John Henry Rosen decorated St. Luke's Church in Buffalo with wall paintings: the scene of the 'Annunciation' (Mary and the Archangel Gabriel) on both sides of the rainbow arch and the image of 'God the Father' (in the apse), as indicated by the dates next to the signatures, in the years 1955-1956.

St Luke's Church was part of the Polish parish in Buffalo, established in 1908. In 1993, following changes in the social, ethnic and demographic structures of the city, the large and prosperous parish (which included, in addition to the beautiful and spacious church, the convent buildings, the rectory and its own parochial school) was closed and its assets sold. On 1 August 1994, St. Luke's Mission of Mercy, a charity providing assistance to the needy of this part of the city, was established in the former parish buildings, now owned by the new owners. The church remains unchanged. There is no record of the history of the parish or the circumstances of Rosen's execution of the wall paintings in this church.

The paintings by Rosen which decorate the church are the figure of God the Father against a background of the starry firmament and angelic choirs in the apse above the main altar, and the scene of the 'Annunciation', depicted - traditionally - on both sides of the rainbow arch, on the wall separating the nave from the chancel: on the left is the image of Mary receiving the good news, and on the right is the Archangel Gabriel, depicted in the rich Byzantine garb of an ambassador. The figure of God the Father was probably inspired by Michelangelo's frescoes executed on the vault of the Sistine Chapel (the scene of the creation of the sun and the moon); Rosen repeated it in the stained glass 'Creation of the World' in the chapel of the Dominican Sisters in Anaheim (California), where, in addition to stained glass and mosaics, he also executed wall paintings.

It is possible that further paintings were planned, as the following statement by Fr Walerian Jasinski in a letter to Sr Mary Verona in Anaheim attests (Fr Jasinski's letter of 22 October 1957): "I have seen Mr. Rosen's very good wall paintings at St. Luke's Church in Buffalo. (The parish priest is terribly stupid for not letting Rosen paint the whole church)." ["I have seen the very good murals of Mr. De Rosen in St. Luke's church in Buffalo. (The pastor of the church is greatly embarassed for not having permitted Mr. de Rosen to paint the whole church!)"].