Ruth Stricklin, founder of New Jerusalem Studios and the artist behind the intricate designs for Ascension’s Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition—available for preorder beginning July 1, 2026—shows through her work how art can evangelize, how symbolism can teach the Faith, and how an entire creative process can become one continuous prayer.
Growing up under the Alaskan skies, Ruth first encountered God through beauty. Watching Mount McKinley from her window and the Northern Lights from a bus stop, she came to know a Creator who delights in sharing his splendor. Years later, that same love of beauty, shaped by Scripture and the liturgy, would guide her from Protestant evangelical roots into the Catholic Church and into a vocation as a sacred artist.
Inspired by the Creator
Raised Christian although not Catholic, Ruth Stricklin connected with the Lord throughout her upbringing. She loved the beauty of the natural world and understood that God made the glories of creation because he loves us and wants us to enjoy them.
The magnificence of nature paved the road for Ruth to know the Lord’s love. The powerful influence of beauty would continue to follow her throughout her life and work.
From Mural-Making Into Love of the Mass
After her studies, while still a Protestant evangelical, Ruth was asked to paint an altar backdrop mural depicting Christ in glory surrounded by forty saints for the Catholic high school where she worked. While she painted this backdrop for Xavier College Preparatory High School in Phoenix over the course of a year and a half, another deeper and very personal project was underway for Ruth.
The backdrop depicted a scene from the book of Revelation in which Christ sits on the throne in heaven, with the waters of life flowing forth from him, surrounded by the angels and holy ones (Revelation 22). As she learned about the wedding feast of the Lamb and the promise of eternity from these passages in Revelation, preparing the mural naturally led Ruth to discover the Mass.
