Our Lady in the Neighborhood: A Student’s Gift of Art and Faith

DALLAS, Texas — A chilly December morning at the Bishop Lynch High School Brigade’s Christmas Bazaar became a providential encounter for BL neighbor Laura Campos-Martinez. She struck up a conversation with Brigade Coach Allison Kindley ‘01, sharing about her concrete Our Lady of Guadalupe statue that was in desperate need of restoration. Luckily for Laura, Allison knew just who to turn to.  

Within a few weeks, Laura’s statue had moved into her temporary residence in Frank Brown’s art room, and freshman Amy Vallejo had a new class project on her hands, breathing new life into the beloved image of Our Lady.  

“I offered her extra credit, service hours, and Mrs. Martinez even offered to pay for her work,” said Mr. Brown, describing Amy’s investment in the project. “But for her, repainting the statue was a work of devotion.” 

It took Amy several weeks of detailed painting and a few coats of sealant to weatherproof the statue, but when Laura came with her husband Ramon to pick up her statue and meet Amy, the results spoke for themselves.  

“She is so much more beautiful than I could have imagined,” Laura said in a hushed voice as Amy looked on.  

Laura, a parishioner and catechist at St. Pius X Catholic Church, shared the story of her search for the perfect image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to adorn her home, eventually finding this statue at a roadside shop in Ruidoso, New Mexico, while on vacation in El Paso. For almost 10 years, she and her husband searched for the right person to restore Our Lady’s vibrant colors to a radiance worthy of their deep devotion to Mary. 

“I hoped that this could be an opportunity for a young person to learn something new and develop a skill that would serve them in life,” Laura shared. “To create something with your hands gives you confidence in yourself, and I thought it could be a gift for a student to realize what they are capable of.” 

Amy’s pride in her work shone through her humble disposition as she accompanied Laura and her husband along the BL Way to show them another image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in their neighborhood. The larger-than-life mosaic, gifted just last year to Bishop Lynch by the Dybala family, had taken a similar journey from artist Donna Van Hooser’s home in New Mexico to Dallas.  

“I’m so happy it was someone from my own community who came through for me,” said Laura, reflecting on the statue's restoration and the sense of belonging that the process brought. “Something told me to go to the craft sale—I truly believe it was Our Lady who led me there.”