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A service to give back artists to the Church and to bring the Church to artists.
Several hundreds of artists are already gathered around the Diakonia of Beauty to put back the sacred meaning at the heart of art. |
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Our societies today suffer from a loss of the sense of beauty, of meaning and spirituality, and this sorely affects the artistic world in particular. In our individualistic society, which lacks a sense of direction and has been severed from its roots, artists are experiencing a crisis, of subject, of identity and of message.
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Art is not an entity in itself. It finds its reason to exist only in the expression of transcendence and verticality inherent to the human experience, inside and outside the sphere of belief. The history of Western Art shows the degree to which the Catholic Church has contributed to the creation of a unique cultural and sacred heritage, at the source of Western Civilization. The mystery of the Incarnation has revealed the Face of God, and artists in the course of history have symbolically used it as a subject of artistic expression, making it a natural medium to proclaim the Gospel.
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Today the crisis of the subject produces a dark and often narcissistic art, although artists, through a divine gift, are permeated by a light that they no longer seem aware of. This makes it difficult for the teachings of the Church to be heard.
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After several years of discussion between Anne and Daniel Facérias and Bishop Rey of Fréjus-Toulon (southern France), and following a meeting in 2011 with Cardinal Canizarès, the Diakonia of Beauty was created in 2012. Its mission is to return beauty to artists and artists to beauty, so that they may become the witnesses of God's beauty. In the Church, the Greek term diaconia signifies "service."
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The Diakonia is at the service of beauty, giving back to artists their role of mediators between the visible and the invisible. It is meant to serve artists by restoring the sense of the sacred to everyday life, a living expression of the splendor of the truth. It is meant to serve the New Evangelization, returning to art its “ministry” of sanctifying the world. The Diakonia of Beauty is built around 5 main lines:
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Prayer: With the help of contemplative monks and nuns, priests and religious sisters, the Diakonia joins in the universal prayer of the Church in singing Thursday night Vespers.
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Personal testimonies: It organizes evening meetings with guest artists who tell their story and explain their ministry to the Church.
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Formation: The education of artists, priests and laypeople in sacred art is one the priorities of the Diakonia. Formation sessions and retreats are offered several times a year.
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Solidarity: Provide human, spiritual and economic support to struggling artists, making studios dedicated to artistic creation available to them and pooling their resources.
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Proclamation: Creating artistic work and events: festivals, exhibits, shows, etc. to proclaim the Gospel.
The Diakonia is now implanted in Rome, the Holy Land, Mexico, Brazil, and France. It gathers together high profile pastoral figures, religious communities, a committee of educational experts and already several hundred artists.
The challenge is to return artists to the Church and the Church to artists, so that art can once again fulfill its role of educating and forming to beauty and truth.
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in Diakonia of Beauty project, that aims to bring artists back to the Church and the Church back to artists. |
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