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Jonathan Roumie, star of The Chosen, is a man who certainly wears many hats. From acting on screen or behind a microphone to giving phenomenal and riveting keynote addresses, Roumie is a singular talent. Now, he’s setting trends in Catholic fashion and all because he made an appearance at the National Eucharistic Congress.
Aleteia previously wrote on Roumie’s time at the podium for the National Eucharistic Congress, for which he gave a dramatic reading from the Gospel of John. His brief 15-minute talk kept the audience of some 50,000 in rapt attention as the natural orator got a little personal before diving into the scriptures. The whole video is rather short and worth a watch for all Roumie fans.
While his natural charisma kept all eyes on him, attendees couldn’t help but see the custom printed shirt that Roumie had made for the occasion. Roumie had a simple white T-shirt emblazoned with a partial quote from famed American Catholic novelist Flannery O’Connor: “If it’s a symbol, then to hell with it.”
The quote is referring to the Holy Eucharist and here, O’Connor is defending the Real Presence of Jesus Christ within the Eucharist. These words were not found in her novels or short stories, but rather they came about during a conversation with her fellow novelist Mary McCarthy. As the story goes, according to US Catholic, McCarthy mused that the Eucharist was a nice “symbol,” to which O’Connor quickly responded: “If it’s just a symbol, then to hell with it.”
Of course, Flannery was not actually suggesting that we throw out the Eucharist; she was illustrating the futility of viewing the Blessed Sacrament in such small and insignificant terms. For many denominations of Protestantism, the Eucharist is viewed as “just a symbol,” but here, Flannery is suggesting that if the Eucharist is not Christ, then there is no point.
In her short story “The Temple of the Holy Ghost,” she wrote of the Eucharist:
“I believe the Host is actually the body and blood of Christ. . . . It is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.”
Roumie’s shirt, while it omitted the word “just” from O’Connor’s famous quote, took the National Eucharistic Congress by storm and left many who saw his speech wondering where they could get a shirt like that for themselves. Striking while the iron was hot, Roumie was quick to launch a pop-up store with the help of Red Letter Apparel, where the official shirt is sold.
While the shirt wouldn’t be hard for third parties to put together, Roumie’s official shirt will come with a tag designed by the actor so that customers know they have the genuine article. The front has the O’Connor quote, while the back of the shirt is printed with a quote from the Gospel of John, which Roumie read at the Congress.
In a video greeting at Red Letter Apparel, Roumie explained that supplies are limited and he only expects the pop-up store to be around for about 30 days. So interested parties should not wait to order their “Not a symbol” T-Shirt today. It should be noted that this does not appear to be a charitable endeavor.
