Resident Iconographer at St. John of the Ladder Preparing ‘Mind and Body’ for Upcoming Work
Seraphim O’Keefe told UOJ-USA that the dome at the South Carolina parish – which needs to be redone – was the most challenging part of his recent iconography project. The church was struck by lightning earlier this month and is fundraising for the necessary restoration.
GREENVILLE, SC — On the night of March 7 – the eve of the Sunday in Great Lent on which the Gospel reading tells us of a paralytic being lowered through the roof by his friends in order to get past the crowd and receive healing from Jesus Christ – the roof of St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church was also opened.
With a flash of lightning, the dome of the temple caught fire, erasing the painstakingly crafted iconography of Seraphim O’Keefe – the parish’s resident iconographer.
“The initial shock of the lightning strike blasted the plaster along with the iconography off of the ceiling of the dome,” he told the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America. “The image of Christ Pantocrator is completely gone, and the eight angels surrounding Him are either gone or damaged enough that they will have to come down and be remade. Once we decide how much of the structure of the tower and dome is salvageable, we will look into the immense task of rebuilding the walls, applying plaster, and painting the murals afresh.”
O’Keefe also said that, while the smoke damage to the other walls is less than it could have been, it will likely require a professional to come and clean some of the existing murals – a task he described as delicate.
Due to the water used by firemen to put out the fire, water damage is still being measured while trying to get the building dry inside and out. As of last week, the hope was to preserve the plaster walls and murals by taking off siding from the outside of the building and pulling out wet insulation.
“If water sits behind the walls for too long, it could start to compromise the integrity of the plaster and the iconography,” O'Keefe said.
On top of this, the wood paneling on the walls and wood flooring was also soaked in water. The hope is that some of it will return to its original shape as it dries, but some will remain warped and have to be replaced or at least sanded down and refinished. There is also much cleaning to be done due to the smoke, soot, and debris.
A look at the damaged dome. Photo: St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church/Greenville
“Looking forward, our parish will be pulling together to find ways of serving a community that has already outgrown our space, now with our main space out of commission for the time being,” the iconographer said. “It will be challenging but I believe it will pull us together as a community in Christ. People have been active in taking up the physical work of the cleanup. Services will be held in our parish hall, as well as at some rented spaces where we have been holding multiple Sunday services to relieve crowding. We have been blessed by a strong response to our fundraising appeal so far, which will help us get through this time.”
More than $115,000 has been raised for the parish through GoFundMe, but while money may pay for physical labor, it doesn’t produce it. The task that lays before O’Keefe is difficult, but he says many people have offered care and support for his family and are very sorry to see the beloved icons lost.
“The dome was certainly the most challenging part of the iconography to do, and I am preparing my mind and body to approach the task again, by the grace of God and the prayers of the people,” he said.
As for the symbolism of the roof being opened when it was, O’Keefe said he was amazed when he heard the Gospel reading and was wondering how to understand it.
In a post on Facebook, the church described its community as one that is “bursting at the seams.” Services were already being hosted at an off-site chapel to serve the growing flock, and an early morning service was being held at the side chapel in Greenville. With three services combined, including the one in the main church, the parish serves more than 500 souls.
“It is impossible to ignore that the lightning struck and down came very specifically the image of Christ Pantocrator to the floor of the Church,” O’Keefe said. “Is the image of Christ broken in the midst of the church an image of the people who are sick and in need of healing in our church, or does the intensity of the breaking open of our roof reflect the intensity of those four men's act of opening the roof to bring their friend to Christ? Perhaps Christ's message to us is that we should not complain about the overcrowding of our community – as that house in the story was too crowded to bring the man in – but to keep the door open for the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind despite all the impracticality of it, because it is Christ Himself being lowered into our midst.”
The damaged Christ Pantocrator immediately following the lightning strike. Photo: St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church/Facebook
As there had been concerns about the parish’s limited space, O’Keefe shared the possibility that part of God’s message is in showing them what He can do even when their space is taken away, opening their hearts to prioritize the people as they make do with less.
“God almighty comes down bodily and is broken for us, and in a way, this has been graphically illustrated here,” O’Keefe said. “I can't say with any certainty or clarity, but these are some of the things that have been running through my mind and heart.”
“... We believe God has opened the roof of our building (as in Christ’s encounter with the paralytic, Mark 2:1-12) to galvanize us, our community, and hopefully our wider community, to support this mission with time, talent, and treasure,” the parish posted on Facebook. “... Far from being discouraged, we see this as a clear opportunity to continue with our mission in the upstate of South Carolina.”
