"Dragnet," by Cecilia Doyle

This piece was inspired by my experiences and studies in Northern Ireland during the fall of 2025, my passion for marine biology, and the beautiful relationships I've celebrated with people from every corner of the world. I was praying at my local parish in Belfast when I came across this verse in Matthew, "Again the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind;" and I was immediately struck with how this truth reverberated through my memories and heart. It made me think about the NET missionary team that I became close friends with at the parish. They came from Derry, England, Nigeria, Canada and the US and showed just a glimpse of the beautiful diversity within the union of humanity. The composition was inspired by a print feel that plays with negative and positive space. I used an old eye liner marker which I discovered made the perfect stroke that showed the movement and dynamic nature of fish and water. The net was inspired by my time living in Florida where I learned how to fish with a cast-net, which allowed me to catch mangrove snappers, minnows and even a barracuda. I want people to see themselves within a fish in this piece, to understand that we all look, swim and think differently but still share the same ocean and are susceptible to being scooped up in the Kingdom of heaven which we are all invited to enter.

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