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It is not unusual for a Catholic priest to be blessed with artistic talent. The monk Fra Angelico is revered for his glorious frescoes that are cherished almost six hundred years after they were first created. The gifted artist, Fra Bartolomeo is admired for his beautiful Madonna and Child that so lovingly captures the tenderness of a young mother adoring her infant son. And the talented – and scandalous – young monk, Filippo Lippi, is celebrated for his original painting style that helped initiate what was later to be known as The Italian Renaissance.
Art and the Catholic Church have been intertwined since the dawn of Christianity. The most magnificent architecture is witnessed in sky-high cathedrals. The most beautiful paintings are to be found in the chapels of Europe. The most intricate carvings and the most colorful stained glass windows turn tiny village churches into stunning displays of other-worldly beauty. Throughout the earth, many of the most glorious and inspiring works of art are presented by the Roman Catholic Church in honor of their God, the Creator.
Today, talented priests no longer work feverishly to paint their masterpieces onto fresh, wet plaster before it dries. They’re not hunched for endless hours over vellum pages they adorn with gleaming illuminated letters. Today’s priests need to find a different outlet, a more modern way to express their divine spirit of creativity.
 One modern priest has found his calling in a world traditionally uninhabited by men of the cloth: the world of modern fashion.
Father Andrew O’Connor is a visual artist who has worked in a variety of media: video, silk screening, and sculpture. In the past few years he’s become known for his fashion design, using his talents and his calling to create beautiful, quality-made garments that are not only stylish, but socially significant.
Photo left: Father Andrew O'Connor
Why would a priest enter the secular world of high fashion?
“The church demands that you don’t just involve yourself in your own personal salvation,” he says. “We are really here to work for the salvation of the world.”
Fr. Andrew is a self-taught designer who at the age of 16 created his first sewing pattern. One of nine children in the family, he learned young how to be resourceful, and to make things for himself.
Several years ago, while on retreat in the mountains of Guatemala, Fr. Andrew became inspired by the plight of the indigenous poor. Determined to help those people, he developed an economic model that would help preserve the art of traditional Mayan backstrap weaving while providing the workers with not only a living wage, but the dignity of knowing they were creating something of value.
“Only in charity, illumined by the light of reason and faith, is it possible to pursue development goals that possess a more humane and humanizing value.” -- Caritas in Veritate
In 2005, Fr. Andrew created his Goods of Conscience™ – a line of apparel that utilizes the cloth made by weavers in Guatemala. Social Fabric® combines strands of a unique reflective yarn with organic, pesticide-free Guatemalan cotton that grows in soft, subtle colors such as beige and light green. If the cotton is dyed, only natural dyes are used, and no toxic chemicals. The Mayans who work for the organization polish the yarn with a traditional mixture of cornstarch, water and calcium and weave in the special reflective fiber that ensures the fabric won’t be counterfeited. The buttons on the garments are made from renewable resources such as cotton and wood, so the garments are eco-friendly.
Each piece, designed by Fr. Andrew, is hand-crafted by previously under-employed textile workers who practice their craft in a small workshop in the basement of the abandoned convent at Holy Family Church in the Bronx, NY.
The garments are not inexpensive because the fabric is of a much higher quality cotton than what you find in goods from China, and the traditional backstrap weaving for a single shirt can take up to 15 days. The styles reflect a contemporary classicism that gives them timeless appeal. In other words, you’ll get several seasons of wear from them so they’re well worth the investment. The fabric is easy to care for, can be rolled up and tossed into a suitcase for easy travel, and the urban styles are designed to be gloriously comfortable. This is Father Andrew’s version of Intelligent Design.
Most importantly, the funds these garments generate are put back into the community through local projects and services. The wages sent to the families in Guatemala pay for books and uniforms so the children can go to school, and the community can build a new church.
When you purchase a Goods of Conscience™ garment you know you’re contributing to an organization that prides itself on promoting good works rather than one that takes pleasure in pushing the limits of social tolerance. (We’re so, so tired of designers who think their mission is to shock the world through campaigns that publicly celebrate the abandonment of morality.) You can buy stylish guilt-free fashions, assured that you’re building a better society while you’re building your wardrobe.
 Modern, urban fashions created with traditional Mayan techniques
Recently, Fr. Andrew’s Goods of Conscience™ project got a terrific boost from Vogue Magazine when his Tattersall shorts were selected by Cameron Diaz during a photo shoot for the June 2009 issue. The tattersall is made from color-grown verde (sage  green) and terra pura (brown) on a field of crudo (off white). The city length shorts sell for $275 a pair.
Photos right: Cameron Diaz in Goods of Conscience shorts
This Pencil Skirt, selling for $325, is low-waisted and fully lined. The shape is flattering to virtually every figure type, and the fabric drapes beautifully to create a very soft and feminine silhouette. It can be dressed up or down, and works well with the Monterrico jacket.
Photo left: Pencil skirt
 This fully lined and tailored jacket sells for $895. It has an inner zipper and coconut buttons that are earthy reminders of the rustic origin of the cloth. The style is classic, so the Monterrico should give years of fashionable function whether combined with a skirt for professional appeal, or jeans for comfortable, casual weekends.
Photo right: Monterrico safari jacket
 The Safari dress is a great choice for autumn, worn under a tailored jacket or loose cardigan. It would also make a terrific all-season travel companion. Little epaulets hold the rolled short sleeves. The rounded collar and a long row of pretty bone buttons give a delightfully feminine touch. The Safari dress sells for $580, which is an investment worth making in a classic style that is as welcome in the jungles or corporate America as it is in the deepest Amazon.
Photo left: Button front Safari dress
 When Fr. Andrew was a Dominican novice for a brief time in his career, he wore a white habit with a hood and scapular, the long, flowing fabric that goes in front and back. The scapular had a profound purpose and meaning for the priest: at the vestition, the scapular was flung out onto the floor before the priest fell prostrate onto it. Today, he believes, our culture is so dogmatically practical that we miss out on the symbolism of our dress. Fr. Andrew created the Pacific Tunic to connote religious peace and the feminine power of healing. The tunic sells for $350 and will soon be available in a shortened version to pair with pants.
Photo right: Pacific tunic
 Among the men’s styles Goods of Conscience™ offers is the Bronx Blazer field jacket with ½ lining Perfect for casual or casual dress wear, the jacket sells for $795. It’s handy for travel because it can be rolled up and packed in a suitcase and still look great upon arrival.
 Photo left: Bronx Blazer
One of the more dramatic items designed by Fr. Andrew is one that won’t appeal to everyone: it’s a chasuble for priests This model created in the season’s most popular color, orange, features a contrasting red, a hand-painted excerpt from John’s gospel. It glistens gold in sunlight that shines through the stained glass windows of the church.
Photo right: Orange chasuble with red hand-paint gospel
One determined priest has brought hope and dignity to impoverished people in Guatemala and needy textile workers in the Bronx
Fr. Andrew has channeled his remarkable gift of design, his boundless energy and optimism, and the abundant love in his heart toward helping others -- by helping them help themselves. He has done so in a way that brings products of value to a market that is moving away from the frivolity of disposable fashion and the inhumanity of sweatshops. He has developed a brand of fashion that doesn’t produce merely garments: it creates real clothing, of truly natural materials, made by the hands of skillful artisans. With their timeless design and eternal impact, Fr. Andrew’s fashions help create a better world.
That’s what we consider truly Intelligent Design.
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