Walking into Toronto’s Scarborough Citadel this time last year, visitors were treated to an immersive exhibit of Jesus’ journey to the cross. Both the foyer and the sanctuary were adorned with art pieces made by corps members in a display called “Easter Stations,” based on the traditional Stations of the Cross.

The stations highlighted the gospel message in a new and interactive way, allowing people to engage with the story through visual art, prayer, music and meditation. “It also gave members of the corps a way to get involved, many of whom are newcomers or relatively unknown artists,” says Alison Moore, integrated ministries co-ordinator at Scarborough Citadel. “Most of the artists are not musical or seen on the platform on a Sunday, so this let us highlight the unique gifts that God has given them.”

Inspired by the practices of lectio divina (divine reading) and visio divina (divine seeing), each station had four key components: look, pause, listen and pray. Drawing from the canonical Gospels, the stations invited viewers to look at the visual art and the story it tells, pause and meditate on the Scripture, listen to accompanying music and to pray and open oneself to the Lord’s prompting. 

Music is a vital part of The Salvation Army’s identity, so Moore wanted to ensure it was included at each station. “Music speaks to the heart more than text alone,” says Moore. “The Scripture grounded the art in the biblical narrative, and the music helped evoke the feelings of the story being portrayed—both are meant to help draw us closer to Jesus.”

The congregation engaged with the art whenever they came into the church, whether on Sundays, during band practice or mid-week Bible studies. With the community and family services waiting area in the foyer of the church, it was also on display for clients to enjoy and learn the Easter story in a visual, accessible way, at their own leisure.

Visitors wandered around the sanctuary, sometimes moving from one piece to the next to view the whole story or staying for a while at one station if it resonated with them. Some people brought headphones to listen to music while they viewed the art. Others enjoyed the stations online, where they were posted daily on Facebook during the week leading up to Easter.

Members of the corps, including the congregation, employees and even the corps officers at the time, Captains Carolina and Johnny Valencia, were eager to participate.

Here are the stories of three of the artists, each new to the church and navigating their own faith journeys, who contributed their talents to the Easter Stations display in 2024.

Artist: Ella Bao Stations: Palm Sunday; Jesus Laid in the Tomb

Before living in Canada, Ella Bao was not a Christian. She didn’t have the same opportunities to learn about Jesus in China, and though she was once gifted a Bible, she never looked at it.

When she moved to Canada, she began attending Scarborough Citadel with her husband and studying the Bible. She now works part-time at the corps as the children’s ministry co-ordinator.

“I just love this place,” she says. “Everyone at church shows me how a true Christian attitude should be toward a newcomer, and they always make me feel included.”

Bao contributed two art pieces to the Easter Stations, and though she is not a trained artist, she enjoys using different materials to create art. “When I am devoting time to art, it makes me feel calm and peaceful,” she says.

Bao invited the Sunday school children to participate in the art, colouring different characters and palm leaves for the Palm Sunday station. They made the art together over the course of two weeks while learning about the Easter story and Jesus’ Resurrection.

“When the kids saw the artwork hanging in the church they could say, ‘I did this,’ and they knew they had a part in it,” says Bao. “I think this kind of activity helps them build their confidence. They can participate in church, even though they are children. They can use their gifts, abilities and serving hearts to be part of it.”

Sometimes Bao still has questions about Jesus, so she uses her ministry to children as an opportunity to learn together. As a new Christian, she is grateful to be able to spread the love of Jesus to others through the Easter Stations. “I thank God for giving me this opportunity to serve others,” she says. “It makes me feel that Canada is another home for me, and I am looking for more ways that I can contribute and use my abilities to serve.”

Artist: Aniket Christian Stations: The Last Supper; Entombment of Christ

Aniket Christian came to Canada in September 2022. Originally from the India Western Territory, Christian grew up around The Salvation Army as his parents, Anant and Susamma, worked as lab technicians at the Army’s Emery Hospital for 35 years.

Christian’s wife, Erena, who arrived in Canada a few years before him, got involved at Scarborough Citadel and introduced him to the church. They have been active participants ever since.

However, in 2023, Christian’s faith deepened when he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour. “After my surgery, I wanted to contribute my heart to the church,” he says. Not long after, the opportunity arose to participate in the Easter Stations.

As a self-taught artist, Christian credits his gift to the Lord. “Before my brain tumour, I was doing a lot of commission work,” he explains. “But after my surgery, I began to incorporate spirituality into my painting. I wanted to feel more faith through my art. It was uplifting for me.”

Christian contributed two oil paintings to the Easter Stations, “The Last Supper” and the “Entombment of Christ,” both taking up to six months to complete. Inspired by Baroque art, Christian desired to show the figures, the body muscles and the angst of the characters at the forefront. “There is no contrast in the background of ‘Entombment of Christ,’ ” he says. “I only painted the contrast in the foreground so that people can connect to the main subjects only.”

For Christian, art is a way to share his own journey, both his hardships and his faith, and he hopes that his art will speak to people spiritually. 

Artist: Daria Gryshko Stations: Jesus Is Arrested; Jesus Before the Religious Leaders; Jesus Is Mocked; Jesus Condemned by Pilate; Jesus Carries His Cross

Daria Gryshko was once a senior soldier at a Salvation Army corps in Kyiv, Ukraine. When she came to Canada in March 2023, she sought The Salvation Army as a familiar place in a new country. She began working as the administrative assistant at Scarborough Citadel, also helping at Sunday school and as a translator for Ukrainian immigrants.

With a degree in art, she was excited to hear about the Easter Stations project and was eager to participate. “For a while I wasn’t working in the field, so I was looking for an opportunity to start again—to do something that I do well and praise God with the gifts that he has given me,” says Gryshko.

Gryshko has experience working as a storyboard artist, turning scripts into sketches. She knew she could represent any part of the Easter story through her art, and offered to cover any stations that weren’t chosen by other artists, completing five art pieces in total.

“Jesus Is Mocked,” created in collaboration with Tatiana Vrabie, represents Jesus being given the crown of thorns. Gryshko uses a Christmas wreath juxtaposed against a crown of thorns to represent the contrast between those who celebrated Christ at his birth and those who mocked him at his death.

Another piece by Gryshko shows the scene of Jesus before Pilate, both shadowed by words—Pilate by hateful phrases such as “Crucify him!” and Jesus backed by words such as “Salvation” written in white. According to Gryshko, this piece is meant to show that the power given by Christ is greater than evil.

For Gryshko, art is just part of her life and faith. She would often sketch during the sermon at church to help her process and memorize it. “If I just listened to the sermon, it could inspire me for a day, but over time I would forget,” she explains. “When I sketch and doodle, it catches my attention. Years after the sermon I can look back and know what it was about and what it meant.”

While there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate musical gifts in The Salvation Army, Gryshko is glad to see Scarborough Citadel celebrating people who are gifted in visual arts. It also offers aunique way to speak into people’s hearts and find connection with the Lord.

“When a person contemplates an art piece, it requires interpretation based on what is in their head and in their heart. The same art piece can mean something different for different people, depending on what they see and what they need at that time,” she says. “The interpretation is in praying, speaking to God and allowing him to speak to them.”