Fashion OR Faux pas?

Dolce & Gabbana released their Autumn/Winter 2013 line at the recent Milan Fashion Week, among other big name designers, such as Emporio Armani & Jil Sander.
























According to InStyle.Co.UK's coverage (read the full article HERE) of the show: "Dolce & Gabbana added a bit of spice to proceedings with a Byzantium meets Vatican theme played out to the sounds of The Spice Girls. With mosaic vistas appearing in intricately appliquéd golden gowns or printed on shrug-on jersey column dresses, we’ve no doubt Hollywood’s finest would have worn it straight of the catwalk."

Be sure to check the tag of your bishop or priest's vestments next Sunday; look for this symbol (view above):




Both for the Women's & Men's line, Dolce & Gabbana added a religious theme with images of Byzantine Orthodox icons/frescos, Catholic statues of the Virgin Mary, ornate Orthodox crosses, and imperial crowns.

From their own press release for the new collection:

"Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana were inspired by the mosaic of Monreale for this collection. The city of Monreale started to become important around the XI century with the arrival of the Normans in Sicily. The Cathedral of Monreale, consecrated to Santa Maria Nuova, was built between 1172 and 1185 under the commission of the Norman King William II of Altavilla, together with the archiepiscopal Palace and its beautiful cloister. Two of these mosaics represent William II crowned by Christ and William II who offers the church to the Virgin. Local artists and experts from Byzantium and Venice were called in to realize those striking works of art. Dolce & Gabbana made use of the abilities of artisans of the highest level to create mosaics on shoes, dresses, jewels and bags. As the art of mosaic-making is a slow and precise one, achieved by placing single piece next to the other, at the same time tailoring is made by single stitch after single stitch."

Below are a few examples from the collection; to view the entire collection (and I suggest you do so), visit HERE and HERE:

















- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Angelic Participation

If you think that only we humans participate in the Divine Liturgy, think again? The heavenly hosts stand in attendance at the Throne of God, participating in the Divine Liturgy.

During the Anaphora of the Divine Liturgy, the priest prays quietly the following:

It is meet and right to hymn Thee, to bless Thee, to praise Thee, to give thanks unto Thee, and to worship Thee in every place of Thy dominion...And we give thanks unto Thee also for this ministry which Thou dost vouchsafe to receive at our hands, even though there stand beside Thee thousands of Archangels, and ten thousand of Angels, the Cherubim and the Seraphim, six-winged, many-eyed, soaring aloft, borne on their wings.

Then the priest aloud chants: Singing the Triumphal Hymn, shouting, proclaiming, and saying.

As the choir responds: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

We join the chorus in the angelic hymn, which the angels sing, who ceaseless attend to God on High.

The angels also have a Feastday in the Life of the Church (November 8), which is the reason for this latest blogpost. Enjoy reading more about the angels, as well as viewing icons which represent angelic participation (if ya can recall from Holy Scriptures the references to angels being present).

The Synaxis of the Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Archangel Michael and the Other Heavenly Bodiless Powers: Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel was established at the beginning of the fourth century at the Council of Laodicea, which met several years before the First Ecumenical Council. The 35th Canon of the Council of Laodicea condemned and denounced as heretical the worship of angels as gods and rulers of the world, but affirmed their proper veneration.

Synaxis of the Holy Heavenly Hosts

A Feastday (November 8th) was established in November, the ninth month after March (with which the year began in ancient times) since there are Nine Ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month was chosen for the Synaxis of all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven since the Day of the Dread Last Judgment is called the Eighth Day by the Holy Fathers of the Church. After the end of this age (characterized by its seven days of Creation) will come the Eighth Day, and then "the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him" (Mt. 25:31).

Feast of the Ascension of
our Lord (notice the angels)

Myrrh-bearing Women at the Tomb
(notice the angel)

The Angelic Ranks are divided into three Hierarchies: highest, middle, and lowest.

