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Friends,

This is an historic day for the world and the Catholic Faith, as Notre Dame Cathedral burns. This iconic structure has taken two centuries to build, and it burned in a mater of a couple hours.


I invite you to view images of this historic treasure by the artists of Fine Art America and the Catholic Art Gallery - Artist Group.

You may also use the share buttons on the page found on the side panel with your friends and followers (or hit your email forward button).


So may people have visited this Cathedral, or wanted to. This is when artwork preserves history, and the beauty created by many hands.


Please keep this moment in time, and the people involved, in your prayers.






Thank you, and a blessed Holy Week to you.

Frank J Casella, Photographer
Group Administrator





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When we stare at the Crucifix … long enough


…. our lives become more about Love


… and less about us.






“ Prayer is a crucible in which our expectations and aspirations are exposed to the light of God ’s Word, immersed in dialogue with the One who is the Truth, and from which they emerge free from hidden lies and compromises with various forms of selfishness (cf. Spe Salvi, n. 33). Without the dimension of prayer, the human “ I ” ends by withdrawing into himself, and the conscience, which should be an echo of God ’s voice, risks being reduced to a mirror of the self, so that the inner conversation becomes a monologue, giving rise to self-justifications by the thousands. ”

– 2008 Pope Benedict XVI





May the the message of Christ's Passion, and the blessing of Holy Week, bring you into a new conversion of the Faith.

Frank


Visit my gallery collection of Catholic Subjects



'Pictures That Share Hope and God's Love in the World'



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To get updates about new photos and blog posts, like this one, straight in your inbox, subscribe to the E-mail newsletter. About three times a week. Unsubscribe at any time.

Thank you for reading, and subscribing to, my art blog. The contribution you make doing this is priceless.


Delivered free, weekly, now for a half-decade. You can subscribe at no cost by email, by following this blog on Twitter, and on LinkedIn, and best of all, by RSS.


There are no ads, and never have been. No guest posts, of course not. No one can buy a referral. No affiliate revenue either ... or data mining.


I write every word, with you in mind. I do not get how outsourcing something this personal, when you give me the privilege of your attention, would resonate.


The secret to writing a weekly blog is to write every single week (used to be every month). And to post it and publish it. There are no other secrets.


The blog doesn't exist to get you to buy a picture … though sometimes I think I make pictures so people get to read the blog.


I haven't missed a month in a long time – being committed to sharing something like this is most meaningful. I know there are typos, and I am not good with grammar. I hope they are rare and I work to fix them.


Over time, the blog becomes a collection. People remember a message from one post or another a year after I wrote it. The blog or pictures resonates with people in so many ways, they use the search box for learning, I am surprised often - and touched by - what my readers tell me.


It is true that I would write this blog even if no one read it, so thank you for reading it, it is more interesting that way. There are always more than five-hundred subscribers who come and go (with an incredible click-open rate), and, best I can tell, people read this from all over the world.


Some of you have told me that you would like a way to contribute to what we are doing here in a monetary way instead of, or in addition to, purchasing my artwork. Just like you might go to a movie theater, or a concert, or an art gallery and pay to be moved by the experience but take home nothing tangible .... only the memories and moments.


If so, you can do that by credit / debit card and by paypal. And know that the words ' thank you ' do not begin to describe how I am very grateful for your doing this!


God bless you in a special way and where you need it most!

Frank


PS. In the future, to find this page just visit the blog and enter into the search box 'contribute' or 'support' or 'donate' and you'll find it.


PPS. If it's a stretch, please don't feel obligated to send me anything. It is for you that I keep everything free. Others of you may want to make a subscription - to do this click the box 'Make this a monthly donation'.

Support is a more accurate description than subscriptions (I'm not a tax deduction; in fact, I pay income taxes on everything you send me!). Again, you don't need to support me to read anything. And paying for a subscription gets you nothing other than my ability to keep the inspiration flowing, writing and making pictures even more.



'Pictures That Share Hope and God's Love in the World'

The great environmental art photographer, Ansel Adams preferred square format for easy cropping and no need to rotate a camera for vertical shots. He saw no loss of performance with a cropped 6x6 image compared to an uncropped 6x7.

