Ade Bethune was a designer, illustrator, painter, writer, community activist and faithful follower of Jesus. She is most famous for her work with the Catholic Worker movement. In the early 1930’s, Ms. Bethune became a disciple of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, founders of the Catholic Worker Movement. Her designs were often published in The Catholic Worker newspaper, including its masthead, which she created in 1935 and redesigned in 1985.

Ms. Bethune is probably most remembered for the woodcuts and illustrations of saints and biblical scenes she produced for the newspaper.

Dorothy Day, in her autobiography, The Long Loneliness, wrote of Ade Bethune:

Whenever I visited Ade I came away with a renewed zest for life. She has such a sense of the sacramentality of life, the goodness of things, a sense that is translated in all her works whether it was illustrating a missal, making stained-glass windows or sewing, cooking or gardening.

You can view more Ade Bethune woodcuts and drawings here, enjoy!

Tags:Ade BehuneAde Bethune woodcutsCatholicCatholic Liturgical ArtistCatholic WorkerDorothy DayPeter Maurinwoodcuts