Father Jerome

Following the Trail of Father Jerome : Cat Island's Hermitage is a Unique Monument to Mystical Faith

June 15, 2007 - 5:10pm — Peter Swanson

On a dewy morning you might daydream of Ireland.

Surrounded by a rolling green landscape, a stone monastery in miniature scale stands abandoned around you, looking like something St. Patrick himself had called home. But as your eyes wander westward, the sea shines in colors no Irish homebody ever beheld. The blue-green bands of shallow water signal that this is a Bahamian place.

The place is called the Hermitage. It is the crown atop Mount Alvernia, the highest peak in the entire Bahamian archipelago, though it rises to a mere 206 feet above sea level. This one-man monastery was the work of its sole resident, a brilliant and eccentric Roman Catholic clergyman who called himself Father Jerome.

Father Jerome, who lived from 1876 to 1956, was a trained architect who designed and built many churches in the Bahamas. Their styles vary, but one of the most stunning—the Catholic church at Clarence Town on Long Island—could be described as Greco-Celtic with a hint of Moorish influence so often found in old Mediterranean architecture. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in all the islands.

It was Father Jerome’s second church in Clarence Town. He had overseen the construction of the first, years before converting to Catholicism, when he was serving as an Anglican priest. His conversion suggests that the English brand of religion was too tepid to this deeply spiritual Englishman.

Father Jerome will be remembered for his churches. Standing atop peaceful, windswept Mount Alvernia, however, you would be tempted to consider this place Father Jerome’s masterpiece. Father Jerome built The Hermitage himself stone by stone, all of which he personally hauled to the summit. There were two paths: one steep and direct; the other longer and less strenuous. Most of us would push our heavy-laden wheelbarrow up the latter, but with Father Jerome one suspects not.

He decorated the difficult route with concrete bas-relief “stations of the cross,” so maybe he lugged his materials this way in penitence.

“A proper church is no mere assembly hall, theatre or auditorium for preaching and community singing, but it is first of all a place of sacrifice,” Monsignor John Cyril Hawes wrote years before, assuming the name Father Jerome. “It should breathe forth an atmosphere of prayer of religious awe and supernatural mystery.”

Even in the Hermitage’s tiny chapel with its single pew, Father Jerome succeeded in creating that atmosphere. A few yards away, his tiny sleeping quarters still featured his simple planked bed, no bigger than a ship’s berth. In the stone tower still hangs a big bell, rusted now and silent.

He had spent a career doing many things, including building churches and a cathedral in Australia, all of which are now considered national treasures there. His tenure Down Under had been anything but peaceful, however, as he toiled in and out of favor, depending on which bishop held sway.

Finally in 1939, he wanted out badly enough to leave his respected position in Australia. He returned to the Bahamas of his younger days. Here on Cat Island he built himself the Hermitage like other men might build a boat, and he anchored his soul beneath the undiluted stars.

But if his plan was to lead a quiet, contemplative life, it went awry. Father Jerome became a celebrity in the Bahamas. His skills were in great demand, and so he went back to work building churches, a convent, a monastery and a boy’s college, all in the Bahamas. Summarizing one biographer: Father Jerome worked himself to death. And he did not die in his monk’s bed but across the water at a Catholic Hospital in Miami.

If you have thoughts of a Bahamian getaway, consider Cat Island. Like any out island, Cat has sandy beaches, beautiful water, friendly faces and bountiful fishing, but only on Cat will you be able to commune with the spirit of Father Jerome. Surely Father Jerome would forgive you if you came to his place for a picnic and bottle of wine—red, of course.