Likewise, with prints and framing, and greeting cards, you can frame the image, or be more creative and fit the image inside any shape frame you imagine. The square fits nicely into the greeting card format, horizontal or vertical, your choice!


I have recently become the curator and admin for two Artist Groups on Fine Art America, featuring works from the worlds greatest artists and photographers.

The key thing about Artist Groups is you can search images by subject or theme, and the featured images are curated by human eyeballs before they get a chance to be ranked by the website.

Collectors have an opportunity to check groups before doing an general website search, and find something unique. This is just another way that Fine Art America helps you to support independent Artists -- as the saying goes ' Independent. Together. '




Square Format Photography - Artist Group


This group displays Fine Art of Square Format Photography only.

Scroll down to view the weekly Featured Artworks available. Then, for a larger collection. click the IMAGES tab above. Still, click the Contest tab to view past group Features archive.


All are welcome to join the group; view images; use the share buttons; post the link in blogs; post topics relating to art and/or the groups topic in the discussion forum; subscribe to RSS feeds; etc.

All images are available for sale. Click on the image of your choice for more details.




Square Art World - Artist Group


This group displays fine art of SQUARE ART WORK. traditional paintings, photography, sculpture and drawings, etc..

Scroll down to view the weekly Featured Artworks available. Then, for a larger collection. click the IMAGES tab above. Also, click the Contest tab to view past group Features.


All are welcome to join the group; view images; use the share buttons; post the link in blogs; post topics relating to art and/or the groups topic in the discussion forum; subscribe to RSS feeds; etc.

All images are available for sale. Click on the image of your choice for more details.




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To come back to this blog directly Bookmark: Blog.FrankJCasella.com

Subscribe to the blog only by RSS https://fineartamerica.com/rss/blogs/frankjcasella

To get updates about new photos and blog posts, like this one, straight in your inbox, subscribe to the E-mail newsletter. About three times a week. Unsubscribe at any time.

I'm Frank J Casella, an American photographer living in Chicagoland - USA. Pictures speak in ways that words can not. Since I was a kid, I've been perfecting how to put my viewer where my subject is - I call this "Pictures People Listen To".


I'm also co-founder of Chicago Catholic Men's Forum, and Executive Director of Catholic Men Chicago Southland. I believe when you foster a man in holiness, the positive adjustments he makes with his life can have an impact three generations deep.


I'm a product of Columbia College Chicago and, shortly after, my childhood dream became reality when I was assigned to photograph the ministry of the (Roman Catholic) Archbishop of Chicago - the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.


My artwork style is inspired by Norman Rockwell. I'm privileged to be nurtured by John H. White - Pulitzer Prize photojournalist.







My Life Mission:

Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
- Luke 9:62




Testimonials:

"Frank Casella, of Photographically Speaking, is like an Old World artist, creative yet meticulous, inspired yet careful, in awe of visual beauty yet not afraid to engage it through the lens of his camera. .... Frank Casella's work is what we mean when we say that photography can be an art".

-- Rev. Anthony J. Brankin, Chicago Priest and Sculpture


"Frank, I just wanted to Thank you again for coming to our photo club and your program on visual storytelling. I know we all got something from your presentation. It was a good idea the way you got us involved in your program. ....

.... For myself it was humbling to see how well you can design a moment to last forever. And your sense of getting the essence of the subject, that simple moment. I have a new respect for black and white images and I understand how it can enhance an image. Thank You again Frank it was a privilege for us to have you as a program presenter."

-- Tim McGrath, c/o Park Forest Photography Club


“Frank, Great Work and great job on your Website. Your work is thoughtful and good and you are an excellent Godly man and photographer”.

– James Klein Lenderink





Sign up for my e-mail list:

If you would like to see new artworks released, and website blog entries, sign up here for my Mailing List delivered a few times a week ... Direct to your inbox! Unsubscribe at any time. I no longer post my stuff to social media.


To that end, here are positive reasons why I post primarily on my own site, not on social media:


1. Having a home

This site is a creative outlet for me. When I want you to know something, I'm going to talk about it here, both with pictures and with words. This is where you'll be able to find me over time and space. This is my home.

