Endow launches Letter to Artists study, offering Pope St. John Paul II’s timeless teachings on beauty and creativity as bridges to holiness.
DENVER, Colo. (Feb. 5, 2025) — When shock and spectacle dominate our headlines and feeds, beauty’s quieter power is too often pushed aside.
“There seems to be an assault on beauty in our culture,” says Annette Bergeon, CEO of Endow. “Art is getting ugly—think of urinals in museums or soulless buildings. We used to have gorgeous architecture and now so much feels chaotic and devoid of harmony.”
Into this growing rift, Endow (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) launches a new study rooted in Pope St. John Paul II’s timeless teachings on beauty and creativity as pathways to God.
Drawing from his Letter to Artists, the eight-chapter study invites women to rediscover and reclaim beauty, art, and culture as doorways to the Creator. It also offers practical ways to live out the gift of creativity through relationships, work, service, and prayer.
“Beauty comes across in teaching and mothering, in small interactions during our day. It’s setting a beautiful table. It’s mentoring another human being,” said Terri Sue Monark, Director of Content at Endow. “Beauty lives in all of those moments.”
Guided by the full text of Letter to Artists, insightful commentary, and full-color sacred art, the study invites reflection and conversation, supported by discussion questions on vocation and a life lived in relationship with God. It’s designed for women of all ages who long for deeper purpose and spiritual renewal.
“Every Christian is called to participate in God’s creative work. No artistic background is required,” Monark said.
Jody C. Benson, author of Endow’s Letter to Artists study, says John Paul II’s writings remind us that, when we learn to pay attention, beauty can shape how we see the world. “Beauty matters because it confronts us with the fact that our lives have meaning,” she said.
Through guided reflection and Visio Divina—a contemplative tradition of praying with sacred art—participants see the world with greater awareness.
“John Paul II is encouraging us to demand beauty in our homes, our lives, our relationships,” Bergeon said. “Don’t settle, even if our modern culture calls it wasteful or too expensive. Beauty draws us to God.”
Endow studies make Church teachings accessible through small-group gatherings of women who read aloud, reflect on study themes, and speak honestly about living out their faith, without the pressure of weekly homework.
Endow’s Letter to Artists study is available now for home, parish and virtual groups at endowgroups.org.
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About Endow
Endow (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) calls women together into small groups to study and discuss the rich intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church. By exploring the writings of the Church, saints, and theologians, Endow forms women to live out their faith with purpose and in community.
Media Contact
Kristine Newkirk
Director of Programs
Kristine.Newkirk@EndowGroups.org
970-620-8975