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An Episcopal church in San Francisco just commissioned some "iconography"

It's an 'icon' of ... Malcolm X, musicians John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald, dancer Martha Graham, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani, Sergius and Bacchus (4th century Roman soldiers and lovers), Charles Darwin, Margaret Mead, Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel, Muslim poets Rumi and Sadi, Confucian Kangxi (Chinese Emperor who reigned 1661-1772), Buddhist poet Su Shi, Hindu poet Mirabai, Shintoist Chiume Sugihara (the Japanese "Schindler"), and Greek pagan mathematician Hypatia.

All doing 'Liturgical Dance'

I think I'm going to be sick...


http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/004569.php

Sorry Scotus - I know this is not going to help you at this point - but better to get it over in one fell swoop.

Here is that CHurch's Site

http://www.saintgregorys.org/

and on the home page is an invitaion to go along for a day in April for this

Spirituality and Creativity: A Day to Deepen Creativity
with Friar Robert Lentz, OFM, Master Iconographer.

And after posting that - I'm ducking and running

Anhelyna

Okey Dokey

An Afro-Byzantine-Anglo Episcopalian theme.

They do seem to have a decent class on real icons scheduled.

The Prosopon School is running it, anyone familiar with them?

This worries me not a little. These are not the people you want to be standing next to in a thunderstorm.

SLAVA ISUSU CHRISTU!

Scotus, here's a link for the PROSOPON IKON SCHOOL.

www.prosoponschool.org [prosoponschool.org]

It's run by Vladislav Andreyev and his sons. They have done several Russian Orthodox churches in this country and are very well respected ikonographers in the Orthodox church.

Oh, BTW, Sergius and Bacchus are SAINTS in the Eastern Church, their feast day is October 7.

They were the patron saints of the military in Constantinople and in many parts of Asia Minor.

Hope this helps....

mark

My kids say they are just waiting for a lightening bolt

And someone needs to examine that iconographers head for blaspheming. These people aren't saints. He sould know better. The only true saint there was St. Thresa, oh my.

The "dancing saints" of Saint Gregory's are nothing new. They're been working on them for years. The quality of the iconography is great. I really like the style. But, from an Orthodox standpoint, the subject matter is flawed. However, we must keep in mind that this is not an Orthodox or Catholic church. It is Episcopalian. Therefore, our rules really don't apply. For this church, these are their saints. This fits in with their theology and ideology. We may not like it or think it is right and canonical, but it is outside of our jurisdiction.

I do have a soft spot for St. Seraphim of Sarov dancing with his bear, though. :p

Question: when did Robert Lentz become "Friar"?

Dave

SLAVA ISUSU CHRISTU!

Chtec wrote:"...I do have a soft spot for St. Seraphim of Sarov dancing with his bear..."

Dave, at St.Nicholas, the OCA Cathedral in Washington,DC, they have an ikon of St.Peter the Aleute and St.Herman of Alaska. There is a seal with them in the ikon. They always tell the kids to look for the seal. Lots of fun...

Oh, Pani Rose, there are a number of other saints in the "Dancing Ikon" as well, St. Moses the Black for one. You may want to look again...

the least servant of the servants....

mark

Saints Sergius and Bacchus are most definitely Saints, enjoying the full recognition and veneration of the Church, both East and West. They were Roman soldiers, martyred in what is now the Middle East, with tremendous suffering for Christ. The historic church of the Kievan Metropolitans in Rome is dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
Incognitus

Dear Friends,

Yes, Sts Sergius and Bacchus somehow have become patrons of the gay movement . . . But they are Saints in the East.

Also, Queen Liliuokalani is in the calendar of the Episcopal church along with her husband, King Kamehameha IV. When I was in Hawaii, I saw a religious medallion with their image depicted as saints.

John Coltrane joined an "African Orthodox Church" and was actually canonized as "Saint John Coltrane" - there are icons of him on the internet that I've seen.

That particular Episcopal church also brings in Ethiopian traditions, as well as Byzantine and Latin ones.

I wouldn't go to it, but they seem to have a wider appreciation for the Eastern Churches than other Western Christians.

Alex

Sadly, Incognitus, Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, while bravely martyred saints, do NOT deserve to have said about them the things Mr. Lentz says about them next to his ghastly "iconography" on his horrific website. Iconography has as its basis prayerful contemplation of its subject. I repeat: Do NOT stand too close in a thunderstorm, sir! I hope that "." is not too close to Mr. Lentz's Vermont studio.

I won't stand too close in a thunderstorm but, I would truly love to have the bell concession when the Shepherd seperates the "sheep" from the "goats"

mark

I have no idea what Mr. Lentz - or Friar Lentz - says about Saints Sergius and Bacchus, nor do I have much desire to find out. He was trained in iconography at Jordanville, and then branched out, so to speak. Twenty-five or thirty years ago he did some good icons, but then he seems to have plunged off the deep end - and I won't speculate just what he plunged into. Pity; it's a shame to lose a good iconographer to nonsense.
I once asked a friend in Syria whether there were any good iconographers in Damascus. His answer "well, we used to have an excellent iconographer here. Then, unfortunately, they made me a bishop, so that I have no time to paint."

Incognitus

Quite true. In fact, I think the official motto of the Episcopalian Church (especially these days) is:

"Rules??"

No, it is not an Orthodox or a Catholic Church. It is an Episcopal church, which these days is to say it is not a Christian Church at all.
I think I liked it better when liberals were iconoclasts!
And why is Mr Lentz using OFM after his name? Anyone have a clue?
I found this website some time ago when I was doing a search for Prosopon School, who do wonderful icons; perhaps they see teaching the tradition to be a seed of an antidote for the nonsense...