People in my old neighborhood used to just drop by to sit on the front porch and catch up; this site serves the same purpose for me. It's something we can depend on so we can always be in contact.


2. Internet citizenship

This is called the "web" because our sites all interconnect with links. Hyperlinking is what gives the Internet its richness. Following links has helped me learn so much, and give back. My own blog site lets me do that.




Where To Find Me Online:

Join My Photography Mailing List Free. Unsubscribe at any time.

Subscribe to My Newsletter for Chicago Catholic Men

Follow My Photography Page on LinkedIn

Check out My concept pictures, projects, and articles at FrankJCasella.iPernity.com

If you find an image there that you'd like to see for sale here, drop me a note.


View My hometown photo project 'Home Sweet Homewood 1 Day' at homewood1day.wordpress.com



Come back here to shop My website, bookmark shop.frankjcasella.com

Search My Stock Photos on LicensingPixels.com


Drop me an E-mail and say hello. (Phone calls by appointment made via email.)








View the Frank J Casella Photographer Page on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/frankjcasellaphoto






“As a photographer, the big secret is entering into the charisma with the person you have in front of you. If you don't feel it, you'll never do it well.” ~ ARTURO MARI
, Vatican photographer

Welcome to Frank J Casella Artistic Photography. Pictures of moments in time, and human interaction, that share hope and God's love in the world.

Subscribe to my blog and receive new blog posts, and latest photo uploads, straight in your inbox! (direct link www.LIST.FRANKJCASELLA.COM)

I no longer post my images directly to social media.

I've become passionate about designing my life around focused work and protecting my time from distraction and devices. After all, it's the only way to get any photography done.


This blog is about pictures, hope, and God's love. To start reading from the top, click the 'VIEW ALL" button above. Enjoy!

Follow along with my journey at the options below. Thanks and talk to you soon!

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To come back to this blog directly Bookmark: Blog.FrankJCasella.com

Subscribe to the blog only by RSS https://fineartamerica.com/rss/blogs/frankjcasella

To get updates about new photos and blog posts, like this one, straight in your inbox, subscribe to the E-mail newsletter. About three times a week. Unsubscribe at any time.

Reading articles through RSS instead of visiting the site directly, or relying on social-media traffic, can improve your media-consumption experience.


I no longer share my stuff on Social Media.


I've become passionate about designing my life around focused work and protecting my time from distraction and devices. After all, it's the only way to get any photography done.


As you know, I mail you ( content from my ) blog posts, and latest updates, about pictures, hope, and God's Love.


But, you can be done with the whole email thing ... if you want to.


... if you only want to read my blogs, and not get the mails.


This blog has one of the fastest-growing RSS feed lists I know of, if you look here at the blogs page on Fine Art America you will find my blog has more views right out of the gate than most.


I don't share it other than with an RSS feed link, as it says at the bottom of my blogs:


Subscribe by RSS



RSS is quiet and fast and Ad-free.

Perhaps that is why it is not the flavor of the day.







The Basics of RSS

RSS is a syndication methodology on the Internet.

RSS Stands for Really Simple Syndication.

RSS is used for the specific purpose or conveying information that a website or blog has been updated.

RSS can automate web surfing, create a virtual custom newspaper, and help you stay current in your areas of expertise or interest.

Subscribing to RSS feeds can deliver targeted and timely information.

Subscribing to RSS feeds allows you to monitor your own RSS feeds.


How RSS Works and Why You Should Use It



And of course, you can always bookmark this page, to read blog posts only, on your browser and come visit me now and then.




Talk with you again real soon!

Frank



'Pictures That Share Hope and God's Love in the World'




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To come back to this blog directly Bookmark: Blog.FrankJCasella.com

Subscribe by RSS https://fineartamerica.com/rss/blogs/frankjcasella

To get updates about new photos and blog posts, like this one, straight in your inbox, subscribe to the E-mail newsletter. About three times a week. Unsubscribe at any time.

Please check the site at the link below, I'd love to know what you think!

I have spent a lot of time on this, and now I am blurry eyed.

Thank you!


Frank J Casella Website - frankjcasella.pixels.com





Here is a short list of what is so cool about my website site that some of you may not yet have realised:


1. The new website is fully "responsive". This means that they will display perfectly on iPads, iPhones, etc. If you shrink the size of your browser window on your laptop, you'll see the websites change their layouts as you resize the window.


