#2543 "Church of the Good Thief"

The International Plein Air Painters (IPAP) was a direct response to the tragedy of 911. Something positive and constructive needed to arise from those ashes. Art is really the universal language that transcends political boundaries and cultures in a creative and positive way. The Kingston School of Art (KSOA) has been organizing Paint the Town in conjunction the International Plein Air Painters Worldwide Paint Out since 2013. They do a fantastic job of coordination and I have been painting with them since 2014 on this very special weekend. I was remembering another September Day twenty years before. 

I decided to leave the Portsmouth Harbour for a while and do something architectural. The Church of the Good Thief fit that requirement perfectly. Apparently the church had been closed as of November 24th, 2013 when the last service was held. Over the previous two years $175,000 had been invested in repairing the stonework and replacing the roof on the tower. It was estimated that an additional $400,000 would be required to bring the aging structure back to its former glory. The Church of the Good Thief was built primarily with convict labour from Kingston Penitentiary which I painted in #2540 "Kingston Penn Cumulus Lines". The local limestone was quarried, cut and transported to the site by convict gangs. The original cost of construction came in around $15,000 and the inaugural Mass was held in 1894 just 21 months after construction began. 

Father Raby was the one of the last Pastors of the Church of the Good Thief where he remained until his retirement in 1998 at the age of 80. Father Raby married Linda and I when he was at St. Francis Xavier in Brockville in 1975. I remember Father Raby as a very good man. He passed away peacefully on Friday morning, September 6, 2013, in his 95th year.  The Church of the Good Thief closed shortly thereafter. I think he would have appreciated this painting. 

The church’s name is dedicated to Saint Dismas, who was commonly referred to as the “Good Thief” and remembered as one of the robbers who were crucified with Christ. As such, St. Dismas is the patron saint of prisoners, criminals and reformed thieves among others. I included the stone statue of St. Dismas in the niche directly above the door of the church. 

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