Cat Island, Bahamas

If you're looking for a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life in the American fast lane, Cat Island, Bahamas is the place. My buddy and I weren't exactly looking for that, but we found it anyway. For the last three years, we've flown down to the islands to fish, skin dive, and generally look around. This year Cat Island was the place. Supposedly named after a pirate of old, Cat island is one of the out islands and is below Eleuthra. Sporting a few really nice resorts, for the most part it is rural and undeveloped. We stayed at the Orange Creek Inn. The shot of the church and water was taken out of the south door looking west over the Caribbean. The inn was without some of the extra's like a restaurant, but was spotlessly clean. Very nice and within our budget..around $80 per night for two double beds. The proprieter, Margaret Claire was right on with her description of the inn. And, we were within walking distance of bonefish flats. Her brother had a boat and could take you out for some deep sea fishing if you so desired.
One very interesting site was The Hermitage, on Mt. Alvenia. Built by Father Jerome, a world weary architect that arrived on Cat Island in 1939, it is one of the most interesting sites and well worth the scramble up the trail to see. The trail takes the form of Via Dolorosa with stations of the cross to the top.
The Bahamians, as on the other islands, were very friendly. Not a vehicle would pass without blowing the horn and the passengers waving.

Erik Dahlager's Gumoil Process

At the recent Spring Daze Festival I found a most interesting artist. Erik Dahlager from the booming metropolis of Traphill, NC (next to Stone Mountain State Park). Erik uses the gumoil process to process his photographs. This leaves a picture somewhere between a photograph and a woodcut print, in my humble opinion. Anyway, however you describe it you must say it's has unique and beautiful characteristics. The process is very versatile allowing some leeway in what and how you develop it. Check it out at www.erikd.com.

Mark Holder Jeweller

What a friendly bunch! At the GBH Festival Buffy from Mark Holder Jeweller came by the booth and told me I should stop by the store. Being one who usually takes advantage of invitations, I did. I met Robyn and Mark Holder, owners who were so friendly. What a pleasure it was. Mark is a very talented and accomplished jeweller, gemologist, and master engraver among other things. With that caliber of folks and shops I can see why the State Street area is booming. If you're looking for beautiful and unique jewelry from wedding rings to estate jewelery or repair, they can do it all. Mark gave me a tour of his extensive shop. They have the latest in tools and equipment for all facets of the jewelery craft and the skill and knowledge to carry it through. Robyn also bought some of my Beggars Bowls....Thanks Robyn.

Great Festival!

Thank you, great customers, for making the Greensboro Bicentennial Heritage Festival a smashing success for Metallic Artistry and the folks that braved wind , rain, cold and sun, my hats off to you. It was great seeing old friends and making new ones over the weekend. Hope to see you all again real soon. It was so neat to see the celebrations all over downtown with real craft demonstrations in the Center City Park and those great antique autos. They were so interesting, and so were the enthusiasts that loved and cared for them. It's so much fun to talk to folks with so much passion for their interests. We are truly blessed with so many talented people in this area.
Saturday started out with everybody dodging showers 'til sometime after 12 when it finally settled down, some sun could be seen and everyone saw it was safe to venture out without getting too wet. We had a great afternoon, although the wind was bad in some areas, we were sheltered somewhat on Davie Street by the YWCA. I've been to enough of these I've got a pretty good feeling for wind dynamics and had most of my displays fairly low profile. Some others on the street didn't fare so well. Early on, a bad gust took down a potter's rack with hours and hours of work along with it. Unfortunately that's one of the risks that go with the territory. We pour our hearts and soul into our endeavors, present them to the world with our hearts in our hands only to have them dashed to destruction or rejected. We artists have to be a tough lot sometimes. But, the rewards are worth the price. Check out the two young ladies in their 40's classic clothes. All day we saw vintage and costume clothes worn by period actors some with Original vintage clothes from Design Archives on Tate Street. I've always loved the old WWII era movies, and these two looked like they just came through a time bridge which opened up on our street. I had to get a shot. Thanks ladies!! Oh, by the way check out the sign just to the left of the black hatted young lady.....it says, "1st Place Best of Show". That's a first for me. Thanks judges for knowing a good thing when you see it and rewarding our hard work!
The other pic is of the tent with sis Ann on the left and Miss Karrie Detwiller. Karrie collaborates with Metallic Artistry occasionally with some of her exceptional jewelry. Quite a few customers availed themselves of her beautiful work over the weekend. I met Karrie at the Carrboro Arts Center where she teaches numerous classes in metalworking techniques. Her young mind is a treasure chest of metalworking knowledge. I had her Chasing and Repousse class and hope to incorporate some of that into my work soon. Stay tuned! Her classes are well worth the 50 minute drive from Greensboro if you're thinking of expanding your skill base. So, time to get back to work for the next show coming up. Later...Ed.

