by Katie Vasquez
In the basement of Flophina Modeste Morris’ Jamaica, Queens home, she often refurbishes sacred images, including the Saint Joseph statue outside the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ozone Park.
It’s a hobby that takes time. Flophina says it can take her anywhere from a week to a year to finish the pieces, but she’s had years of practice.
“I will clean it. I will see what I have to do. And after the strip, I will start to fix the little things—the little scratches—and then paint and paint,” said Modeste Morris.
Her restoration began about five years ago, when her pastor at St. Pius V, Father Felix Sanchez, asked her to fix this sacred heart of Jesus statue.
“It lost most of its fingers,” said Father Sanchez, “The sacred heart. You couldn’t see the sacred heart.”
Father Felix knew Flophina had a background in art when she lived in Venezuela and trusted she could do it. While Flophina had never done the work before, she relied on her faith to get her through.
“Let me try. With God, all things are possible,” said Modeste Morris.
Since then, Flophina has worked on so many statues that she has lost count. But she’ll never forget the look on the faces of the parishioners who see her work for the first time.
“They say, ‘Oh, oh his eyes, oh this statue,’ or ‘Oh my god, I feel something,’ and I say, ‘Oh my goodness.’ That means that I did it,” said Modeste Morris.
Flophina understands these statues are more than art.
“The art is the only thing that can tell us our history, you know, our history,” said Modeste Morris. “The story of the churches, the story of the parishioners.”
“It’s not only about an image; an image is always a sacred thing, but even the artistic value, I think, is important for any small church like us,” said Father Sanchez.