Tag: Roman Catholicism

Catechetics, Catholicism, Good Friday, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Shroud of Turin, Unclassified1 Comment

Waldemar Januszczak Is Wrong About the Shroud of Turin

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

The other night I watched the popular, opinionated, and entertaining BBC art historian Waldemar Januszczak discuss Medieval and Renaissance art. Over the years he has presented many shows on various artists and artistic movements. His programs, while informative, are distinctly opinionated. That’s fine, there is no law saying that you can’t present your own opinions (the exception, of course, being social media). In one of his shows Mr. Januszczak briefly mentioned the Shroud of Turin. He said that the Shroud is a fake, a forgery, a bogus remnant of Medieval skullduggery. Yet, based on over fifty years of scientific research one … Continue reading Waldemar Januszczak Is Wrong About the Shroud of Turin

Art, Art Lesson Plan, Catechesis, Catechetics, Catholic, Catholic Education, Naive Art, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Paul, St. Peter2 Comments

Catechesis and Naive Sacred Art: St. Peter – A Lesson Plan

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

One of my goals in painting the above image of St. Peter was to provide a catechist/observer with seven focus ideas within one image. This sacred image also presents some of the life events of the “Rock” on which Jesus Christ built His Church. I have painted this image with the approach of the Naive/Folk Art genre or “school.” I will discuss the Naive/Folk art approach in my next post. Below are my seven fundamental ideas that can be used as a lesson plan(s) for the above image: The image is based on Christ’s words and Peter’s actions within the New … Continue reading Catechesis and Naive Sacred Art: St. Peter – A Lesson Plan

Art, Catholic Art, Catholicism, Christianity, Culture, Easter, Good Friday, Gospel Reflections, Gospel Teachings, Gospels of Jesus Christ, Holy Saturday, Holy Triduum, Holy Triduum, The Holy Triduum, Jerusalem, The Way of the Cross, Iconography, Icons, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Religion, Religious Art, Religious Education, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Sacred Iconography, Sacred ImagesLeave a comment

Holy Triduum: A Video Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

This is a magnificent 30 minute overview of the places in Jerusalem in which Our Lord spent His last hours.  Please share with your families and others who would benefit from it. It is beautifully presented without the poor production values of other similar attempts.  This production was filmed, edited, and narrated by members of the Augustine Institute in Colorado.. Thanks. May you and your loved ones be blessed by Our Lord Jesus Christ and have a Holy and Blessed Easter season. https://watch.formed.org/holy-thursday/videos/triduum Continue reading Holy Triduum: A Video Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

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Good Friday/Easter 2021: Christ’s Embrace

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Jesus Christ Our Lord and Redeemer silently hangs in agony on the Cross. His bloody arms stretched wide as if to embrace us. We safely stand at a distance. We are mute and deafened by sounds that intensify our cowardice. Death arrives and it is over. Jesus is quietly carried away and buried. Days pass, filled with doubts we walk along a path and suddenly see Someone. Jesus. We draw back, stopped by the sight of the pierced hands of the One we know and love. We are hesitant, but the sound of His voice propels us toward Him. He … Continue reading Good Friday/Easter 2021: Christ’s Embrace

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St. Francis of Assisi: A “Nice” Man or a Soldier of Christ?

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

What is the man-in-the-street’s perception of  St. Francis of Assisi? Is it one  that is only shaped by the art that portrays him as soft and sweet, as just the saint of ecology and cuddly animals? Is he a man to be taken seriously only because of his love for nature? A “nice” non-threatening man willing to compromise and make everyone laugh and feel good? Was St. Francis non-threatening? He never physically or psychologically threatened anyone. Yet, he did confront people with his profound belief and commitment to the Gospel message. He was as non-threatening as Jesus casting out demons, … Continue reading St. Francis of Assisi: A “Nice” Man or a Soldier of Christ?

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St. Lawrence – Deacon and Martyr

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Lawrence, a deacon and third century martyr. St. Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of Rome who served as the Pope’s ministers during Holy Mass and as his administrators to the people of Rome. There is little historical evidence remaining on St. Lawrence. His Acts had been lost by the time of St. Augustine in the 4th century, yet, Pope St. Leo the Great and St. Augustine wrote about him and his martyrdom. The tradition of the Church states that he was a native of northern Spain and was ordained by Pope St. Sixtus … Continue reading St. Lawrence – Deacon and Martyr

