His Eminence, Justin Cardinal Rigali
I was honored to be asked by the Diocese of Knoxville to create a portrait of Justin Cardinal Rigali.
This man has had a remarkable life. Born in Los Angeles, CA, he was a close aide to both St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican. He has also served as the Archbishop of St. Louis, MO and Philadelphia, PA.
But while he may had had an illustrious career, Cardinal Rigali remains a reserved, quiet, and humble man. I cherish moments spent with him.
The idea was to capture him in two settings, the first in his red cassock in the grandeur of Knoxville’s Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and then in a studio setting wearing his black cassock. His Eminence cannot travel far but I knew the narthex (foyer) of the Cathedral would have adequate space to bring the studio to him, so we were able to accomplish both settings in one session.
Portraiture to me is not simply photography, and one could use trite expressions about “capturing the soul” of a person, or “storytelling,” but really it is about capturing the viewer’s eye and making them want to stop and look closely.
You may have noticed that I refer to the Cardinal as Justin Cardinal Rigali and not Cardinal Justin Rigali. In the early church, surnames (last names) did not exist. In order to distinguish them from one another, they would refer to the church over which they had authority (“John of Santa Maria”). Over time, the title of “Cardinal” replaced the name of the church and surnames were added, but the arrangement of “first name” + “title” + “last name” stayed as a tradition. However, both Justin Cardinal Rigali and Cardinal Justin Rigali are correct ways of referring to this lovely man. In the Catholic Church, cardinals are given the honorific “Eminence,” just as a judge or mayor will be referred to as “Your Honor” or “Her Honor.”