Tuesdays and A Tree Coming to Life

I haven’t carried my camera lately on Tuedays, so haven’t captured the progress on the Tree of Life.  Last evening I slipped into the St. Anne’s room to snap these shots.  One shows the warp and weft of a net…the litany of Saints that I began on All Saint’s Day.  By now, I’ve almost included 1,000 names of holy men and women…I like the sense that given a fall, their prayers would ‘capture’ us…lift us up…support us.  Another photo aims toward the upper left hand corner…I’ve been climbing the ladder again and developing the piece with ongoing layers.

Tuesday: Painting the Resurrection Tree

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Last Tuesday, I got as far as  Saint Juan Diego on my list of Roman Catholic Saints.  According to the traditional account, the original image of Our lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared on the cloak of Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City on December 12, 1531.  Apparently there are over 10,000 Roman Catholic Saints and a longer list for the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Communions.  I have successfully written 510 saint’s names on the painting, The Resurrection Tree.

510 Saints

 

The final Saint’s name was Zygmunt Gorazdowski.  I found a brief write-up on this blog and really have enjoyed reading some articles on The Black Cordelias’ wordpress as they share a many-faceted perspective on the Catholic Religion, along with good humour and extensive research.  God really DOES have to have a sense of humour!  I know that on the wall there are three spelling errors and also the incorporation of three Eastern Orthodox Saints…I dare anyone to find these! :0)

All Saints’ Day

In the afternoon, I went to work on the Tree of Life/Resurrection Tree, having decided to apply the names of the Saints listed in my resource.  I got as far as page 15 of 25 pages and then my fingers, hand and shoulder were too sore to continue.  I will finish the application of these names next Tuesday, beginning with Juan Diego who died in 1548.

Saints' Names A-J

I’m including here a complete write-up from this website.  I want to make certain that my information is correct here.

Solemnity celebrated on the first of November. It is instituted to honour all the saints, known and unknown, and, according to Urban IV, to supply any deficiencies in the faithful’s celebration of saints’ feastsduring the year.

In the early days the Christians were accustomed to solemnize the anniversary of a martyr’s death for Christ at the place of martyrdom. In the fourth century, neighbouring dioceses began to interchange feasts, to transfer relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast; as is shown by the invitation of St. Basil of Caesarea (397) to the bishops of the province of Pontus. Frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration. In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all. The first trace of this we find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. We also find mention of a common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373), and in the 74th homily of St. John Chrysostom (407). At first only martyrs and St. John the Baptist were honoured by a special day. Other saints were added gradually, and increased in number when a regular process of canonization was established; still, as early as 411 there is in the Chaldean Calendar a “Commemoratio Confessorum” for the Friday after Easter. In the West Boniface IV, 13 May, 609, or 610, consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs, ordering an anniversary. Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and fixed the anniversary for 1 November. A basilica of the Apostles already existed in Rome, and its dedication was annually remembered on 1 May. Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration on 1 November to the entire Church. The vigil seems to have been held as early as the feast itself. The octave was added by Sixtus IV (1471-84). ”

The Sun Sets Early Now

Light on Wall