled with angels and as many people as possible. This life's work project has percolated in the back of my mind, and I'm just always working on and wanting to focus on it,” Skrzypczak said.

 

Her creative process begins with adoration, where she develops sketches, focusing on how she can draw one’s eye throughout the painting. Sometimes, she creates mockups on Adobe Photoshop or her iPad, drawing the piece out before transferring it to the canvas for painting. She also uses photos and references from the past for inspiration.

 

“I have a lot of fun trying to puzzle piece that together into something engaging to the viewer,” Skrzypczak said.

 

One of her favorite pieces is her Memento Mori still life drawing. Memento Mori is Latin for “Remember you must die.” While the phrase is “doom and gloomy, it is also a reminder of repentance and conversion,” she said.

 

The description on her website provides details about the drawing.

The skull rests on the black fabric and the rough-hewn wood symbolizes our humanity and sin. The hourglass, out of time, reminds us that we will know not the day nor the hour of our death but that it will be sooner than we expect. But that is not the end. In a dramatic contrast, the white box frames the scene. Heaven is always present; our path to it is the Word of God.”

 

Ference said she has witnessed how great Skrzypczak’s business has been for her family and is excited to see her friend’s business continue to thrive.

 

“It’s a huge opportunity to evangelize people, Catholics and non-Catholics simply through beauty,” she said.

 

Skrzypczak said being a business owner has been a blessing.

 

“I can make my own schedule, balance work, relaxation, and friendships. I can invest time going on random trips to visit friends, and I did many pilgrimages stateside over the years to see our faith's beauty. I love my job.”

 

 To learn more about Outpouring of Trust or inquire about a commission, visit the website or email outpouringoftrust@gmail.com.

 

 

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