Dear Bishop Sisk,

I am writing to you today in reference to my visit to the cathedral with my high school art classes. While I have been bringing students for many years to Saint John the Divine and all have enjoyed its majesty, I am disappointed to say that today's visit upset quite a number of students as well as staff members. I sincerely hope you might be able to shed some light as to what I would consider a poor and vastly inappropriate choice for the hierarchy of the cathedral to make.

"Season South Africa" is part of a visual and performing art's program on display in the Church. It has billed itself as "challenging the frontiers of artistic expression, both visually and intellectually..." Bishop Sisk, many of us were sickened at the selection of works permitted to be displayed inside this holy place. My only question to you is why art that not only disrespects some of our sensibilities but also demeans our beliefs is being officially sanctioned by the Episcopal Church? In particular, the artist Diane Victor and her work, "The Eight Mary's." Mary was illustrated in several different disturbing manors. Blood cascading from between her legs, as a wire hanger dangled from her left hand. Another scene has a dog precariously positioned under her raised skirt. Mary then appears as a wash woman with clothespins attached to her naked torso. One final image is a Pieta representation where both are nude and Jesus is lying across Mary's lap with his penis placed intentionally and prominently as a focal point.

I am an art teacher and one who is vehemently opposed to censorship of any kind. Radical art, the kind that forces you to think will always exist, and should. Great artists do not seek to imitate what has triumphed before, or to produce what is acceptable, but instead almost by definition inhabit the political, moral and legal fringes of society. I am also familiar with artistic controversy for the sole sake of controversy. Bringing shock value into one's art does not intrinsically incorporate artistic integrity or a decipherable message. Ms. Victor is slighting dogma to jumpstart a less than productive career. As Bishop Fulton Sheen so eloquently stated: "The Church discourages bad thinking, for a bad thought set loose is more dangerous than a wild man. Thinkers live; toilers die in a day. To kill one bad thought may mean the salvation of ten thousand thinkers." If this exhibit was located in the Brooklyn Museum or the Museum for African Art, this letter would certainly not be necessary. I would ask only that the exhibit be moved to a secular location, where its "meaning" could be pondered by serious art patrons without needlessly offending church attendants.

One aspect that sets the Episcopal theology apart from some other religions is its reverence for the Blessed Mother. How does the Episcopal Church expect its own members or others to have a semblance of respect, when it provides a forum for those that make profane use of our symbols? There are countless examples of those in this world who degrade people and principles many hold dear. I do not believe the Episcopal Church needs to assist these bastions of intolerance in this less than noble venture.

Hoping that the Bishop was at the very least unaware of the display I waited for a response. What I received was simply a puerile display of insouciance:

"Dear Mr. DeStefano,

Thank you for your letter concerning the current exhibit in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Let me begin by saying how sorry I am that you were offended by it. Clearly parts of the exhibit are controversial. I know that the Cathedral has a very careful and thorough vetting process for art that will be exhibited in that grand and sacred space. One criteria of which is that nothing blasphemous or demeaning to religion (whether Christian or not) will be displayed. Obviously there is a stark difference of opinion as to whether or not the works you mentioned meet that criterion. I would not presume to engage in this discussion on an artistic basis as I consider myself quite amateur in this field."

"Nothing blasphemous or demeaning to religion." I must have glanced over this line four hundred times while questioning my own memory and sensibilities. For some reason the image of the wire hanger resonates clearly with me as an irreverent symbol, so I decided to press on. Understanding that the Right Reverend was unable to provide an acceptable response, I turned my sights to The Reverend Tom Miller, Canon for Liturgy and the Arts. What arrived a few days later was nothing short of astonishing. I simply did not comprehend the angst and deep meaning of these artists, and the real reason this expose was necessary. However, what the Canon does not address is that he cannot deny the credenda of Christian teachings without denying at the same time his own legitimacy. Well, I will let you have a taste of some highlights:

Dear friend:

I was sorry to hear that your recent visit to the Cathedral was a disappointment, and that many of your students were upset by some of the artworks in the Season South Africa exhibit here. Many of the images in this show are extremely challenging and, I am sure, put to the test your ability to discuss their relevance impartially with young students. Encouraged by your comments and others, we have decided to put a cautionary sign near some of the work indicating it might not be suitable for young viewers without explanation.

I was glad to hear that you oppose censorship and I agree with you that there will always be a place for art that "forces you to think." Diane Victor's Eight Mary's is certainly a case in point. It is an autobiographical critique of the way in which feminine imagery has been manipulated to suppress and control women in many cultures.

...these works are rooted in the artists' truthful engagement in South Africa's struggle and in their experiences not only of hope, but also of the suffering from which this hope is revealed as grace upon grace.

...it is just such challenges that can, upon reflection, deepen our faith.

Believe me when I say after reading this response I certainly felt I was in it, fairly deep. So the Canon decided to place a cautionary sign "near" the works in question. This would be tantamount to hanging a "do not look" notice by an adult bookstore. More specifically, inside the bookstore, down the aisle and above the rack of magazines.

America needs to take a long look at the direction our faith is taking. We also need to take a vested interest in protecting the ideals we deem important. Anti-Christian forces control significant segments of our society. Unfortunately, their undercurrent of hatred will continue as an ineradicable presence in our society. All we can hope for is a growing trend to reject the nescient aimlessness of attempts to instill unproductive ire. The secularists need to alter a self-serving lament to a seemingly unattainable level of understanding for all people. I am saddened to now realize that when they target our houses of worship, our religious leaders are holding the doors wide open.

--CJ DeStefano is an artist and art educator from New York. He has been in the education system for 15 years and has been married to artist Marie DeStefano for 11 years. A self-described ultraist, he has written to countless organizations, politicians, and celebrities in an unwavering attempt to alter what he sees as a narrow and self-aggrandizing world view.