About Us
We Prefer Heaven, was originally inspired by St. Philip Neri.
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He was an Italian Priest in the 1500s. He was known for his cheerfulness, joy, and humor. He initially desired greatly to be a travelling missionary, but later
realized his mission was
the people of Rome, thus giving him the title of "Apostle of Rome"
for his dedication to the poor, abandoned, and hopeless.
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He was eventually asked to be a Cardinal, which would change his current position and duties, ultimately removing him from being able to help those around him.
In this case, St. Philip Neri responded with,
"Preferisco il Paradiso or I Prefer Heaven."
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Through St. Philip Neri's charitable giving and joyful character, he brought many glimpses of Heaven to those around him.
Original Sacred Art piece of "The Cross of the Apostles" and our Meditation Sources from books of the 1800s.
Our Love and Zeal for Sacred Art
About 15 years ago, the quest to find the perfect Birthday gift for my mother led me to three beautiful antique pieces of Sacred Art in a local antique store. The Crucifixion Scene, the Holy Family,
and a final one of Mary, the Mother of God.
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On her Birthday, my mother cried on her knees at the beauty
of the two pieces I brought home for her. These gifts were a success!
The next day was the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, and it was on that day I told my mother there was a third picture at the antique store, but that while I knew it was Mary,
I was unsure of the scene and it's significance.
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Since my mother loved the first two images so much, she told me to go bring the other one home.​ After arriving back with this third piece of Sacred Art, my mother fell to her knees and sobbed even more than on her Birthday. It was shortly after this when I realized that this was truly a Holy Spirit Inspired gift.
For this image was depicting the
Assumption of Mary into Heaven and it was given to my mother on
the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.
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This was the beginning of my passion for finding, saving, and restoring Traditional Sacred Art.
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Sacred Art Led My Wife to the One True Faith
My passion for Sacred Art has significantly increased after meeting my wife, for it was through the display of Sacred Art that planted the first seeds of her conversion to the Catholic Church in 2021. After meeting in 2018, the Sacred Art displayed in my home became the start of many conversations about faith. Since my wife came from a non-denominational background, where images of Mary and the Saints are seen as "graven images,"
many of the first conversations were challenges.
For both of us, these challenges were a Blessing from God, for they caused myself to seek out explanations, which ultimately led to a stronger foundation, as well as caused my wife to see the Truth in the Eucharist. Once she saw this Truth, along with the many Eucharistic Miracles, my wife knew she had to become Catholic.
Since marrying in 2022, we continue to keep Sacred Art close to our hearts. For not only is it pleasing to God to put Him first in our home, but also because we will always cherish Sacred Art for its role in bringing us together, deepening our Faith, and giving us an opportunity to share these treasures.
Just as the Bible can collect dust if it is never used, so too, can Sacred Art become another piece of "decor" if it is not adored with the eyes of one who loves God. We highly recommend using Sacred Art for mental prayer, profound contemplation, Christian education, and evangelization! ​​​
Supporting Our Mission
We Prefer Heaven is dedicated to:
The Most Holy Trinity, Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Monica, St. Augustine, St. Paul, St. Michael,
St. Blaise, St. Padre Pio, St. Benedict, our Guardian Angels, as well as, our parents, children, family, and friends.
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If you, too, have a passion for the Sacred and desire to see more Sacred Art restored and made available, we would be eternally grateful for a donation or visiting our store and making a purchase!
At this time, we still have many more Antique Sacred Prints awaiting to be scanned, restored, and reproduced.
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Your donation or purchase will greatly assist us by maintaining the costs of this website, as well as speed up the process of adding more Traditional Catholic Products. Each piece of Sacred Art requires a particular type of scanner, hours to edit/restore, and multiple trial "test prints" to confirm final appearance.
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(Your Donation is NOT Tax Deductible)​​
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Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
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Paul & Alicia