Kristin Bryant of Alexandria, Virginia, founded Novena Cards, a Catholic small business that sells watercolor art prints, greeting cards, and prayer cards.
Bryant spoke with ChurchPOP to discuss the inspiration behind her creations.
Bryant stated that the original inspiration for Novena Cards began in 2012 while she and her friends prayed a novena together. But it wasn’t until much later that it came to fruition.
Her career as a dental hygienist halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, so during Pentecost of 2020, she took a leap of faith and officially launched Novena Cards.
“My husband helped out on nights and weekends until, with a lot of prayer and discernment, he left his corporate job a year ago so that we could reach as many people as possible with this ministry of prayer and encouragement.”
Bryant shared that her favorite novena card is one of Saint John Paul II because he is her favorite saint and his is the first watercolor portrait she ever painted.
“Since seeing him in person at World Youth Day Denver in 1993, which was so special, I have felt his encouragement throughout my life," Bryant explained of Saint John Paul II.
"When I was taking a watercolor class and intimidated by the idea of doing a portrait, I had an inspiration to paint him - someone who had always cheered me on to 'be not afraid,'" she continued.
"As I was painting him, I can't explain it, but I realized how to capture him through watercolor. As I was painting his portrait, I realized this was how I would illustrate the saints for Novena Cards. I consider it one of the many miracles God has worked in my life to lead to launching Novena Cards.”
The cards, of course, can be purchased by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. A unique feature included on the back of each card is information about that particular devotion or saint of the card.
“This makes the cards not only tools of encouragement but also of evangelization,” Bryant noted.
If you follow Novena Cards on Instagram, you’ll notice that Bryant posts reminders every time a novena begins.
Bryant goes above and beyond to encourage participation in these novenas.
“The inspiration came from being tired of counting backward on a calendar and trying to figure out what day to start a novena," she stated. "I originally made the Novena Start Date Calendar we sell and share online as a tool to help me remember when to post novena prayers and content on social media.
"As I was creating that calendar, I realized that it might be helpful to other people as well! Sharing the daily novena prayers (which many people use as a reminder to pray the novena) was something that people asked us to do on social media. We found the best way to do that is through Instagram Stories.”
In a recent EWTN News Nightly segment with host Tracy Sabol, Bryant expressed how Mother Angelica, the foundress of EWTN, inspired her and continues to play an important role in her journey.
“She has been my cheerleader from Heaven. Her witness gave me the encouragement to start Novena Cards, her “yes” inspired me to know that even though I was in a job that was not artistic, I could have the courage to pray and ask God, 'Please, one day, I would love to use my creative gifts and talents for you.'”
Bryant shares that she keeps her favorite Mother Angelica quote above her painting area and hopes it touches anyone who feels God calling them.
"You want to do something for the Lord… do it. Whatever you feel needs to be done, even though you're shaking in your boots, you’re scared to death - take the first step forward. The grace comes with that one step and you get the grace as you step. Being afraid is not the problem; it’s doing nothing when you’re afraid."