“Holy Image, Hallowed Ground” exhibition

James Mahlke, a reader from St. Hermen Orthodox Church in Oxnard, kisses the hand of Father Justin Sinaites, 57, a greek orthodox monk from St. Catherine’s Monestary in Sinai, Egypt.  (Mel Melcon / LAT)

Sinaites, right, and Father Dorian Llywelyn, an Associate Professor of Theological Studies at Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, participate in a conference titled, “The Spirituality of the Icon” at Loyola Marymount University.  (Mel Melcon / LAT)

Father Sinaites stands in front of a panel from “Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons From Sinai.”  (Mel Melcon / LAT)

Father Sinaites, right, speaks with visitors to the Getty. So far, more than 171,000 people have toured the “Holy Image, Hallowed Ground” exhibition.  (Mel Melcon / LAT)

Because Father Sinaites speaks English and knows the Getty exhibition’s 43 icons, six manuscripts and four liturgical objects intimately, he was tapped to monitor their care on a rare trip outside their desert home, 8,000 miles away.  (Mel Melcon / LAT)