An Artist Shaped by Faith: The Story of John Femi Akinlabi

For John Femi Akinlabi, the creator behind the sacred art brand Mary’s Line, faith is not a passive Sunday obligation, it is a lifelong journey of service, craftsmanship, and deep devotion to family.

 A Foundation Built on Service and Family

Growing up as one of nine children born to devout Catholic parents, John’s formative years were heavily anchored in the rich soil of family life and community service. His father, a sailor whose career took the family across the globe, including a period in the United Kingdom where John was baptised, insisted that simply attending Sunday Mass was not enough. He challenged his children to join sodalities and actively serve.

“I remember that some weekends we would go and clean the church,” John recalls. “As a child, I didn’t always understand why we were doing it… But looking back now, I understand that my parents were teaching us something important: we are called to serve.”

Beyond service, John’s childhood was rich in spiritual formation. His father filled their home with a small library of books, and his parents exposed the children to Christian films, stories of the saints, and moral documentaries. Though he was not an avid reader in his youth, John’s perspective shifted dramatically in his late teens and early twenties when he picked up St Augustine’s City of God. The text opened his eyes to the intellectual depth of Catholicism, showing him that faith could be explored, understood, and defended. This sparked a deeper reading habit, including classics like The Imitation of Christ, anchoring a faith that continues to grow today.

Windows into Heaven

While John’s early creative expressions were rooted in the music industry, a month-long consecration to St. Joseph fundamentally altered his artistic path. Following the consecration, he felt a powerful pull toward craftsmanship, woodwork, and working with his hands. This inspired the birth of Mary’s Line, a brand dedicated to creating sacramentals and sacred art.   

John’s Spiritual Inspirations             

St. Augustine – Provided the intellectual  foundation for his faith  
St. Francis of Assisi – Witnessed that God matters more than worldly wealth
St. Pope John Paul II – Served as a living icon of courage for his generation
His Father – The primary earthly anchor of his Catholic commitment 

For John, choosing sacred art over secular art was a matter of higher purpose. While he acknowledges that painting nature or animals honours God’s creation, he finds a unique nobility in crafting religious pieces.

“There is something particularly meaningful about creating an image of Christ or an icon of Our Lady that can help someone pray,” John explains. “Sacred art can become a window into heaven, a visual aid that helps people enter more deeply into prayer and devotion.” Navigating the Modern Church

When looking at the state of the Church today, John sees a landscape that requires immense prudence, fortitude, and a delicate balance of truth and compassion. Acknowledging that the Church is a place for sinners, he emphasises the need to remain firm in Christ’s moral teachings, particularly regarding complex contemporary questions around sexuality, while never compromising on mercy.

“Christ Himself ate and drank with sinners and tax collectors, but that didn’t mean He compromised the truth,” John notes, urging the faithful to pray that Church leaders resist the urge to simply follow cultural trends. “The Church should be a light for the world, rather than simply allowing the world to determine what the Church should believe.”

A Message for the Next Generation

As a dedicated family man himself, John offers a powerful, timeless message to young people navigating an increasingly anxious world. Confronted with modern anxieties about careers, housing, and financial stability, John points them back to the unchanging nature of God.

He challenges young Catholics to tune out the noise of secular expectations and instead ask one foundational question: “Lord, who do You want me to be?”

“Rather than allowing the world to tell you what you should become, ask God what He created you to be and have the courage to follow that calling,” John advises. “Don’t be afraid of tomorrow. Trust that God will provide and that He will lead you where He wants you to go.”

John Akinlabi is based in Midrand and sells his work at https://www.marysline.com/