The Rev. Jerome Tupa’s colorful paintings attract an appreciative crowd, often enthralled by his self-described “sensual” creations that reflect a passionate artist. Rev. Jerome Tupa, pastor of the Church of St. Joseph, talks about his life-long passion of painting during a wine-and-cheese reception at the Whitby Gift Shop in St. Joseph. Tupa was featured on CBS Sunday Morning in 2003 for his artwork, which has won international acclaim in galleries throughout the U.S., Europ

“I finally came into an agreement because I couldn’t run no more. It took him (God) from the time I was 17 until I turned 60 that he caught up to me,” Freitag noted. “I ran from God, but he said, “I had to teach you what was on the other side because you wouldn’t have believed me.” I had to go through hell. My first wife divorced me, and I felt rejected. My second wife died and then the third one rejected me too. Then I sit there and say to myself when will this ever end? Is