An Icon of Faith and Hope

Religious icons are works of sacred art. They are often painted on wooden panels and depict Christ, the saints, and biblical figures. Prevalent in Orthodox Christianity, icons are more than holy images; they have a sacramental-like presence and can be viewed as a “window into heaven.”

An icon of Job adorns the tiny office of Sr. Virginia at the Joseph House Crisis Center. She is an artist, and she made the icon at a workshop. Here is her story about it:

I am very interested in icons, and it has been wonderful to have an opportunity to go to two different icon workshops.

The image of Job was one of the options in the last class I took. It turns out to be quite appropriate for the Joseph House Center! So many of our people have very heavy burdens and have had crushing experiences, like Job. And yet also like Job, their faith sustains them and gives them hope.

All of us who chose the Job icon made exactly the same icon. We were given the design and traced it onto a board and, over five days, painstakingly painted it. There was nothing original about it.

I really enjoyed the discipline involved in the process. It made me appreciate the skills that the painters of the past have developed and perfected – it gave me a glimpse into the great traditional methods.

We painted every day all day, and into the evening some days. It was exhausting and wonderful. At the very end of the workshop, we lined up our icons to be blessed by the priest. They all looked so great!