Clerics as the Clerisy

Over at First Thoughts:

Duncan Stroik writes in Crisis of the need for priests and seminarians to achieve literacy in art and architecture, expected as they are to play the role of curator of artistic beauty as often as they curate beauty in the liturgy. Renaissance priests, as it were, seem especially needed in an age when art and architecture less frequently contemplate beauty at all.

… priests are the caretakers of the Church’s artistic patrimony. Each pastor is ostensibly the curator of a small art gallery as well as the overseer of a physical plant which needs constant maintenance, repair, and additions. Then there are the lucky few, or perhaps not, who have the opportunity to build anew. Building a church is a grand undertaking which includes thousands of decisions from hiring the right architect to raising millions of dollars to critiquing the statue of the Blessed Virgin to deciding whether the door hardware should be bronze or polished brass. And it all has to be done in addition to the full time job of running the parish.

Given that many pastors have to be shepherd, curator, head of the physical plant, chairman of the music and education programs, and chief development officer, does it make sense that they should have some training in art and architecture?

Adolf Hitler Praying Statue

Causes controversy. The Telegraph:

 

A statue of Adolf Hitler praying on his knees is on display in the former Warsaw Ghetto, the place where so many Jews were killed or sent to their deaths by the Nazis, provoking mixed reactions…

You can find more here.

It does seem rather inappropriate. However,

Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said he was consulted on the installation’s placement ahead of time and did not oppose it because he saw value in the artist’s attempt to try to raise moral questions by provoking viewers.

He said he was reassured by curators who told him there was no intention of rehabilitating Hitler but rather of showing that evil can present itself in the guise of a “sweet praying child.”

 

Blasphemy Alert!

What are they thinking?!

A painting featuring President Barack Obama in a Christ-like pose is getting poor reviews from some religious authorities, Fox News Radio reports.

The painting by New York-based artist by Michael D’Antuono is titled “The Truth” and features Obama with a crown of thorns on his head, in a position that is reminiscent of the crucifixion.

Currently on display at Boston’s Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery…

Rest here.

 

 

Very Rev Harry Entwistle: Coats of Arms

Church heraldist Fr Guy Selvester:

Above we see the coat of arms of the Very Rev. Harry Entwistle, recently appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia for former Anglicans who are now coming into union with the Roman Catholic Church.

These coats of arms were designed by Richard d’Apice of the Australian heraldry Society in consultation with me and rendered by Sandy Turnbull also of the Australian Heraldry Society.

The top image shows the personal arms of Fr. Entwistle which are composed of a hand grasping a fleur de lis taken from a personal crest of a family with the same name and from the same part of England and, on a red chief the cross of St. Chad because he attended St. Chad’s College in Durham for his formation. This is ensigned with a crozier as an indication of his rank as Ordinary of the jurisdiction. In fact, he will also be granted the use of pontifical insignia despite not being promoted to the rank of bishop in the Catholic Church. Just as Abbot’s also ensign their coats of arms with a veiled crozier as a sign of their jurisdiction as Ordinary of the their monastery so here we have employed the same symbol but without the sudarium (veil) attached as this is primarily a monastic symbol and would erroneously give the arms the appearance of those of an abbot. In addition, at the moment Fr. Entwistle, although empowered to exercise Ordinary jurisdiction still holds the rank of simple priest.

Following the precedent of the coats of arms of Vicars General and Episcopal in the Catholic Church who also exercise Ordinary jurisdiction but may not possess any rank higher than simple priest the arms are decorated with a black galero that has black cords and 12 tassels. As in the case of Vicars General and Episcopal who constitute a kind of “black prothonotary” by virtue of their jurisdiction the hat is black as befits a priests but has 12 tassels like other prelates. This is also the same kind of galero used by abbots as well.

The bottom image shows the arms of Fr. Entwistle impaled (i.e. joined together on one shield) with those of the Ordinariate (also designed by the same team mentioned above).

