By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic

Our Lady of Guadalupe’s journey to Bishop Lynch High School took a bit of a circuitous route.

But now she has found a perfect spot to call home.

The community of Bishop Lynch prayerfully gathered April 8 with Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly for the dedication and blessing of a mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the east Dallas campus. The mosaic, created by artist Donna Van Hooser, was donated to Bishop Lynch High School as a gift from the Dybala family.

“Having Our Lady here to bless our hallways at Bishop Lynch is a very, very special gift to all of us,” said Bishop Lynch President Chris Rebuck, who recognized the significance of the day, the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, as he expressed gratitude on behalf of the school community for the donation. “For 60 years now, families have entrusted their children to come journey in a very special way in faith and in formation here at Bishop Lynch. So, it is special that we as a community have been entrusted to hold this very special place for Our Lady of Guadalupe here on this campus that will be a part of every student’s journey every day that they’re here on this campus.”

Barbara Dybala, whose son, Paul, attended Bishop Lynch and was named the 2023 Alumni of the Year, is a mosaic artist in Rockwall County as well as a friend and student of Van Hooser.

She credited a conversation with Van Hooser and another friend in Dallas as the catalyst for the mosaic’s donation and journey to the halls of Bishop Lynch.

It was a journey that included several moves with the artist, a home renovation, and eventually a rented van of questionable reliability, as Dybala and her husband David transported the larger-than-life mosaic from Arizona to Texas themselves. “This van was so broken down we had to rope the door shut,” recalled Dybala, adding that she “left Our Lady’s face uncovered so she could see her journey.”

Along the way, the Dybalas stopped for Mass in Sweetwater, Texas, where upon learning of the mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe resting in the back of the van, a group of parishioners asked to have the van doors opened so that they could pray.

“It was a very, very touching and moving part of Our Lady’s journey to Bishop Lynch,” Dybala said.

For her part, Van Hooser said she first started working on the mosaic in one house, moved it to the basement to finish it, then moved houses only to discover the ceilings in her new home weren’t high enough for her to work on it.

“Our Lady spent some time on her side until I could have the house remodeled,” said Van Hooser, who eventually moved to Arizona, where Our Lady traveled as well until the Dybala family purchased the mosaic as a gift for Bishop Lynch. “I think it’s time for her to be seen by more people than just me and a few friends. I’m thankful that she’s now in a place where she can be truly appreciated.”

Divine inspiration
Van Hooser began making mosaics in 1991, inspired by a trip to see the then-cathedral now Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

“I had never seen mosaics at that scale before,” Van Hooser recalled. “Every surface, ceiling, and wall is covered in mosaic. It’s just simply amazing. I just remember sitting there and thinking, ‘I need to try this.’”

A trip to Santa Fe, Mexico, in 2003 fueled Van Hooser’s desire to create an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“I had seen the image before but not in that scale — it was everywhere,” she explained. “I knew I needed to make a mosaic of that image.”

Van Hooser started by researching the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her story. In its creation, she used rose petals, gold from Venice, and even incorporated an Our Lady of Guadalupe medal into it.

“It was something that I saw that represented both a religious and a cultural heritage that really moved me and still does to this day,” she said.

Bishop Lynch Principal Chad Riley said April 8 that a lot of symbolism surrounds the dedication of the new image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the school, noting that the ceremony was held on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the day of total solar eclipse, and comes on the heels of the Diocese of Dallas’ cathedral being elevated to the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Moreover, Riley said the location of the mosaic at the intersection of one of the school’s main hallways held profound significance.

“This hallway that we call ‘The Way’ connects all parts of the students’ formation and experience here at Bishop Lynch,” said Riley, adding that at Bishop Lynch the goal is to accompany students in a way that all their experiences are in some way connected to Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. “If you join together the symbolism of this accompaniment and that of our journey along ‘The Way,’ we now have the placement of Our Lady of Guadalupe — Mary, the mother of Jesus — to accompany us and to walk with us on our own journey along our own way.”

Riley called the addition of the mosaic a blessing for Bishop Lynch and its community.

“We are so thankful to the Dybala family and for Donna for giving us this gift and allowing it to enrich the lives here of students today and for years to come.”