Saint Monica was black. Not white.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, penitent60 said:

Are people such infants now they can only identify if someone is as they are?

Were people infants back then when almost all the art was made to depict everyone as pale European Caucasians? 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Guest

[Peace]

10 hours ago, Luigi said:

Depictions of Jesus - or anyone else, for that matter - are not a good reason to join a religion, leave a religion, put faith in a person as the Son of God, or as a savior. 

Religion, faith, salvation, etc. are larger than cultural identification. 

I agree but I would not downplay the importance of images. The Holy Spirit calls people into the Church in many ways and perhaps for some it is through images. Our Church has a long history of teaching the faith through images.

If tomorrow 99% of the newly created images of our Lord were a black man, white people would take an issue with it. We would not be hearing all this "Kumbaya. How he is portrayed doesn't matter" stuff. Let's keep it real here folks.

[Guest]

11 hours ago, penitent60 said:

Apparently not so important in the past, although such a biggie in this modern, progressive world. Are people such infants now they can only identify if someone is as they are?

Remind us again about the good old days when no one cared what anyone looked like or their skin color.

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Guest

[Luigi]

St. Benedict the Moor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_the_Moor

St. Martin de Porres: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_de_Porres

St. Josephine Bakhita: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Bakhita

Augustine Tolton (cause for canonization in process): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Tolton

Henriette DeLille (cause for canonization in process): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Tolton

[Guest]

[AbigailGermaine]

Just saw this today and had to comment....

first of all, St Monica and St Augustine were Berbers, so they probably did look more arabic. St Athanasius, in the other hand, was called d the Black Dwarf by contemporaries, so I'm certain he was black. 

Art does matter... but especially in the US. As a Southern woman who is Melungeun, and therefore is forced to identify as Caucasian even though I'm not, because I'm not black,  I vote for portrayals of Jesus and Mary as white, black, asian, arabic, latino..... Let's take a hint from all of the apparitions of Mary-- Rwandan, Japanese, Spanish, Indigenous South American, etc. 

we have a very nice brown Jesus on a crucifix from Africa in our living room beside O L of Lourdes. 

don't forget that this is a Catholic (universal) church!

st Martin Dr Porres, pray for  us! 

[Maximilianus]

2 hours ago, AbigailGermaine said:

Just saw this today and had to comment....

first of all, St Monica and St Augustine were Berbers, so they probably did look more arabic. St Athanasius, in the other hand, was called d the Black Dwarf by contemporaries, so I'm certain he was black. 

Art does matter... but especially in the US. As a Southern woman who is Melungeun, and therefore is forced to identify as Caucasian even though I'm not, because I'm not black,  I vote for portrayals of Jesus and Mary as white, black, asian, arabic, latino..... Let's take a hint from all of the apparitions of Mary-- Rwandan, Japanese, Spanish, Indigenous South American, etc. 

we have a very nice brown Jesus on a crucifix from Africa in our living room beside O L of Lourdes. 

don't forget that this is a Catholic (universal) church!

st Martin Dr Porres, pray for  us! 

I'm commandeering your post to hijack and derail this thread.

St. Martin most likely looked like this recreation based off his cranium.

 

Comparison with a reported contemporary portrait

that being shown, my favorite depiction is the following, even though it looks nothing like the purported likeness above.

 

and I will conclude with what is most likely the correct way to depict St. Kateri, which is far different that the Pocahontas clones she is often depicted as. 

 

Vivat Christus Rex!