Father Edwin “Ed” Graves doesn’t mind using his creative talents to serve God, even when it includes dressing up as his alter ego — Elvis Priestly.
“I’ve always loved Elvis, so it’s fun for me. I grew up with Elvis, and he has such a youthful spirit that lifts me up. I put a spiritual spin on it,” he said.
It was when he learned to play the guitar in the 1970s that he hit the music scene. His prayer group lost their guitarist and he decided to learn how to play.
“When I could put down the chords for ‘Heartbreak Hotel,’ I was hooked,” he said.
After 19 years in the priesthood, Father Graves is retiring. It’s hard to leave his flock, he said, but he’ll still minister in anyway he can.
“This life has been a great blessing to me. I bring Christ’s love to others. I help draw people closer to God in love,” he said. “The heart of everything is to love others with all our being and love others with service. It’s been a great joy to me to do something that I have the desire to do,” he said. “I love to lead worship with my guitar. I hope to continue using music when I’m retired.”
He was born in Birmingham, Ala., to Clarence and Frances Graves on Jan. 2, 1941. They moved to Jacksonville, Fla., where he lived through high school. His family moved again to Memphis.
He became a diocesan priest in 1992, but his journey to the priesthood began years earlier when he became a monk after two years in college.
He was a Camaldolese monk in Big Sur, Calif., for five years. He began studying for the priesthood there, but the monastic life was too solitary for him. He made the difficult decision to leave.
He returned to finish art school and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He worked for a time as a commercial artist.
He again felt the pull to the religious life. After talking with vocations director Father Jon McDougal, he decided to become a priest after all.
“I always had a sense of vocation. I put God first and felt it was important to be involved,” he said. “When I talked to Father Jon McDougal, such a peace came over me. I knew it was the right decision.”
After his ordination on June 20, 1992, he served briefly as associate pastor at St. Theresa in Little Rock. From there he went to St. Louis Church in Camden and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Magnolia for two years. He served at St. Mary Church in Helena for eight years. In 2003 he moved to Wynne as pastor at St. Peter Church, and St. Mary Church in McCrory.
“I love being a priest. I love the people that I’ve served. The Eucharist is the center of everything with me. I feel the Lord gave me a father’s heart for the people, even though I’m drawn to solitary prayer,” he said.
When he became a priest, he didn’t leave his art behind. He’s continued to paint when he could and writes songs and poems.
“My art expresses my spirituality. You can’t separate the two,” he said. “When I study Scripture, write homilies, sometimes when I’m celebrating Mass, images will come to me so powerfully,” he said. “It helps me express awareness of God and that mystical experience of God.”
He recorded a CD in 2008, “The Minstrel — A Celebration of Praise,” which he sells. He donates the proceeds to a pro-life group. He also is about to publish a book of his poems, “A God Desperate to Be Loved,” illustrated with his artwork.
“I fell in love with poetry before I went into the monastery. It is the perfect expression of what you feel. I love imagery, being an artist, so it comes naturally to me. It’s something I feel led to do, to express myself through images.”
He’s active in the Catholic Charismatic movement, and has been since his younger days. He’s even serving as the master of ceremonies for the Arkansas Catholic Charismatic Conference July 29-31 in North Little Rock.
It proves that while he’s slowing down to retire, he said, he still plans on ministering and serving God’s people.
His sister lives in Memphis, so he plans to move there to live with her after he retires.
It won’t be the last Arkansas sees of him though, he said. He will continue to substitute for priests in the diocese and hopes to use his artistic talents to inspire others.
“It’s kind of bittersweet. I need to because of my health, but I really love the people that I serve,” he said. “Something positive is that I can concentrate on things that I really like to do. I’m not leaving for good either. I’ll still be around to help when I’m needed.”
