Sister Marilyn Grace Springs, Artist: More Than Just A Pretty Picture!
Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament Sisters

After graduation from high school, Sister Marilyn Grace Springs left the icy winters of Buffalo, where she grew up, and followed her brother to San Antonio. She had been fascinated with art at an early age, but, not putting all her eggs in the proverbial "art" basket, she obtained a degree in Education and began to teach first graders in parochial schools. Her interest in religious life stemmed from her young years, but the call became stronger as she taught. "I'd felt something was missing in my life until I met the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament Sisters," she said, "and I knew I should be with them." Though she is the first African-American Sister in her Order, she feels comfortable in what she calls "a very diverse Order, a real melting pot of nationalities and races."

An accomplished artist, Sister Marilyn's works have been displayed many times at congregational and community events. Recently she was the guest artist for "A Tapestry of Black Culture," exhibited to celebrate Black History Month. She specializes in portraits, preferring to paint people in their natural settings.

A genuinely happy person, with a deep laugh and gleaming smile, Sister Marilyn finds satisfaction in her art, in her teaching, and in her religious life. "My dream for my community," she says, "is that some day I will be able to attract not only African American women to this congregation but to serve as a role model for any young woman who is striving to answer her call to religious life as a viable life-giving choice."