The Museum of Catholic Art and History held its annual fundraiser on May 21 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. The gala, a “Night at the Statehouse,” featured a keynote speech from former U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi and an address from Bishop Earl Fernandes.

Also present was Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), a practicing Catholic.

The gala included food, music and a silent auction. Guests were invited to dress in a late Victorian-era costume, marking the opening of the Ohio Statehouse in the 1860s.

Bishop Fernandes offered remarks on the beauty of the Museum of Catholic Art and History.

“There are many beautiful things in our Catholic faith and in our Catholic tradition, and the museum helps to preserve those for the future so that future generations can know and see and be touched by that which has touched our souls and changed our lives,” he said.

The bishop also recognized the Catholic museum as a point of evangelization. Non-Catholics can encounter the Catholic faith and find answers about Catholicism in the museum.

Museum of Catholic Art and History executive director Shawn Kenny addresses the audience at the Ohio Statehouse during the museum's gala while surrounded by characters whose relics or artifacts are on display at the museum.

Shawn Kenny, executive director of the Museum of Catholic Art and History, said 70 percent of museum visitors are not Catholic.

“We’re trying to evangelize, and art and history are a way of doing that,” Bishop Fernandes said. “All those things that people are curious about – ‘Why do Catholics do this? Why do they do that?’ – you can find a lot of those answers at the museum.”

Bishop Fernandes noted that the beauty inside the Catholic museum can touch souls and draw them to God. Beauty, he said, is a simple yet effective way to evangelize.

“There are different ways: You can catechize a person and you can talk to them. You can give them the Catechism and talk to them through words – use lots of words – and have great theological discourses, or you can show them something simple yet beautiful that moves the soul,” the bishop said.

He offered examples of how beauty moves the soul and elicits human emotion.

“A beautiful image of the scene of the Annunciation with the Archangel Gabriel appearing to a lowly virgin, and she says, ‘Yes’ to him, can move the soul,” Bishop Fernandes said. “Seeing a sculpture like the Pietà by Michelangelo can help us to understand what it’s like to lose a loved one and to be able to empathize with others.”

Tiberi spoke about his Catholic faith and its impact on his time in office. The former U.S. congressman said it was his first time talking publicly about his faith.

Tiberi represented central Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2018. He currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Business Roundtable.

The son of Italian immigrants, Tiberi said he was born into a devout Catholic family, and the faith provided him with “guideposts” while serving the American people.

“You realize in public service … you cannot please everybody,” he said. “You have to look in the mirror and understand that what you’re doing is right by the moral code that you abide by. My faith provided that guidepost.

“I’m certainly imperfect. I certainly wasn’t perfect as a legislator, and I’d like to think that, ultimately, working through that, I became a better legislator and a better person.”

Tiberi said his faith transformed during his time in public office. 

In politics, he said, it can be difficult to change positions on an issue. A public official is often attacked, he said, and then labeled as a “flip flop.”

Tiberi changed positions on the death penalty while serving in Congress. He was formerly in favor of the death penalty. His justification, he said, was because it is not innocent human life.

“Before I left Congress, over time, my faith had me change my position,” he said. “I am now against the death penalty. It took me a while to get there … but faith played a role in that experience.”

Tiberi said his faith was also the reason he left Congress. His mother, who died 21 days after a cancer diagnosis, encouraged her son to return home.

“On her deathbed, she said to me that ‘you have four young daughters; your father is not well. You are gone a lot. You need to be home,’ and I came home. That was faith,” Tiberi said.

Addressing the Catholic museum, he recognized how its displays are preserved for people of all faiths. Tiberi noted the importance of preserving art and antiquities for future generations.

“We all must never forget – never forget – the history, the teachings portrayed in the art that represent so much of our past but also represent our future,” he said.

Kenny said the Catholic museum operates on a $250,000 budget. He shared that the museum, a non-profit organization, relies solely on funds from events such as the evening’s “Night at the Statehouse” gala.

Monsignor John Cody (left) shakes the hand of a volunteer actor dressed for the Catholic museum’s “Night at the Statehouse.”

“What really makes the museum something, again, are visuals, and it is, of course, bringing these stories to life for people of the saints and the Apostles and the Virgin Mary’s Annunciation, all the history of our Catholic buildings around the world – St. Peter’s Basilica – and our different artifacts,” he said.

Kenny also discussed the impact of the museum’s life-size Nativity. It was displayed for the first time last Christmas on the front lawn of the Chancery, where the bishop resides, adjacent to Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral. 

The historic set, formerly known as State Auto’s Christmas Corner, was donated by the insurance company to the Catholic museum last year. 

The 80-piece set, which depicts the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, came with an additional $250,000 from the insurer to assist in preserving the tradition for years to come.

Kenny said an estimated 10,000 individuals visited the Nativity during Christmastime.

To conclude the evening, several volunteer actors surprised the audience by coming on stage dressed as characters from the Catholic museum. Characters included Sts. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Helena and John Vianney, as well as Mary, Queen of Scots.

A volunteer, dressed as Mary, Queen of Scots, stands by a case displaying the necklace that belonged to the Queen, which can be found at the Museum of Catholic Art and History.

Their relics or artifacts, on display during the evening in the Statehouse atrium, included a relic of the True Cross and Mary, Queen of Scots’ necklace, which is part of the Museum of Catholic Art and History’s collection.

The museum was established in 1998 to preserve Catholic heritage through art and education. It is recognized by the Vatican as the largest collection of diversified Catholic art in the United States.

The museum evangelizes through art depicting the Bible, Christian and diocesan history and the lives of the saints. It also exists to preserve liturgy, music and statuary.