Praying the Angelus with Art: This Week's Image

This modern Coptic icon of the Annunciation was taken by a visitor to St Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church in Colleyville (Dallas) Texas. It is not a decoration, but part of the liturgical architecture.

Praying the Angelus with Art: This Week's Image

This very contemporary Annunciation is by Jean-Marie Pirot(1926-2018), known in the art world as Arcabas. Arcabas was a man of faith, and his professional work was predominantly in the field of sacred art. I have to admit that I don't really "get" this Annunciation, but some of his other work is more within my grasp, and I find it exquisitely moving.

You can also get a sense of that from some of the YouTube videos that were produced when he died (still working!) in 2018, even though the narration and interviews are all in French (which I do not understand).

From the videos and from the samples of Arcabas' work that I have seen on Pinterest, I believe that this Frenchman fulfilled what Pope St John Paul wrote about in his Letter to Artists: 

"Those who perceive in themselves this kind of divine spark which is the artistic vocation—as poet, writer, sculptor, architect, musician, actor and so on—feel at the same time the obligation not to waste this talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbour and of humanity as a whole" (n. 3).

Above is a short news item about a Trappist monastic church

in the Alps for which Arcabas designed some special pieces.

Praying the Angelus with Art: This Week's Image

We are back to Ordinary Time and our extraordinary prayer of the Regina Coeli yields pride of place once again to the Angelus.

Because I never get tired of medieval images (!), here is an Annunciation from early 13th century France (now in a museum in Brussels), courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Gabriel's scroll reads, of course, "Ave Maria, gratia plena": Hail, Mary, full of grace.

Praying the Regina Coeli with Art: This Week's Image

Coronation by the Master of Wauquelin's Alexander
from the J. Paul Getty Museum

From the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, this coronation takes up only a third of a page in an illuminated manuscript. Click on the link to see it in great detail. 

Speaking of detail, here is the detailed information which the Getty would like me to provide you with, since they allow me to use this art for non-commercial purposes:

Master of Wauquelin's Alexander (Flemish, active about 1440 - 1460)
The Coronation of the Virgin, about 1450–1455, Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink
Leaf: 19.4 × 14 cm (7 5/8 × 5 1/2 in.), Ms. 2 (84.ML.67), fol. 115v
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. 2, fol. 115v
 

From Easter to Pentecost, pray the Regina Coeli (in place of the Angelus) three times a day: morning, noon and evening.

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia!
R. For he whom you deserved to bear, Alleluia!
Has risen as he said, Alleluia!
R. Pray for us to God, Alleluia! 

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, Alleluia!

Let us pray:
O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
grant, we beseech thee, that through the intercession of his Mother, the Virgin Mary,
we may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pray it in Latin!

Regina cæli, lætare, alleluia:

R. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,

Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia,

R. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Gaude et lætare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.

R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi,
mundum lætificare dignatus es:
præsta, quæsumus, ut per eius Genitricem Virginem Mariam,
perpetuæ capiamus gaudia vitæ.
Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen.