Coventry: Dr Rowan Williams leads service dedicating new fresco

Christ in Glory by Aidan Hart

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams of Oystermouth concelebrated a Solemn Festal Mass with the Rite of Blessing and Dedication of an Icon on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi at the Church of St Mary Magdalen in Coventry on 4th October.

The service was to celebrate the dedication of a fresco of Christ in Glory surrounded by Mary the Mother of God and St Mary Magdalen, recently installed by iconographer Aidan Hart.

In his sermon Dr Williams quoted the vision of the Orthodox Saint Seraphim who saw God and the Heavenly Host enter the west door of his church "like a swarm of bees". In this way icons, which represent the Heavenly beholding the World, remind us that we are always surrounded by the host of believers in Heaven and on Earth. Rather than mere decoration, icons therefore call us to live out the Gospel values of hope and love in our divided world which would dehumanise those whom we call enemies.

Iconographer Aidan Hart said of the fresco "It depicts Christ in Glory. To His right is the Mother of God, the means of the King of Glory's incarnation. To His left is he patron of the church, St Mary Magdalen. The sunrise-coloured clouds above are used in early Roman mosaics to indicate that we are beholding Christ's second coming in the future, as well as His presence with us now. The paradisical field below suggests the transfiguration of the whole creation in Christ, and not only of us humans."

Community of the Passion members John Thornhill and Barbara McGowan joined over one hundred guests including Parish Priest Fr Edward Le Brun-Powell, the Lady Mayor of Coventry and the Cathedral Quartet, to celebrate the blessing of the fresco.

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