St Veronica and the Holy Face of Jesus

14th century fresco, Perugia, Italy

St. Veronica, Andre Durand
Christ Carrying the Cross and Veronica with the Sudarium, Derick Baegert
St. Veronica, MASTER of Flémalle

The Procession to Calvary, Jacopo Basano

Icon of St. Veronica

03 February St Blaise Day

St Mary Magdalene and St Blasius (Vlaho), Tizian

Fourteen Holy Helpers (includes St. Blaise), Predella of the St. Barbara Altarpiece, Barbara Chapel, St Catherine Church, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, Master Paul of Lõcse

Saint Blaise, pray for us that we may not suffer from illnesses of the throat and pray that all who are suffering be healed by God's love.

St. Blaise, known as Sveti Vlaho- from the Dominican priory church in Dubrovnik
Icon of St. Blaise- Atelier d'iconographie Sainte Anne, SAINT-DOLAY
FRANCE

St. Blaise is the patron of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Enjoy these works of art created by natives of Dubrovnik.

Acrylic on Canvas- by Tonko Smokvina

Romana Milutin Fabris

Candlemas

Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord,
In peace, according to Thy word:
For mine own eyes hath seen Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared in the sight of all the peoples,
A light to reveal Thee to the nations
And the glory of Thy people Israel.

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Giotti

The Presentation of Jesus Christ in the Temple by Jacopo da Bologna

Ceremony Upon Candlemas Eve
Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and misletoe ;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall :
That so the superstitious find
No one least branch there left behind :
For look, how many leaves there be
Neglected, there (maids, trust to me)
So many goblins you shall see.
- Robert Herrick

St. Brigid (Bride) of Kildare- Patron of Ireland 01 February

O holy Brigid, thou didst become sublime through thy humility, and didst fly on the wings of thy longing for God. When thou didst arrive in the Eternal City and appear before thy Divine Spouse, wearing the crown of virginity, thou didst keep thy promise to remember those who have recourse to thee. Thou dost shower grace upon the world, and dost multiply miracles. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls. Eastern Orthodox Troparion

This icon was written by Marice Sariola

St. Bride- John Duncan

St. Brigid Triplet 2-Geraldine O'Sullivan

Menno Simons- Anabaptist Reformer

Today we remember Menno Simons, the founder of the Mennonites and leader in the Anabaptist Reformation. Although he had many enemies in the Roman Church who wanted to have him killed as a heretic- and while many were martyred for reading his writings, hiding him, feeding him and allowing him to sleep in their homes, he died a natural death on this day in 1561. Although the Mennonite Church does not recognize saints in the same way as Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Anglican and some Lutherans do, Menno is nonetheless a model of vurtuous and goldy living for them. This image is an icon written by Jivko Donkov for a series called Anabaptist Imagery, produced by Graber Designs. proceeds from the sell of the icon goes to support the work of the Historical Committee of Mennonite Church USA. You may purchase a copy here.

Enjoy these works of art by Mennonite and Amish artists in thanksgiving for the life and witness of Menno Simons. The first few represent the "traditional" art of Mennonites, which were limited to landscapes and decorative art, after a church elder banned portraits and images of God citing the second commandment. Some contemporary Mennonite artists are pushing the edges and experiemneting not only with portraitures, but innovative themes which offer social statements.

Landscape with Church and Village, Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruysdael

View of Delft, Jan van der Heyden

Fraltur art Eagle, David Kulp

Fraktur Art, Heebner House, Susanna Heebner

Jerk-Over Temple, Don Michael Swartzentruber

The Martyrdom of St. King Charles I

Today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of King Charles, I of England, the only person to ever be canonized a saint bythe Church of England. I am also grateful to good St. King Charles because in 1629 he erected into a province all the land from the Albemarle Sound on the north to the St. John’s River on the south, and called it Carolina-creating the territory which would become the land of my birth. The word Carolina is from Carolus, the Latin form of Charles. When Carolina was divided in 1710, the southern part was called South Carolina and the northern, or older settlement, North Carolina. Thus the nickname the “Old North State.

This portrait of King Charles was painted by Van Dyck in 1635.

Execution of King Charles I- German print

King Charles I on His Way to Execution, by Ernest Crofts

Marcelle Ferron- stained glass artist

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Quebecoise painter and stained glass artist, Marcelle Ferron (1924-2001). In 1983 she was awarded the Paul-Émile-Borduas medal for the visual arts by the government of Quebec, and in 1985 she was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec and was promoted to Grand Officer in 2000. Below are examples of her work.