Bible, Blessed Mother, Brown Scapular, Carmelites, Catholic Art, Catholic Devotions, Christian Faith, Christianity, Church History, Mary, Mary - Our Blessed Mother, Mt. Carmel, Roman Catholic, Sacred Images, Scriptures, St. Simon Stock, Virgin MaryLeave a comment

Elijah, Pagans, and Our Lady of Mt Carmel

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

 Sacred Scripture has always celebrated the beauty and significance of the mountain in Israel called Carmel. It is significant for two reasons: In a dramatic contest with the priests of the pagan god Baal, Elijah fought the false gods of King Ahab and  Queen Jezebel of Israel; a king and queen who were dramatically attempting to turn the Israelites away from the belief of monotheism to polytheism. It is believed that the base of the mountain is where the Hebrew prophet Elijah prayed, contemplated God, defeated the priests of Baal, and  defended the purity of Israel’s faith (confer 1 Kgs 18:17–46). … Continue reading Elijah, Pagans, and Our Lady of Mt Carmel

Art, Catholic Education, Catholicism, Christian Faith, Christianity, Fra Angelico, Hades, Holy s, Holy Saturday, Orthodox Christianity, Purgatory, Religious Art, Religious Education, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Uncategorized

Holy Saturday/Easter 2020

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today, Holy Saturday, is observed by the Western and Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, and other denominations as the Anastasis (Greek, “resurrection”), or the Harrowing of Hell by Jesus Christ. In this harrowing, Christ’s purpose was to free the righteous people of the Old and New Testaments from their inability to enter Heaven. This occurred because of their death prior to the passion and death of Jesus. His Redemptive acts freed them from what Roman Catholics would call Purgatory and the Eastern Rites and some Protestant denominations would call Hades. There are over fifteen verses and references found in … Continue reading Holy Saturday/Easter 2020

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Good Friday 2020

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Father, by the merits of your Son’s passion, death, and resurrection  hear us in our troubles and fears. Strengthen us against anxiety and illness. This day allow us to join Jesus’ suffering with ours. Please have mercy on the souls of those who, from this current pandemic, pass into eternal life. Thank you Lord, for Your Son’s sacrifice, love, and mercy. “It was about nine in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the Cross. From noon until three o’clock there was darkness over the whole world. At three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice: ‘Father, into Thy hands I commend … Continue reading Good Friday 2020

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Virgin Mary: Trust and Obedience in the Lord

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

On this solemnity of the Annunciation, March 25th, we remember St. Luke’s account of the Annunciation: “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.” “And when the angel had come to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.” When she had heard him she was troubled at his word and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be. … Continue reading Virgin Mary: Trust and Obedience in the Lord

Baptism, Catholic, Catholic Education, Catholic Spirituality, Catholicism, Christian Spirituality, Christianity, Church History, Council of Nicaea, Culture, discipleship, Education, Evangelization, Gospel Reflections, Gospels of Jesus Christ, Grace, Idolatry, Jesus Christ, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, Pagans, Religion, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Scriptures, Teaching, Uncategorized4 Comments

Do Pagans Go To Heaven or Hell?

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

by Deacon Paul O. Iacono, Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island USA The author of the interesting and challenging blog site on sacred art and its analysis called Catchlight sent me two questions yesterday. They related to my last post which was entitled Fatima Messages, Pagans in the Vatican, and the End Times. “Paul, your protestations begs the question, do pagans go to Heaven? If so, why? If not, why not?”      from Bernard Gallagher These are excellent questions. Before I attempt to answer them my readers should understand that I am a committed and Traditional Roman Catholic. His questions will be answered … Continue reading Do Pagans Go To Heaven or Hell?

Art, Art Education, Artists, Beauty, Beauty built on Gospel Values, Catholic Art, Catholic Devotions, Catholic Education, Catholic Spirituality, Catholicism, Christianity, Education, Evangelization, Faith, New Evangelization, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, painting, Religion, Religious Art, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholic Beliefs, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Sacred Images, Saints, Spirituality, St. Rose of Lima, UncategorizedLeave a comment

St. Joseph’s Art Workshop: Lesson 4 – Applying Color and Modeling the Face

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Just wanted to notify the people who are following the art lessons in my St. Joseph Art Workshop tab that I just published Lesson 4: Applying Color and Modeling the Face. You need to go to the Menu tab above and click on Lesson 4 to see it. My next post in the St. Joseph’s Art Workshop tab will be Lesson 5. It will be the last post in my Art Exercise of Painting Sacred Images using Acrylic Paint.  Thanks.   Continue reading St. Joseph’s Art Workshop: Lesson 4 – Applying Color and Modeling the Face