Of the nine works of art hanging in the Cathedral Church of St. Matthew at Ross and Henderson, parishioners know the story behind only one, “The Holy Family.” In 1873, Mary Adams Buckley and her daughter, both from New York, traveled to Europe, where Mrs. Buckley purchased a painting at her daughter’s request. She shipped the $10,000 masterpiece to their New York home on a freight steamer while she and her daughter traveled home on a different ship. A collision occurred in the night, causing their ship to sink within minutes. Mother and daughter were separated as the ship sank. Mrs. Buckley was rescued, but her daughter was never found. As Mrs. Buckley lay on her deathbed years later, she wrote, “Give the picture to Bishop Alexander C. Garrett, Dallas, Texas.” Garrett hung the painting at St. Mary’s Episcopal College for Women, which he founded in 1889. “We don’t know how Mrs. Buckley knew the bishop or why she wanted to give him the painting,” says Jayne Brown, art restoration committee chair at St. Matthew’s. “The Holy Family” now hangs near the back of the cathedral’s nave.
Donations toward restoration may be made to: St. Matthew’s Art Restoration Fund, 5100 Ross Avenue, Dallas 75206, or by calling Jayne Brown, 972.771.4524.
