“Fashionista priest”
Here’s a parish ministry you don’t see every day:
“It was an act of God, it really was,” says the Rev. Andrew More O’Connor – the fashionista priest of Holy Family Church in Castle Hill.
“I was helping a young woman and her fiancé prepare for their marriage and she said I’m an editor at Vogue; I’d really like to see your clothing line.”
That would be Goods of Conscience, made from organic soft cotton cloth hand woven by the Mayan Indians in Guatemala – O’Connor calls it “social fabric.”
Seamstresses tailor it right there on Castle Hill Ave. into unexpectedly chic wraparound blouses, black sheaths and even men’s suits.
Which movie star ended up wearing O’Connor’s designs on the cover of Vogue? Read the article in the New York Daily News to find out (but only if you promise not to click on any of the “related stories”!). And you can learn more about “Goods of Conscience” at the parish’s Web site. My favorite item is the Monterrico jacket, which is described as ” A fully lined and tailored jacket with a cincture in the back.” It just goes to show, you can take the priest out of the vestments…
Andrew is actually a serious artist, and while I know this is a lighthearted post, I think it’s a bit unfair to use “fashionista” to describe him. Especially in this day and age when “dress up” seems to be on the minds of so many clergy. See his website Sacred Art Heals, for a more serious take.
I read about this some time ago, visited the website and checked out the clothes. I thought that the clothing was good and the principle even better. I was very disappointed to find that the items were beyond my budget and perhaps slightly too tasteful for my quirky aesthetic. (When I was young I wore a Laura Ashley jumper that my father referred to as my cassock.) A few months ago the Franciscans of the Renewal held a parish mission in my area. On the second day of the mission, I began to envy their wardrobe: serviceable, flattering to most, no surprises, no day-to-day fashion critiques by colleagues. If they were to shorten the robe, add matching pants, like salwars, and also do it in indigo denim, I think they would have a product. The Carmelites apparently have ananti-wrinkle cream. We already have wines, cheeses, preserves and caskets. Why not venture into fashion? If orders were to market secular habits for women who are too busy for fashion, I would certainly buy in.
Knitters (anyone?), google “fair trade yarn” if you’re interested in supporting fair prices/working conditions/humane animal treatment in the fiber trade.
Here’s a plug for Mount Savior Monastery in New York that offers monk-made yarn.
http://www.msaviour.org/
Click on Gift Shop.
If you don’t knit, purchase fair trade fiber for a knitting friend. Raise consciousness, support small enterprise, feed a monk!
Catholic Relief Services offers a delightful array of Fair Trade crafts at their CRS Fair Trade site. There is still time to order Christmas gifts and decorations.
I must apologize. The website http://www.SacredArtHeals.org is now fully devoted to Goods of Conscience. There used to be other material on the site, including the show “Arrivals and Departures” with projections on the facade of Old St. Patrick’s, and artworks of various kinds including a rather fascinating chalice and an anatomically correct Sacred Heart. (All defy description.) Too bad they are down. Is this what success does?
I think that is great.
Another good site to know about:
http://www.holyorders.biz/gift.html