2. The search engine has not changed at all and is identical to the search engine on Fine Art America. You can search based on keywords, titles, subject, or combinations of all three. You can search within the galleries, as well. You can also filter you search results based on size, shape, medium, colors, and more.


3. The website can still process payments in multiple currencies (e.g. British Pounds, Euros, etc.) and display measurements in inches or centimeters. The appropriate currency and measurements are selected automatically based on the user's location in the world - but the user can change them, if they want to, down in the footer.


4. When you place an order, the credit card will now display the URL of my website on the credit card statement. For example, since my website is frankjcasella.pixels, then the you will see FRANKJCASELLA.PIXELS.COM on your credit card statement. I know some of you have asked about this, also ... .


5. When you make a purchase it's the same as making a purchase on Fine Art America / Pixels, as well. ...

... My partnership with Fine Art America assures each print is produced using my high-resolution original photos, meticulously assembled at a state-of-the-art production facility, and delivered worldwide to your doorstep as a "ready-to-hang" masterpiece with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The Fine Art America logo at the bottom right of the images will not appear on your final purchase.


Thanks for reading!


SHARE HOPE AND GOD'S LOVE





Talk with you again real soon!

Frank



'Pictures That Share Hope and God's Love in the World'



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To come back to this blog directly Bookmark: Blog.FrankJCasella.com

Subscribe by RSS https://fineartamerica.com/rss/blogs/frankjcasella

To get updates about new photos and blog posts, like this one, straight in your inbox, subscribe to the E-mail newsletter. About three times a week. Unsubscribe at any time.

I like how the snow highlights these tree branches.


In a way, it reminds me of how linking connects different 'branches' on the internet known as the web.


To that end, here are positive reasons why it is important to post each new entry primarily on your own site or blog, not on social media:


1. Having a home

A blog site is a creative outlet. When you want people to know something, you're going to talk about it here. This is where others will be able to find you over time and space. This is your home.

For example, people in my old neighborhood used to just drop by to sit on the front porch and catch up; this site serves the same purpose for me. It's something we can depend on so we can always be in contact.



2. Internet citizenship

This is called the "web" because our sites all interconnect with links. Hyperlinking is what gives the Internet its richness. Following links has helped me learn so much, and give back. Thus, your own site lets you do that.



Here is an interesting article that inspired me to write about this On Blogs in the Social Media Age http://calnewport.com/blog/2018/12/07/on-blogs-in-the-social-media-age



Thanks for reading,

Frank J Casella

In Christianity, votive candles are commonplace in many churches, as well as home altars, and symbolize the "prayers the worshipper is offering for him or herself, or for other people."


The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, almsgiving, and self-denial.

Easter Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, as well as by its position in the calendar

The Easter Vigil is the "Mother of All Vigils."Easter Sunday, then, is the greatest of all Sundays, and Easter Time is the most important of all liturgical times. Easter is the celebration of the Lord's resurrection from the dead, culminating in his Ascension to the Father and sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. There are 50 days of Easter from the first Sunday to Pentecost.It is characterized, above all, by the joy of glorified life and the victory over death, expressed most fully in the great resounding cry of the Christian: Alleluia! All faith flows from faith in the resurrection:"If Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, is your faith." (1 Cor 15:14)

"What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind;…So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one. So, too, it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being," the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one (1 Cor 15:36-37, 42-49).

The octave of Easter comprises the eight days which stretch from the first to the second Sunday. It is a way of prolonging the joy of the initial day.In a sense, every day of the Octave is like a little Sunday.

The word "Easter" comes from Old English, meaning simply the "East." The sun which rises in the East, bringing light, warmth and hope, is a symbol for the Christian of the rising Christ, who is the true Light of the world. The Paschal Candle is a central symbol of this divine light, which is Christ.It is kept near the ambo throughout Easter Time, and lit for all liturgical celebrations.


Source USCCB






Click HERE to visit my selection of Lent and Easter Artistic Photography.


A blessed Lent and Easter season to you,

Frank






'Pictures That Share Hope and God's Love in the World'



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