WHEN I WAS IN ITALY...

Well, you knew it was going to have to start that way, didn’t you? Although I will be back in the parishes by the time you read this, it is being written while I am still in Italy during the last weeks of my three-month extended study leave. These leaves are available to clergy once every ten years and are intended to be used for rest and relaxation, for retreat, and for study. Italy seemed the ideal place for me to combine these three aspects of a study leave, so I rented a small apartment in Florence for the entire period and have been using that as a base while I explore the religious and artistic riches of this country. UNESCO, the United Nations’ education branch, estimates that 60% of the important art in the world is in Italy. Although much has been transferred to museums over the centuries, much precious artwork remains in churches, both small and large.

My specific study project has been to look at paintings of God the Father to see where the image of the old man with the white beard sitting on a cloud originated, and what other alternatives might exist. It has been fascinating to wander around with this as a particular focus and therefore to see things that I might otherwise have overlooked. More about my search for “The Face of God” in the weeks and months to come, but there is a quick answer to the question of the old man with the white beard. During the Middle Ages, when God the Father was depicted in paintings, He was usually shown as a young man. This is clearest in paintings of the Holy Trinity when the Father is often shown as the same age as the Son. However, during the Renaissance, when Greek and Roman statues began to be rediscovered and the classical period became the rage, artists started using images taken from Zeus and Jupiter to portray our Christian God. The most memorable of these is undoubtedly Michelangelo’s fresco in the Sistine Chapel showing the finger of God stretched out to the finger of new humankind in “The Creation of Adam”. That image has persisted and become dominant ever since.

On Sundays, my worship base has been the English Church of St Mark’s. For those of you who know Florence, it is on Via Maggio, near the Pitti Palace and Ponte Vecchio. St Mark’s is in interregnum at the moment, and the supply priest kindly offered me the opportunity to help lead worship there, but I declined as it’s important for priests to experience what it’s like to be part of the congregation too. There have been many other opportunities to worship at other times as well, and I frequently would attend Mass in one of the many Catholic churches of the city. Two in particular stand out in my memory. One is La Badia, said to be one of the oldest churches in the city and now home to one of the newest religious communities. A group of young women and men gather together as the Community of Jerusalem to pray and worship in a beautiful form which combines both Catholic and Orthodox traditions of prayer and song. It is indeed a very holy feeling to attend one of their services. Another place that gives a special feeling is the Church of San Miniato on a hill overlooking Florence. Each day at 5.30 in the afternoon, the Benedictine Fathers there sing the service of Vespers in Latin. Centuries of tradition are transported into the present day in these special moments, and one feels touched by eternity.

My travels took me to Naples in the south, to Trieste in the northeast, and to Turin in the northwest. They also brought me to Assisi, which I chose as the place for my retreat. I stayed in the Convent of the Sisters of the Atonement, a gracious and welcoming place with glorious views out across the city and valley. This was my first trip to Assisi, and it is a wonderful place of beauty and peace, still dominated by the presence of St Francis. Although I had not planned it that way, my time in Assisi coincided with a special day of prayer when the Pope, Archbishop Rowan, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, and some 200 other world religious leaders gathered together to pray for the peace of the world. The power of this ecumenical moment in such a place was truly impressive.

Soon we will be back in the rush of the Advent and Christmas seasons. So many things to do. Sometimes too many. I hope that I can bring some of this peace back to you at a time when we all need it so much, as we all look forward to celebrating together the birth of the Prince of Peace.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

Your brother in Christ,

Ed

Contacts

Rector

Revd Edward W. Hanson

Hon. Asst. Priest

Canon Glyn Jones

Associate Priest

Revd Max (Steven) Blake