Lawrence Klimecki is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual "hero's journey" that is part of every person's life.
“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
“His goal is to make us into the person He created us to be.” A Question of Trust It has been said that mankind has only ever had one problem; we want to be like God. Which is another way of saying we have trust issues. We do not trustContinue Reading
“A Christian always looks at the present and the future, not the past. We do not forget the past but use it as a guide for our future.” The Past Fools Us In the 2012 remake of the movie “Total Recall,” Douglas Quaid is fighting to recall who he trulyContinue Reading
“Embrace your authenticity. Be the person God meant for you to be with all your quirkiness and eccentricities.” Beauty vs Authenticity In his book “Blink,” Malcom Gladwell recounts the story of the “Getty Kouros.” In 1984 the J.Paul Getty museum unveiled its latest acquisition, a two thousand year old marbleContinue 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
“The Lord invites us to use our gifts and talents worthily and He will sustain our efforts by His grace.” Napoleon’s Mercy Napoleon Bonaparte is often portrayed as a violent man, a dictator alongside the likes of Hitler and Mussolini. But those who knew him, knew him to be aContinue 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
“Saint Lazarus the Painter believed that we do not live for the here and now, we live for the future. We are not content with what is, but struggle to achieve what should be and what will be.” Saint Lazarus the Painter Saint Lazarus the Painter was born in ArmeniaContinue Reading
“While we may no longer be an illiterate society, we are quickly becoming an aliterate one.” Teacher and Storyteller Artists can take on many roles. In the Middle Ages, artists working in the Gothic form often took on the roles of teachers and storytellers. There is perhaps no better exampleContinue Reading
“When we are tempted, the best course of action is often to stand up to it, recognize it for what it is, and stare it down.” Temptation How do we face temptation in our lives? From the Denver Post: “Like many sheep ranchers in the West, Lexy Fowler has triedContinue Reading