Enameling Furnace

This is the furnace I use for my enameling. It uses 120 volts and has a great programmable control. I would recommend it for metal clay and enamels. Another good furnace would be the low cost electric chamber furnace from Thompson enamels which would have worked for me except for the height of 4 inches. The good thing about The low cost furnace is that it has replaceable elements where the Paragon model the element alone cannot be replaced. Twhole fire box must be replaced if the element goes. One thing about the low cost option, and I found to be generally true about most of the lower cost versions, is that they don't come with a pyrometer or control to keep the furnace at temperature. That control is almost as much as the furnace. So in the end, I felt the best deal going for me at the time was with the Paragon. It's certainly more versatle being able to program it's use for metal clay, glass and other things (which I probably won't use) but the controls were simple to use. One thing you might consider, is having an outlet especially for this one piece of equipment. It's not completely necessary but they do recommend no other large current drawing appliances on the circuit at the same time.





SC2 kiln - Enameling Kilns - Glass Kilns - Silver Clay Kilns

Engraved Cuffs

These are a couple of my engraved cuffs. They are made using cold connections of sterling or copper on brass, buffed to a high shine then laquered for durability. The engraving is a simple line design using some of the hammer and chisel techniques I learned last summer at Montgomery Community College two week Engraving and Scroll Design workshop.

From A Satisfied Customer

A note from one of my best customers, Casey. You're welcome Casey.

Etching Copper and Brass

Some of my customers inquire about the process by which I put the design on some of my work. The process is a chemical etch process. Very basic once the process is understood. For copper and brass I use a ferric chloride solution. This is actually a salt some of my chemically unchallenged friends say. Anyway, the process is very similar to that using acid for other metals such as silver and steel. I know of some knife makers that use ferric chloride to etch steel knife blades. I can give a reasonably deep etch in copper and brass in a couple of hours. I've used this process for etching designs and also for champleve enamel as seen on my stick pins.
We can start out with a design. Draw or trace a design that will fit on your piece. The design should have broad enough lines to allow it to be seen clearly after etching. If you've drawn the outlines, as shown the the picture, determine which part you would like to have eroded and which part is to be raised. I've used some designs which are eroded for the finished look and some I erode around the design in the form of a background. The finished drawing is then traced onto the work. I use a transparency to transfer it to metal in many cases.
If using a transparency, the design drawing is photocopied in reverse on a transparency on a copy machine. Ink jet printers will not do. There must be an emulsion on the acetate to transfer to the work. This can then be placed on the workpiece and both placed on an iron and allowed to heat. Use a burnisher or something similar to rub the dark areas to help the transfer along. Immediately and slowly lift the transparency to see the transferred design. This will probably need some touch up with a Sharpie or red Stabilo pen. Mask of large areas with brown shipping tape. Of course, another option is to just draw directly on the workpiece as shown below.
After the image is transferred and established it is suspended upside down in a plastic container and the whole thing is vibrated or aerated to accelerate the action of the bath. After 2 hours the piece is removed and cleaned up, finished, and any additional shaping is done. The picture on the left shows paper knives (letter openers) with various designs, completed and ready for a new home. Also pictured are some brass brooch pieces ready for the fastener fabrication.

Raising Bowls

Raising is a technique dating back to the 3rd century BC of taking a flat sheet of metal and raising the sides to form a vessel or bowl through repeated cycles of hammering and annealing. The process pushes the metal over a metal stake ( an unyeilding surface) and raises the sides with the height increasing as the diameter decreases. After about three courses, the large lumps are removed by bouging the surface. If the desired height is not obtained, more courses of of forging and bouging are carried out until the desired height or shape is as desired. The item is next planished to smooth and harden the object. The following short video shows a bowl being planished.