The Highest Hierarchy includes the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones; the Middle Angelic Hierarchy includes Dominions, Powers, and Authorities; the Lowest Hierarchy includes Principalities, Archangels, and Angels:

ARCHANGELS (1 Thess 4:16) are messengers of great and wondrous tidings. They reveal prophecies and the mysteries of the faith. They enlighten people to know and understand the will of God, they spread faith in God among the people, illuminating their minds with the light of the Holy Gospel.

ANGELS (1 Pet 3:22) are in the lowest rank of the heavenly hierarchy, and closest to people. They reveal the lesser mysteries of God and His intentions, guiding people to virtuous and holy life. They support those who remain steadfast, and they raise up the fallen. They never abandon us and they are always prepared to help us, if we desire it.

Feast of the Nativity of
our Lord (notice the angels)



Feast of the Baptism of our Lord
(notice the angels)

For a simply amazing description of angelic depictions in Orthodox iconography, please take time and read this article HERE.

My home parish in Louisville, Kentucky is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. I was baptized, grew up serving as an altar boy, participated in Church School and Teen SOYO, read and chanted at St. Michael's. It is truly a blessed parish community, known as one of the largest Pan-Orthodox communities in North America.

Feastday information taken from OCA Feasts & Saints.

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director

Fun Facts: Orthodox Christian Icons

Orthodox "Fun" Facts, if you will: explaining certain aspects of Orthodox iconography. Icons depict people and events of Christian history.

As a Youth Director, I find myself often using Orthodox icons as a main focus when teaching.  Examples include our Church School/Sunday School lessons for our High School Juniors and Seniors, Family Night Program Teen Discussion Series, JOY Club activities, and OCF & YAM lessons.

I usually prepare hand-outs with a printed copy of an Orthodox icon, whether it be a lesson on a Feast in the Life of the Church, Life of an Orthodox Saint, or parables and events during the Life of Christ and His Ministry.  While the use of an icon is proposed as one aspect of the lesson; it seems to take on a life of its own when I'm teaching.  During our Church School lessons, the teens main questions or comments relate to the icon shown in class or on our hand-outs.

One such lesson dealt with the Great Feast of Theophany (Baptism of our Lord).  I was holding an icon of Theophany and one of my teens asked "who/what are the figures at the bottom in the water under Jesus?"  Turning the icon in my hand for a better look, I had a genius moment thinking to myself: I HAVE NO IDEA!

Theophany of our Lord

I decided to do some research and found out that in the bottom of most Theophany Icons, little creatures appear to be fleeing from the feet of Christ. This is a reflection of the words of the Psalmist regarding the Messiah (Christ): "the sea saw and fled, the Jordan turned back" (Psalm 114:3).

The Icon of the Nativity of our Lord:

Nativity of our Lord

In this icon is depicted St. Joseph the Betrothed conversing with an "old man" in the bottom left corner.  This old man represents the devil and his attempt at confusing and tempting Joseph of this great miracle, the birth of the Son of God.  He is beset with new doubts regarding this birth, and these doubts are delivered to him by satan in the form of an old man, as recorded in the Protoevangelium. The devil suggests that if the infant were truly divine He would not have been born in the human way.

The Icon of Ascension:

Ascension of our Lord

In this icon depicting the Ascension of our Lord (40 days after His glorious Resurrection), our Lord was taking into Heaven. As the Acts of the Apostles tell us, "...He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, Who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven."

This icon is truly a "double icon" meaning that it depicts two events: the Ascension and also the Second & Glorious Coming of our Lord. Our clue to this meaning is the fact that one man who is depicted was not actually present at the Ascension. In the lower right, up front of the icon is the Apostle Paul (dressed in blue and red next to the Theotokos). We know from Scriptures that St Paul was not part of Jesus' following during His earthly ministry, but converted later on in the Early Church.

Icons of Martyr Saints:

St Barbara

St Catherine

St Edward

Saints who have been martyred are usually depicted holding a cross in their hand to symbolize and relate their

strong defense of their Faith even in the face of death.

- A Day in the Life of the Youth Director