RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton
Reverse of a crucifix from the Holy Land, 19th century. On one side is the Corpus and on the other are Instruments of the Passion.
Growing up, Ernest's neighborhood friend Tim Pope thought he was so cool. He wasn't the best dresser, or ball-player, or any kind of trendsetter, but he was way cooler than anyone else because somehow he made everyone else feel cooler than they really were by simply being in his presence. Ernest, David, Ricky and the others flocked to Tim like they were his disciples. He had an amazing gift. On Saturday morning, Tim passed away, and last night Ernest thought about the many years since he went away to college and lost touch.  He missed being in Tim's presence, and he missed feeling cool with Tim. He also thought how lucky heaven is to now have Tim Pope as part of their band. Farewell, childhood friend.

THIS WILL BE THE FINAL WEEKLY UNTIL EASTER.

Tim Pope (1960-2017)
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"Square Grouper" (2016) by Frederic Palay. Painted metal sculpture. It is a nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes but the origin is from the early-1970s when groups like a fundamentalist Christian sect known as the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church formed in Jamaica. The Church believed that marijuana (or "ganja," as they called it) was their sacrament but then came under government attack and dropped it from the sky into the ocean in square bales. In the 1970's, my friend Tim Pope and I probably smoked some of their marijuana that didn't get dropped from a plane or used as a sacrament.