London Priest Works on Iconostasis for Church in Israel

The icon of St Andrew and St Peter by Revd O'Callaghan

07/04/05

The Revd Regan O'Callaghan from St John Bethnal Green reports on his work with the British Association of Iconographers

British Association of Iconographers
Voluntary project for the Melkite Church of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’
Ibillin, Israel.

Over the past year a dozen people from the British Association of Iconographers have been busy working on an Iconostasis for a newly built Church in Ibillin, Israel. The Iconostasis contains over 40 icons of various sizes. The BAI was approached by Elias Chacour a Palestinian Melkite Priest who has lived and worked in Ibillin for many years.

Elias is the author of ‘Blood Brothers’, an account of his life and the terrible suffering he and his people have experienced including their forced removal from the village of Biram their home for many centuries. From an early age Elias had a strong call to serve the Church and after years of study was ordained becoming the first Palestinian to earn a degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Today Elias’ ministry is one of reconciliation and peace between Christians, Muslims and Jews. The newly built Church in Ibillin is a Chapel of Peace with the Iconostasis reflecting the positive relationships between people of different faiths and cultures. For example the icon of Elijah which traditionally shows a raven sent by God bringing sustenance to Elijah in the desert instead shows Bedouin bringing food. This is based on a translation of scripture which suggests the word ‘raven’ has been mistranslated and should read ‘Arab’.

I have been studying iconography in the studio of Sister Bernadette Crook in Isleworth, West London for the past three years. We are both members of the BAI. In this time I have been working on a number of commissions. The last being a icon for St Paul’s Covent Garden. As well as this and other commissions, for the past 4 months I have also been working with Sister Bernadette on the Ibillin project. As with the other contributing artists this work is voluntary. The Iconostasis is due to be blessed at a service on the 2nd April 2005. Sister Bernadette and I plan to fly out a few days earlier taking the rest of the completed icons with us. We have also been asked by Elias to consider a 2nd phase to the project in Ibillin. This would involve the painting of the walls in the new Church with biblical scenes and would probably mean returning to Ibillin for an extended period sometime this year.