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Praying with Icons

Last update Apr. 22, 2001

 

On January 11, 2001 JOURNEY, the St. John's Prayer Group, offered a special program Praying with Icons. Father Jonathan B. Proctor, rector at Holy Trinity Church in St. Paul, was the speaker. Holy Trinity is in the Diocese of the Midwest of the Orthodox Church in America.

 

In the February 2001 issue of The Voice of St. John in the Wilderness, Cheryl Killien from JOURNEY offered this report:

 

In January Father Proctor spoke to us on the topic of icons. The presentation was very rich, informative and moving. There is so much that goes into an icon; i.e. what different colors represent, how they represent the human side of Christ, if the viewer becomes part of the circle, etc. There are strict rules that are followed in iconography on what can and cannot be represented; i.e. you will never see God or the Holy Spirit as a definitive image.

 

Resources / References

Periodicals

The April 2001 issue of Soundings, the bimonthly newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, had an article on page 15 by Rev. Theo Park of St. James on the Parkway, Minneapolis, titled: "Speaking to the heart that searches for God. Icons open new windows of devotion."

 

Books

  • Praying with Icons, by James H. Forest, Orbis Books, 1997. (available in our church library)

  • Behold the Beauty of the Lord, by Henri J. M. Nouwen

 

Purchasing icons

  • St. Isaac's Bookstore at the monastery of St. Isaac of Syria Skete. 25255 Pilgrims Way, Boscobel, WI 53805, 1-800-81-ICONS; Skete.com

  • Light and Life Publishing located in Minneapolis

  • Cathedral Book Shop at St. Marks Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove Street, Minneapolis, MN 55403; 612-870-7800, extension 19, has a wide selection of authentic Greek icons. Hours: Sundays 8:30 am - 12:30 pm; Wednesdays 1-4 pm and 6-8 pm; Saturdays 9 am - 12:30 pm.

 

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