Perhaps some of the most difficult teachings of Christ concern how we respond to oppression. Cardinal Van Thuan In 1975, the communist forces of North Vietnam captured Saigon in the south and united the country under one communist rule. The communist authorities view Catholicism as the influence of a foreignContinue Reading
“An artist of humility and faith is absolutely a vehicle through which God can speak to His people.” Why We Celebrate I do not think the problem is that we forget why we celebrate Christmas… I think the problem is that we forget to remember… if that fails to makeContinue Reading
“He (God) searches for us not because He does not know where we are but because He seeks the most effective path for us to return” Corrie Ten Boom Corrie Ten Boom lived in Denmark during World War II. She and her family helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust.Continue Reading
“It was apparent failures like these that ended up converting the entire Roman Empire to Christianity.” There are times when, despite our best efforts, we fail. Even though we know that our ministry is desperately needed, we are sometimes rejected. Jesus told us to work hard. He told us thatContinue Reading
“The Apostles obey because it is Jesus who asks them.” G.K. Chesterton gives us a wonderful example of the freedom that comes with obedience to authority. “We might fancy some children playing on the flat grassy top of some tall island in the sea. So long as there was aContinue Reading
“the gift of artistic ability, … places those so gifted in a unique position to protect, and encourage and empower the people of God.” The First Shepherd Why do we refer to Peter as the first “Pope? When Jesus was arrested and taken before the Jewish leaders, Peter followed behindContinue Reading
“The nature of the Christian artist is to sacrifice” Made in the Image and Likeness of God There has been much discussion and spilled ink on the topic of what defines a “Christian Artist.” Artists themselves generally dislike the label for a number of reasons. First of all, in theContinue Reading
“What we do not understand, we fear. What we fear, we grow to hate. What we hate, we try to destroy.” The Beginning John Paul II began his papacy with the words “do not be afraid.” Throughout his time pope he continued to return to this theme. “Do not abandonContinue Reading
“As Catholics, we receive tradition, but we grow, and develop, and build upon it.” Lessons Learned How do we revive the Gothic form as a living artistic tradition? What should we do? What should we avoid? We can learn some lessons from the revival of the Iconographic form. The revivalContinue Reading
“Sacred art is not about depicting peoples and events as they actually looked” Naturalism vs Abstraction The underlying foundation of the Gothic form is the Iconographic. That is, the Gothic form builds on the Iconographic. The artists of the Medieval period worked in a visual language that was partly receivedContinue Reading