Merry Mary-Marthas: Chats with Catholic women exemplifying the feminine genius in the world and in the home.
Meet Aileen Escarpio,
Artist, teacher, wife and mother
Aileen Escarpio is the artist behind Divine Inspiration by AME. She has been married for 23 years and is the mom of an active 15-year-old son. Aileen is an “almost” full-time Chemistry and Physics teacher for middle school and high school Catholic students. She loves all sorts of creating and has even tried her city hand at gardening.
One of her newest projects includes a set of Catholic themed paint kits for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter so that children and adults can glorify God through art.
Tell us a little bit about yourself – your family, hobbies, experiences, education, etc., basically anything you’d like to share.
I am the daughter of Cuban immigrants who worked hard to give my sister and me a solid foundation in faith. When deciding between a Chemistry or Art Education major, my mother reminded me that I could always do art on the side (She loves reminding me how right she was). I have taught Chemistry for 26+ years. I met my husband at a young adult retreat, and we recently celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. God called us to be a small family of three when our son was born 15 years ago. Despite being a cradle Catholic, I have grown in my understanding of faith and my relationship with God more in the last 10 years than ever before.
What is your apostolate? How do you bring truth, beauty and goodness to the world? How did your ministry/apostolate begin?
I have always loved to create. However, I haven’t always had or made the time to do so. During the lockdown, I had to find a way of coping with the quiet, and I picked up creating again, but as a form of prayer. I took the leap and opened my Etsy shop thinking that I might get a few sales here and there because there are so many incredible Catholic artists there already. It became more than an outlet for my prayer life and became a way to spread the joy I have through Christ with others – friends, family and, surprisingly, strangers. As a teacher, I also find myself showing students all that is true, good, and beautiful through science as we are drawn closer to our Creator.
What have you struggled with and how have you managed to balance the interior life of Mary, with the exterior life of Martha? Tell us about your practice of prayer and any special devotions you have, and how this supports/enhances your apostolate.
Finding a Mary and Martha balance is truly a challenge for me. Although my art was meant to build up my interior life, it often focuses on the “doing”. When the ”creating” becomes just about how much work I can produce, I know that it is time to stop and ask God for what purpose He truly wants me to create. The answer is always very clear – to create with the purpose of bringing others to Him, but only if I can use it to glorify Him and strengthen my own relationship with Him.
Where can we learn more about you and your apostolate and new projects?
I have a small Etsy shop and I also try to share more of my work, the journey that gets me to the finished product, my connection with God through nature, and my vocation as a wife and mother on my Instagram account: @divineinspirationbyame