In the case of the other two Personal Ordinariates for former Anglicans in the world, The Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham for the UK and the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for the USA, the Ordinary was promoted to the rank of Prothonotary Apostolic (i.e. the highest level of prelate addressed as “Reverend Monsignor”) shortly after being named Ordinary. If this happens for Fr. Entwistle then the galero would then be purple and the cords and 12 tassels red. The motto ”Par ce signe” (in French) is a dual allusion to the Entwistle family motto and the (St. Chad’s) cross as representative of the symbol which appeared to Constantine in the sky just before the Battle of Milvian Bridge against Maxentius on 28 October 312 and “in hoc signo” from the legend.

 

Iconic Icon Supplements: The Symbols of Icons

Θησαυρος της εκκλησιας  (Treasures of the Church):

One of the biggest difficulties Western Christians have in appreciating icons is a lack of understanding.  I have previously discussed some of the theology behind iconography, but in this post I will discuss another big difficulty: the symbolism of iconography.  Even if one can understand the theology of the icon and why one should venerate it, it is still difficult to venerate something that seems to be such a strange mess of non-understood symbols.  This post will hopefully clear up some of that difficulty so that others can better understand icons and venerate them more worthily…

Read on here.

And from the conclusion:

I hope this post has been interesting reading, and I hope that it assists you in better understanding iconography and thus better venerating the holy images.  I am sorry for any mistakes or misinformation in this post.  Thank you for reading, and God Bless.

St. Luke, Iconographer of the Theotokos, pray for us!

Arms for Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross

Fr Selvester writes:

Today the pope erected the Anglican Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross for Australia and named Fr. Harry Entwistle as first Ordinary.

The Ordinariate already has a coat of arms. It was designed and executed in anticipation of this announcement.  I was happy to act as consultant on the design of this new corporate coat of arms. The artwork is by Sandy Turnbull.

Mea Gloria Fides… The Faith is My Glory.

 

Thomas Kinkade Dead

Thomas Kinkade. The ‘Painter of Light’ has died. The LA Times:

California artist Thomas Kinkade, the “Painter of Light” whose brushwork paintings of idyllic landscapes, cottages and churches were big sellers for dealers across the country, died Friday, a family spokesman said.

Kinkade, 54, died at his home in Los Gatos in the Bay Area of what appeared to be natural causes, David Satterfield said.

Kinkade’s sentimental paintings — with their cottages, country gardens and churches in dewy morning light — were beloved by middle-class America but generally dismissed by the art establishment.

The paintings typically depict tranquil scenes with lush landscaping and streams running nearby. Many contain images from Bible passages.

Kinkade labeled himself as the nation’s most collected living artist. His paintings and spin-off products bring in about $100 million a year in sales, and are said to be in 10 million homes in the United States.

He grew up in a trailer in Placerville, Calif., the town he often rendered in his art as an idyllic community of friendly citizens. After hitting upon the formula for inspirational landscapes and village scenes, he and his wife put their modest savings into publishing the first reproductions of his paintings in 1984. They sold 1,000 copies for $35 each and never looked back.

“I’m a warrior for light,” he told the San Jose Mercury News in 2002, in reference to his technical skills but also the medieval practice of using light to symbolize the divine. “With whatever talent and resources I have, I’m trying to bring light to penetrate the darkness many people feel.”

Before Kinkade’s Media Arts Group went private in the middle of the last decade, the company took in $32 million per quarter from 4,500 dealers across the country, according to the Mercury News. The cost of his paintings ranges from hundreds of dollars to more than $10,000.

“Thom provided a wonderful life for his family,” his wife, Nanette, said in a statement. “We are shocked and saddened by his death.”

This is what of his work looked like:

RIP

 

Israel Moved by Christian Art

Go back and visit the holy places.” This is the appeal of the teachers of Tel Aviv University during a conference on the beauty of Christian art in the Holy Land. Present among the speakers, for the first time, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

 

A Picture to Meditate On

Just take a few moments and meditate on this picture.  With all the overwhelming evil in our world right now, do not forget that God’s Almighty Hand is still in control.  He could have called down ten thousand angels, but He submitted to the will of His Father.  His Son bore our transgressions to the cross so that we might be raised to new life.  He’s still in control in the midst of this apparent domination of evil.  Even so, Lord Jesus, come!

Source

 

The Christmas Story in Sand

Here’s a preview: