A Modern Medium For Artists to Offer Beauty to Our Churches

After a recent article suggesting that light, portable images and furnishings such as a rood screen might be a way to beautify sacred spaces at a reasonable cost, I was delighted to hear again from the well-known Catholic sculptor Thomas Marsh. He wanted to tell me about a medium that he uses, which he felt would help people looking for economical and lightweight sculptures, and sculpted furnishings that nevertheless have a permanent look - white gypsum cement. This was new to me, and what he described was worth passing on to you.

I’ve featured Thomas’s work before, notably in an interview with Dr. Carrie Gress. What sets Thomas apart in the world of classical naturalism is his deep understanding of sacred art. Unlike many skilled artists who blur the lines between sacred and secular, Thomas knows that sacred art should idealize its subjects more emphatically, emphasizing universal human values over particular details, but without neglecting the particular altogether in a subtle balance of naturalism and idealism. When artists get this right, and I think Thomas does, the result is sculptures worthy of veneration, rather than what we often see, portraits of models dressed as holy figures, albeit skillfully rendered.

Thomas wrote to me about white gypsum cement: “It’s in the plaster family, though much harder and more durable. It’s strictly an interior material. I often do relief sculptures for projects for the Church, and the beauty of reliefs is that they are sufficiently subtle to harmonise with architecture when appropriate. When focused upon, they lend themselves to detailed representation, to almost any degree of verisimilitude with proper lighting from above. Finally, they are VERY economical to produce, ship, and install.”

To showcase this versatile medium, I've included some examples of Thomas’ relief works. There’s also a photo of a large ensemble he created for St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The centerpiece is a 6’6” corpus cast in fiberglass-reinforced gypsum cement with light polychrome—i.e. coloration. Despite its impressive size, it weighs just 90 pounds!

Contact Thomas Marsh through thomasmarshsculptor.net.

St Birinus Church, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

St Birinus Catholic Church is a tiny architectural jewel set in beautiful English countryside, 15 miles from Oxford, on the banks of the River Thame. The Traditional Latin Mass is celebrated there every Sunday. The choir is exceptional, the art is spectacular, and all works in harmony in a Victorian-era church that was so obviously created to house beautiful liturgy. It is a glimpse of what England might still have been if it hadn’t been for Henry VIII, and an indication of what, despite everything, it might again.

The wall painting was done by a parishioner. Under the guidance of the parish priest, Fr John Osman, this church and parish have become a beacon of light - beautiful art, architecture, and music. It shows what can be done with good taste and conviction.

Press your parish priest to commission work from the artists at the Chichester Workshop of Liturgical Art. Martin Earle, for example, could paint, mosaic, fresco the church and do all the carpentry to build the rood screen. 

St Birinus, by the way, is a little known early saint responsible for the conversion of England in the 7th century. 

Also, it is not a spelling mistake, the confluence of the rivers Thame and Isis occurs just a quarter of a mile away to form the river 'Thame-Isis' otherwise known as the River Thames.

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The History of the Icon and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on September 14th. Aidan Hart’s book Festal Icons describes the history of this feast and of the images associated with it in great detail, and I recommend it to anyone who wishes to dig deeper.

It’s origins date back to the 4th century, when the Emperor Constantine dreamt of the cross as the sign of his forthcoming victory over Maxentius at the battle of the Milvian bridge in 312 AD, due to the intervention of Christ. When Constantine won, he converted and issued an edict by which Christianity would be tolerated in the Roman empire.

This feast is associated with a number of themes. First, the Cross is shown as a symbol of protection in battle, as typified by the Troparion in the Byzantine Rite: “O Lord save your people and bless your inheritance. Grant victory to our nation over its enemies.” (A recording made one year ago at the Greek-Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, on the patronal feast day.)

Another hymn called the Kontakion makes it clear that the sign of Christ’s victory is peace. It is for the glory of Him and not the temporal ruler nor should such a victory be source of national pride.

“O Christ God, who chose by Your free volition to be elevated upon the holy Cross, grant Your mercies to Your new people who are called by Your name; in Your power gladden the hearts of our civil authorities; strengthen them in every good deed so that Your true alliance may be for them a weapon of peace and a standard of victory.”

When I read this, it reinforces for me the idea that the nation is a natural entity, and that the one who has authority over nations is not the United Nations, but rather, Christ the King. If we want world peace, each nation should strive vigorously to be in conformity to the standard of peace that the Holy Cross represents, and where necessary fighting just wars.

Other themes celebrated by the feast are the healing power of the cross, primarily, but not limited to, spiritual healing by which we are raised up with Christ from spiritual death due to his sacrifice. It is also the symbol of the Tree of Life, the fruit of which is Christ himself, of whom we partake in the Eucharist. Furthermore, it is a symbol of unity of people, the standard of peace, by which Jews and Gentiles can be in harmony, as St Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 1, 22-24:

“Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

The typical icon of the feast shows an event that took place after the finding of the true Cross by Constantine’s mother, the Empress Helena, around 327 AD. Three crosses were found in Jerusalem, and there was uncertainty as to which was the true cross, so the Patriarch of Jerusalem, St Makarios, suggested that each should be elevated and that they should observe the effects. When the true cross was elevated a woman was healed of serious illness and this was taken of the sign.

Makarios is shown centrally elevating the cross, while the Empress (and sometimes her son the Emperor) look on. Very often a vast entourage of deacons, subdeacons and laity are shown present as well. In an interesting aside, Hart describes in his book the rich history of Anglo-Saxon devotion to the cross. In his Ecclesiastical History, which gives much of the history of the warring kingdoms of Britain prior to the the uniting of England, the Venerable Bede says that around 634 AD, an exiled prince, Oswald of Northumbria, had a dream similar to that of Constantine, and ordered that all should venerate the cross prior to a battle with his pagan father, the king of that region. This led first to the unity of Northumbria as a Christian kingdom, and was seen as the precursor to the subsequent conversion of the whole country.

In Anglo-Saxon literature, the Exaltation of the Cross takes its most vivid form in the epic poem “The Dream of the Rood”, written from the perspective of the tree that became the Cross. “Rood” is the Anglo-Saxon word for the Cross, and preserved in such terms as Holy Rood, and “rood screen”, the ornate wooden screen that separated the chancel of a church from the nave. The rood screen is so called because it was surmounted by the Rood itself, a large figure of the crucified Christ, and most commonly, supporting statues of saints to either side, normally the Virgin Mary and St John.

In The Dream of the Rood, the cross has a voice and can feel and express emotion – ripped from its roots in the wood, it says:

Men bore me on their shoulders there, until they fixed me on a hill; many enemies fastened me there. Then I saw the Lord of mankind hasten with great courage, because he wanted to climb upon me.

There I did not dare, against the Lord’s word, to bend or break when I saw the earth’s surface tremble

I could have felled all those enemies, but I stood fast.

The young hero stripped himself – he was God Almighty, strong and stout-minded.

He mounted the high gallows, courageous in the sight of many, when he intended to save mankind. I trembled when that man embraced me;

yet I dared not bow to the ground, fall to the surface of the earth, but I had to stand fast.

As a rood was I reared.

I lifted the mighty King, the Lord of the heavens; I did not dare to bend.

They drove me through with dark nails.

On me those sores are seen, open wounds of wickedness.

I dared not harm any of them. They mocked us, both together.

I was entirely bedewed with blood poured out from that man’s side, after he sent forth his spirit.

I experienced on that hill many cruel events, I saw the God of hosts severely stretched out.

Darkness had covered with clouds the Ruler’s body, the shining brightness.

A shadow passed dark under the heavens.

All creation wept, lamented the king’s fall. Christ was on the cross.
To this day there are surviving crosses from the period that were carved to commemorate this feast and devotion to the cross:

An Anglo-Saxon cross in Irton, Cumbria, northern England.

An Anglo-Saxon crucifixion from Romsey, Kent

An English Romanesque cross.

