Gryphon Rampant

World Youth Day 2013 logo unveiled

Lawrence — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:12:17 +0000

The official logo for World Youth Day 2013 was unveiled last week:

Excitement surrounded the unveiling of the 2013 World Youth Day logo, which took place at an event hosted by Rio de Janeiro's Archbishop Orani João Tempesta.

A 25-year-old Brazilian man, Gustavo Huguenin, submitted the winning logo design in a contest held by organizers of the international Catholic gathering, which will take place July 23-28, 2013.

So what do you think of the logo? I'm not a fan of logo contest's myself but this seems to be in keeping with the style of past WYD logos.

My own contribution to the event is this retro-style travel poster

Rio-WYD 2013 ©Lawrence Klimecki

Which can be ordered through Zazzle

Enjoy!

Guardian of the Church, Protector of Priests, Terror of Demons

Lawrence — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:15:44 +0000

Guardian of the Church, Protector of Priests, Terror of Demons © Lawrence Klimecki

A sketch for a new commission, Saint Joseph, Guardian of the Church, Protector of Priests, Terror of Demons.

The First Native American Saint

Lawrence — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:40:25 +0000

Lily of the Mohawks © Lawrence Klimecki

The Church does not create saints, rather it follows a process that allows us to recognize certain individuals as holy and enjoying the Beatific Vision of God. "Blessed" is a step in that process that culminates in canonization.

The recent announcement that Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha will be formally "canonized," was understandably met with great joy in the Native American community. Click here to read the story.

Prints of this work are available here

Saint Sebastian

Lawrence — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:31:27 +0000

Saint Sebastian, private commission ©Lawrence Klimecki

Seeing the plight of the Christians persecuted under the emperor, Sebastian joined the Roman army that he might better offer the martyrs comfort and encouragement without raising suspicions. When the brothers, Marcus and Marcellianus, deacons of the Church, were arrested, Sebastian urged them to stay strong and hold fast to the faith. But spies and informers were everywhere, even in the emperor's Praetorian guard, and Sebastian was found out and accused of being a Christian.

Brought before Diocletian, Sebastian refused to renounce the faith and the emperorer ordered him delivered to the Mauritanian archers to be executed. Tied to a tree and shot through with arrows, he was left for dead but God preserved him and he was found by Irene who tended his wounds and nursed him back to health.

Rather than flee with his life Sebastian went to a place he knew that the emperor would pass close by. He confronted Diocletian and condemend his cruelty to Christians. Angered, the emperor ordered the sentence of death to be carried out immediately and the holy man was beaten to death with clubs.

Sebastian is remembered for his great faith and courage in the face of persecution. He is loved by many and is the patron of the Swiss Guards that protect the Holy Father.

Gifts and Talents

Lawrence — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:59:12 +0000

In the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30) three men receive large sums of money from their master who then departs on a long journey. When he returns he calls each of the men to give an account of their stewardship over his gifts to them. While two of the men have invested the money and can show a return on the investment, the third has done nothing, in fear of losing what his master had given him. And therein lies a lesson for us.

The Day of Salvation

Lawrence — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:21:39 +0000

A Blessed Advent and a Joyful Christmas to All

Lawrence — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:25:22 +0000

The Ignorance of Darkness

Lawrence — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:13:10 +0000

In today’s Gospel John the Baptizer tells us “there is one among you whom you do not recognize.” One verse before the beginning of today’s readings we hear “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Or as the Douay Rheims translation reads, “And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Meeting God in the Wilderness

Lawrence — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:29:43 +0000

“John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John is the herald, calling us to prepare the way for the Lord.

In the bible, the wilderness is the place where one encounters God. It is where Israel received the law when they left Egypt. It is also where Jesus fasted for 40 days before beginning His public ministry. Why the wilderness?

Time to Prepare

Lawrence — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:52:52 +0000

For many years now people have decried the commercialization of a Holy-Day. Each year the "Christmas music" seems to begin a little earlier. Each year the marketers seem a little more aggressive in their efforts to get shoppers to spend more money and buy more things. And each year the industry that has grown up around Christmas gets a little further out of touch with what is really going on.