The Saint and the Painter

On the first day of the two-day CACS Spirituality Summit at Boars Hill Friary on Friday, Dr Stephen Costello from Ireland spoke eloquently about Salvador Dali (1904-1989), the eccentric painter whose portrayal of the crucifixion inspired by a drawing by St John of the Cross adorns the front of our OCDS leaflet.  Dali’s father was an aggressive atheist, and the painter initially followed his example.  It was the behaviour of the anti-Franco troops during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) that turned him to God, for they tortured his sister.  His style of painting changed, and a crucial moment was his encounter with Fr Bruno de Jesus-Marie OCD (1892-1962), who seems to have played an important role in his discovery of faith.  Fr Bruno was a prolific author and a pioneer in the field of religious psychology.  ‘In 1948, Dalí went to the Monastery of the Incarnation on a pilgrimage, apparently to make a film about St. Teresa. There, he found a small but powerful work: a drawing of Christ on the cross by another Castilian saint, John of the Cross, in the hallowed halls where St. Teresa’s vocation blossomed.  Dalí was deeply affected by this unusual drawing of Christ from an aerial perspective. Art historians and Dalí’s biographers agree when saying the saint’s drawing provoked an important shift in his artwork.’ [Courtesy of Aleteia website]

Intercessions

RIP Mervyn Leach, father of two Secular Carmelites; Daranee Teapthong

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Fr Jon Bielowski (Plymouth Diocese), Catherine, Alex (43 with five children), Theresa K

Sophie – newborn having heart surgery; Sianna, young child in the post-operative phase; James, recovering from heart surgery

Ivy – sick child

Brian (recovering from Pneumonia)

Kevin (heart attack)

William Gove (recovering from stroke)

Illness:  Katy Keeling

Siena, Elara – sick children

David OCDS – housebound

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Mark – brain infection

Michael, Kira – vulnerable youngsters

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

We are asked to pray for the Diocese of Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand, as the Northern Mission celebrates its centenary. The process of selecting a new bishop continues.