A Eucharistic Tapestry in France

Our friends of the Schola Sainte Cécile just posted to their Facebook page these photos of this splendid tapestry in one of the chapels of the cathedral of Saint-Vincent in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. This was made in the year 1510, and donated to the church by a family called Baichet, whose motto “Spes mea Deus” is seen on it in several places. Measuring over 22 feet high by 23½ wide, it was designed particularly to decorate the Sacrament chapel, presumably for both Holy Thursday and Corpus Christi, as seen in the first photo.

Above the center is shown the Blessed Sacrament exposed on an altar, with the members of the Baichet family kneeling in prayer before It.

The panels on the left side represent two episodes from the Old Testament traditionally understood a prefigurations of the Eucharist: the fall of the manna in Exodus 16...

and the priest Melchizedek offering tithes of bread and wine to Abraham after the battle in the valley of Siddim, as recounted in Genesis 14, and cited in Hebrews 7.

At the lower right is seen the celebration of the Jewish Passover...

and at the upper right, the Last Supper.

The following three images by GO69 are taken from Wikimedia Commons, and show three of the panels a bit more fully. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

A New Chrism Ampulla for the Diocese of Birmingham

Thanks to our good friend Fr Jordan Hainsey of the diocese of Covington, Kentucky, for sharing this item with us about an interesting new piece of liturgical art.

Bishop Steven Raica of the diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, recently commissioned a Holy Chrism Ampulla for use in diocesan sacred liturgies.

Ampullae were popular in ancient times for the transportation of oil, and in the early Church, holy oil was gathered from lamps in the shrines of martyrs and the sites of pilgrimage. In addition, small ampulla vessels were among the many objects part of catacomb burials. Whether they contained Holy Water, holy oil, or the blood of martyrs, the purpose of ampullae were to hold something sacred.

Ampullae were made of a variety of materials like terracotta, metal, and glass, and were decorated with Christian symbols and inscriptions. Numerous ampullae, both historically documented and extant, reveal their importance in the Church’s liturgical life.

The “Sainte Ampoulle,” sadly lost during the French Revolution, was used at the consecration of the kings of France in the cathedral of Reims. It was popularly believed to have been brought from Heaven by a dove at the baptism of Clovis (496). In the cathedral of Monza, several ampullae are preserved that were sent to Queen Theodolinda by Pope Gregory the Great; they contained oil from the tombs of Roman martyrs. In England, a golden eagle ampulla from the 17th century is used in the monarch’s consecration rite. Its design is based on a 14th century legend in which the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Thomas Becket and presented him with a golden eagle oil vial for anointing future kings of England.

Among the most important extant ampullae is one commissioned by the great medieval visionary Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis in the 12th century. Held in the Louvre Museum, the ampulla known as Suger’s Eagle, combines an ancient 2nd century porphyry vase to a 12th century silver-gilt eagle. It most likely held the Sacred Chrism. ~ In discussing the many wondrous things he provided for the church at Saint-Denis, Abbot Suger (1081-1151) succinctly wrote the following about sacred vessels and their fashioning for use in the sacred liturgy:

“To me, I confess, one thing has always seemed preeminently fitting: that every costlier or costliest thing should serve, first and foremost, for the administration of the Holy Eucharist. If golden pouring vessels, golden vials, golden little mortars used to serve, by the word of God or the command of the Prophet, to collect the blood of goats or calves or the red heifer: how much more must golden vessels, precious stones, and whatever is most valued among all created things, be laid out, with continual reverence and full devotion, for the reception of the blood of Christ! Surely neither we nor our possessions suffice for this service. If, by a new creation, our substance were reformed from that of the holy Cherubim and Seraphim, it would still offer an insufficient and unworthy service for so great and so ineffable a victim; and yet we have so great a propitiation for our sins. The detractors also object that a saintly mind, a pure heart, a faithful intention ought to suffice for this sacred function; and we, too, explicitly and especially affirm that it is these that principally matter. [But] we profess that we must do homage also through the outward ornaments of sacred vessels, and to nothing in the world in an equal degree as to the service of the Holy Sacrifice, with all inner purity and with all outward splendor. For it behooves us most becomingly to serve Our Saviour in all things in a universal way — Him Who has not refused to provide for us in all things in a universal way and without any exception; Who has fused our nature with His into one admirable individuality; Who, setting us on His right hand, has promised us in truth to possess His kingdom; our Lord Who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever.”

