An icon of St. Joseph will be the centerpiece of a special prayer service at St. John the Baptist Parish, 209 South St., Waunakee, on Saturday, March 19, at 8 a.m.
Tag: icon
Religious Sister discovers love for the ancient Christian art of iconography
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| Sr. Anne Joseph of the Sisters of Mary Morning Star in Monona works on an Icon of the Madonna and Child. (Contributed photo) |
MONONA — “When you find something that you really love to do, and you’re passionate about it, it changes everything,” said Sr. Anne Joseph from the Sisters of Mary Morning Star in Monona.
She was speaking about her recent involvement in the practice of “writing” icons, an ancient Christian art form that dates back to the earliest centuries of Christian history.
These pieces of art, known for their non-realistic, heavily symbolic, and copied imagery (writing an icon is more often a process of carefully repainting a pre-existing image with much tradition and history behind it), were not something Sister Anne said she fully appreciated when she first dabbled in the art form in high school. Back in about 2005, she took a class in iconography through the Institute of St. Joseph in Boyd, Wis.
“I wasn’t originally attracted to them,” she said. “But I was kind of an artist.”
She said that it was more of her dad who really loved icons. “At the time, I wanted to do more realistic paintings.”
But she says she believes her 11 years at the Sisters of Mary Morning Star convent prepared her to develop a better appreciation for the practice of writing and praying with icons.
A new opportunity
It was early March of this year, just before the world was turned upside down with the coronavirus, that Sister Anne was given the second opportunity in her life to get involved in iconography.
Drazen Dupor, who has been teaching iconography in the Madison area since 2003, was offering a three-session class at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona.
Sister Anne saw the advertisement and was interested, but due to the cost of the class, she thought it best not to ask her prioress for permission to take the class.
“So, what happened was quite providential,” she said. “My prioress asked me and another Sister if we wanted to do this icon class, and I said, ‘Yes!’ Like you don’t even know that I actually do icons. So we did the class, and I really loved it.”Iconography Workshop to be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona
MONONA — An Iconography Workshop will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 5101 Schofield St., Monona, from Friday, March 6, to Sunday, March 8.
People are invited to come and paint their own icon. This hands-on painting workshop (taught in the Byzantine style) is open to adults and teens (age 12 and older).
Instructor will be Drazen Dupor, an iconographer who has been painting icons since 1986. He has a studio in Middleton and frequently leads workshops at retreat centers, schools, and churches.May Holy Family bless, strengthen, and heal us
This Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, honoring the beautiful truth that God entered into the world through a family, an extraordinary one at that, but a human family.
Pondering this remarkable truth for 2000 years, the Catholic Church has a highly developed theology of marriage and family, seeing each Christian home as a domestic church, a sacred place where children are conceived, born, nurtured, and raised to know, love, and serve God.
Devotion to Mary continues
When I was growing up in La Crosse, I used to attend Our Mother of Perpetual Help novenas every Tuesday evening with my family at Blessed Sacrament Parish.
I liked attending the novenas, but I never learned much about this Marian devotion. It wasn’t until recently that I found out how it developed.
I discovered that the icon of the Blessed Mother with her divine son (pictured here) has helped provide strength, comfort, and even miracles to the faithful for centuries.
It seems appropriate during May — the month dedicated to Mary — that we learn more about Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
Black Madonna icon visits Madison
MADISON — The pilgrim icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa (also known as the Black Madonna), a replica of the original icon found in the Jasna Gora monastery in Poland, was in Madison recently as part of an historic pilgrimage in the movement to build a culture of life.
On June 19, the Black Madonna was on display on the sidewalk outside of the Planned Parenthood Clinic on Orin Rd. for an afternoon prayer vigil and at an evening Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona.
Students in Jefferson learn about icons
JEFFERSON — Seventh and eighth graders at St. John the Baptist (SJB) School in Jefferson were recently able to catch a glimpse of heaven thanks to the work of Madison-based iconographer, Drazen Dupor.
Students had been studying religious icons in religion classes. In collaboration with art teacher Sally Koehler and with the support of the SJB Home and School Association, students began their first steps on the journey to understanding and appreciating this cherished liturgical art form.
Preview of Pentecost and Mary’s special role
As we work our way through May, through this Month of Mary, our hearts, with Mary, continue to rejoice at the Resurrection of Jesus and our eyes look to Pentecost. In as much as we are always looking forward to Pentecost, to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon us, we are with Mary and so, too, with the Church.