The Birmingham ampulla was made by New Guild Studio Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was inspired by an ampulla from the treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, made by Viollet-le-Duc in 1866.

Fr. Jordan Hainsey of the diocese of Covington, and Fr Justin Ward, episcopal Master of Ceremonies and Vicar for Sacred Liturgy for the diocese of Birmingham, offered artistic direction on the project. The Birmingham ampulla is in the shape of a dove, recalling the Holy Spirit. It is hand-carved from linden wood and measures 16 inches tall. Set with hand-blown lapis glass eyes, the ampulla is gilded in 24kt gold leaf and features a hand chased, fired enamel breast plate on the front featuring the coat of arms of the diocese of Birmingham. Ingeniously engineered, an embedded magnetic plate at the head allows practical access to the Holy Chrism vial inside.

The Birmingham ampulla will be used and carried in procession for episcopal ceremonies such as the Chrism Mass, Ordinations, Confirmations, and other liturgies in which Holy Chrism is used.

Candle Artist Offers Unique “Theological Virtues” Design for Easter 2022

Gina Switzer, whose candle work David Clayon featured at NLM five years ago, continues to offer custom-made candles for liturgical use—Paschal candles, baptismal candles, and the like (see her website for a full listing and examples).

Her Paschal Candle design for 2022 symbolizes Faith, Hope, and Charity by means of the Peacock, the Artichoke, and the Pomegranate. The following explanation was shared with NLM by the artist.

“This year’s candle is ornate in design and more elusive in symbolism.

“The goal of this design is to draw the eye of the viewer by using a kind of sumptuous beauty to begin the questions; starting with, ‘Wait...what is this candle?’; then ‘Why peacocks?,’ etc. The peacock, artichoke, and pomegranate are ancient symbols with various meanings that are not readily apparent. I tried to create a candle that is beautiful and worthy of contemplation and of asking questions.

“The Peacock as a symbol of Faith. The peacock, stunningly beautiful in color, design, and flair is more than just a pretty animal. The ancients believed its flesh to be incorruptible because it does not rot like other flesh, but only dries out. St. Augustine attested to experimenting as such in The City of God. Early Christians baptized the peacock as a symbol of eternal life and used its image on sarcophagi and murals in the catacombs. The tail feathers of the peacock molt at the end of summer and begin to grow back around Christmas, returning in full glory and more brilliant than before around Easter. The feather cycle and the connection to eternal life makes the peacock a fitting symbol of the Resurrection. On this candle the peacocks drink from living water flowing from a font, the waters of baptism. They proclaim the theological virtue of Faith based in the Resurrection, for as Paul say in 1 Cor 15:14, ‘If Christ has not been raised, then our own preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.’

“The Artichoke as a symbol of Hope. The artichoke is a symbol of hope because the tough, thorny leaves protect the soft, tender heart. The Christian interpretation goes back to Genesis: ‘Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it brings forth to you’ (Gen. 3:17-18). The artichoke is a thistle. While this scripture verse truly bespeaks a terrible curse, these words should also give us hope! God could have justly punished Adam and Eve with instant physical death and damnation for their sin of disobedience. He did not. He removed them from the Garden but kept them alive as an act of His Mercy and to set the stage for our Savior, who would be born of their lineage. (Oh happy fault!) In toil we grow our food; it takes work to prepare foodstuffs to be eaten. Preparing an artichoke in particular takes perseverance and a bit of ‘hope.’ Trim the thorns. Boil the globe. Peel away each leaf. Scrape away the nascent flower. Finally, the small tender heart is revealed and the hope for a tasty morsel is revealed. In light of the Resurrection, it seems fitting to contemplate the hope of the transformation of a cursed thorny thistle into a delicacy, like our own thorny selves becoming holy through the grace of Christ’s redeeming work on the Cross. On this candle the artichoke is represented in various growth stages with the thistle flowers shooting up to meet the peacock tails as a call and response from Faith to Hope and Hope to Faith, each reaching to the other.

“The Pomegranate as a symbol of Charity. Like the peacock, the pomegranate as a symbol has deep roots in pre-Christian and Christian traditions. The multitude of seeds readily signify fertility in older traditions. But the deep red juice allows the Catholic imagination to see the flow of blood from Christ’s side pouring forth to bring new life and fecundity in the Church. An NLM article describes the pomegranate as a symbol of Charity because ‘it gives of what it contains that is most delicious and precious: it gives itself just like Christ did in his infinite charity through the Eucharist, born in his heart—that heart which he allowed to be opened for us through the striking of the spear of the soldier during his Passion, that the divine red liquid might flow forth.’ On this candle the pomegranate is centered on a symmetrical, ornate gold cross. It is also a feature in the bands representing the Alpha and the Omega, the peacock and the artichoke because, in the end, Charity remains.”

Gina noted that priests will sometimes “preach from the Paschal candle” at Mass, at baptisms and funerals. If the candle itself is decorated with a lot of symbolism, it makes it an obvious reference point for elucidation, and of course a homily about peacocks, artichokes, and pomegranates will be a lot more memorable than a homily in the style of Garrigou-Lagrange about the theological virtues.

Regina Candles (the name of Gina's enterprise) has multiple Paschal Candle designs as well as personalized baptismal candles, to promote and build a culture that recognizes children’s baptisms as their birth into the life and love of the Trinity. She encourages people to keep the candles in a known place and to light them once a year briefly on the anniversary of baptism as a way of reminding ourselves of this immense gift and mystery.

Hand-painted Paschal Candles Available for Order from Denver Artist

Laura O’Connor is a traditional Catholic artist who sells hand-painted religious artwork, devotional items, cards, and gifts at her Etsy shop. She is best known for her beautiful Paschal Candles, which she initially began selling in the Denver area by word of mouth, and now ships to other places.

Each order is painted with quality acrylics on a plain 51% beeswax candle purchased from a major candle manufacturer. Laura can paint any size candle that her suppliers manufacture, and all common sizes are listed with their respective pricing at her shop. Presently, she has four standard designs available, but is also able to an original custom design if desired. The standard designs do offer opportunities for minor customisations such as choice of scene when applicable, and parish, religious order, or diocesan coats of arms or symbols.

As it takes time to hand-paint each order, Laura’s Paschal Candles are available from July through November 15 of this year; she will not be offering them in the Spring season.

Laura may be contacted through her Etsy shop but also by her email: reginasanctorum18@gmail.com.

Design 1: The Glorious Paschal Candle

Detail of the same

Design 2: Lamb of God Paschal Candle

Detail of same

Design 3 (the simplest): Alleluia Paschal Candle

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Sacred Art That Survived the Oppression of the Church in Britain and Ireland Up for Auction

Here is another in the occasional series of pieces by my friend in England, Andrew Marlborough, who worked in the art gallery business for 10 years before joining seminary in England, highlighting pieces coming up for auction. The hope is to encourage people to consider looking at auction houses as possible sources for art and sacred vessels that might still serve their religious purpose.

Andrew writes: Catholic sacred art which survived penal times is of the greatest importance. It is the material expression of the endurance and even flourishing of the faith under persecution. Among these objects, sacred vessels used in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are surely the most significant. Some of you may have read my previous article which included an Irish silver recusant chalice, used by Fr John Barnewall to celebrate Mass during penal times in Ireland in the late 17th and early 18th century. 

Another exceptionally rare Irish chalice is appearing at auction on July 2nd at Duke’s in Dorchester in Dorset, England. This example was made in the late 15th century, shortly before the Reformation, probably in Cork, and would surely have been used during times of persecution. It is incredibly rare for such a piece to come to auction with comparable chalices in major museum collections. The pre-sale estimate is £5,000-10,000 and it may well go beyond that. For someone with the funds, this is a great opportunity to own an important piece of Catholic history, and perhaps to enable it to be used again one day in Holy Mass.

In April this year, a 17th-century English silver recusant Pax appeared at auction. This object was used at the kiss of peace in Mass. It is inspiring to know that this would have been kissed with great devotion by persecuted Catholics longing for the peace of Christ in the midst of great suffering. A more affordable but nonetheless important piece of sacred art, it sold for £220 (plus commission).

Before the Reformation, Nottingham in England was the center of a thriving school of alabaster carving which was famous throughout Europe for its quality. Many of these objects were destroyed but do appear at auction from time to time. A good example was this small piece depicting the Holy Trinity with Saints, which was a popular theme of the school. It sold for £6,000 (plus commission).

Andrew Marlborough is a 5th-year seminarian for Plymouth Diocese in the UK, studying at Allen Hall in London. Before entering seminary he worked for 10 years in the auction and art gallery business.

The Frescoes at St Francis of Assisi, Baddesley Clinton, England, Part 3: the Chancel Arch

Here is the third posting about the fabulous frescoes at little St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, in Warwickshire, England, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, the works of the artist Martin Earle. (To see previous parts click here: part 1, part 2.)

Before showing photographs of the third and final section, the chancel arch, I want to explain why I think this is so important. First, this is a schema that is intrinsically liturgical (as distinct from devotional) in its conception. Second, while it is painted in a contemporary English iconographic style, absolutely appropriate for its time and place, it incorporates discerningly other more naturalistic styles of liturgical art and statues inherited from past communities of this parish, and therefore, one presumes, particularly dear to them. In regard to this Martin told me:

The rather dark and intense colour scheme (though the orange is less saturated in real life) was dictated partly by the pre-existing oil painting. Trying to find a way that the new paintings (which the parish asked to be in a sort of neo-Romanesque style) wouldn’t clash too badly with the old was a headache. In the end, I opted to paint the new murals dark enough so that the oil painting didn’t pop forward, as it would have against a lighter background. We also reflected some of the colours - especially of Christ in Glory - in the new works.

Obviously, the oil painting is incorporated thematically as well. In the end, a curious and good effect is achieved by having the heavenly scene below the nativity. Earth gone up to heaven and heaven come down to earth.

My hope is that every person in this parish is catechized, perhaps through the homilies, so as to understand the images they see and how to engage with them as they pray the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. Then, when people visit the church to see the paintings, as they surely will, any parishioner can be a docent who takes them on a tour of the church, and in so doing becomes an evangelist for the Faith.

The Chancel Arch

On the chancel arch, the liturgical hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the highest) repeats the idea that what is sung in the earthly liturgy echoes the praise of the heavenly liturgy, and the themes of both the First and Second Comings of Christ are both repeated and lead into what is displayed in the sanctuary.

At the apex is the Lord’s Cross, seen as an object of glory and veneration, triumphant, bejewelled and containing the sacred monogram ‘IHS’. Below this, and over the altar, is suspended the crucifix, akin to the Rood in medieval churches, suspended between earth and heaven, the point of entry from one to the other, and contrasting with the triumphant cross above, but also positioned so that, from the nave of the church, Christ in glory on the east wall is seen below it, the bottom of the cross in line with the head of Christ.

Surrounding the cross are angels of the apocalypse, as St John relates in his Revelation, one with a trumpet, the other rolling up the moon and stars; the clouds behind them are red and blue, representing the sunrise at the end of time. The same clouds are repeated on the east wall, surrounding the Hand of God, showing that he is Lord of time and of history.

On the spandrels of the arch are stylised representations of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the two poles of salvation of Incarnation and Redemption, with sheep representing the apostles who continue the saving work of Christ. Jerusalem, of course, is not just an evocation of the earthly city, but also of the heavenly Jerusalem, described in the liturgy of All Saints and in the Dedication of a Church as ‘our mother, where the great array of brothers and sisters gives you eternal praise’ and representative of the Church, the Bride of Christ, ‘mother of countless children.’

Beneath these are four Old Testament prophets, holding scrolls that tell of both Comings of Christ, the Second Coming already foreshadowed in the First Coming, which is completed in the Second Coming:

Isaiah 7, 14 - ‘Behold the virgin will conceive and bear a son [and shall call his name] Immanuel’

Malachi 3, 1 - ‘The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple’

Ezekiel 34, 12 - ‘I will rescue my sheep [from all the places where they have been scattered] on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Zechariah 9, 9 - ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you, the Just One and Saviour’.

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