If you look behind you during Mass, you may notice the Prayer Alcove, a recessed wood-paneled space at the rear of the Chapel. And, if you are lucky, you may see the Jesus Christ the Teacher icon, glittering gold and red in either sun, or electric, light. Soon, and in honor of the Chapel's 80th Anniversary, this icon will be joined by more in the fall of 2018.
In the latter part of 2017, the STM Leadership Team directed their focus on a special way to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the consecration of the STM Chapel. Father Bob wanted more icons to accompany the icon of Jesus Christ the Teacher in the Prayer Alcove, providing the STM community an array of beautiful sacred images, with a full pictorial range of time and place and gender and race and culture. The final outcome was to equally reflect the STM student body and community.
Fr. Bob was eager to connect with the artist he had originally commissioned to execute Jesus Christ the Teacher. Assistant Chaplain Carlene Demiany '12 M.Div. was tasked with leadership of the project and her first accomplishment was the identification of Marek Czarnecki, the prominent iconographer who drew the original icon of Christ. Marek is a widely recognized iconographer of great renown; his studio is located in nearby Meriden, CT.
Carlene identified sixteen iconographers from around the world. Most iconographers, she learned, are only able to commit to writing and completing four to eight icons within a year’s time. These specialized artists are known for their deep research and painstakingly detailed approach to their work. Her interviews with the artists clarified their ability to meet the deadline of fall 2018 and to meet other requirements of the STM commissions. A total of seventeen icons were to be commissioned: one permanent icon and sixteen icons that would rotate with the liturgical season. Consensus then developed on three finalists: Grace Zazzaro of Mystic, CT; Marek Czarnecki of Meriden, CT; and Sister Anne Sekul, R.S.M., of Silverton, OR.
Careful consideration was applied to identify saints, venerable figures and gospel scenes that best reflected the cultural heritage, the legacy and the prominent charisms of the STM community. During Advent, the STM community would encounter icons of Joseph, Mary, John the Baptist, and Elizabeth and Zachariah—all members of Jesus's earthly family. This collection of icons would be the most traditional of the commissions, and the leadership team hoped that students, who may be missing their families during holiday preparations, would gain solace through praying with Jesus's family. For Lent, eight Doctors of the Church, paired in four icons, would be displayed to give students inspiration for research and highlight one of STM's charisms: study. St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux; St. Catherine of Siena and St. Hildegard of Bingen; St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Robert Bellarmine; and St. John of the Cross and St. Jerome all embody STM's guiding principles of “Study Act Pray.”
Left: Sister Anne Sekul’s working drawing for the Hemorrhaging Woman icon. // Center: Marek Czarnecki applies gold leaf to an icon outline. // Right: Marek Czarnecki's cabinet of paint tints.
During Ordinary Time, gospel scenes of the Good Samaritan and the Hemorrhaging Woman would remind the community of STM’s charisms of mercy, compassion and hospitality to both New Haven and Yale University. The scenes would also be accompanied by the Venerable Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, as well as an icon including St. Patrick and St. Bridget. The former would honor the role of women religious in the STM community and the latter would honor the Irish heritage of many of the STM community members.
The current artwork in the Chapel—including the etched glass windows—focuses on European saints; but, the current STM community and students come from all over the world. Many of STM’s students also belong to Yale’s Cultural Centers. It was important for their involvement in both the life of STM and the life of the centers to also be recognized and represented. In an effort to represent the universal Catholic Church through the commissioned icons, saints that represent the various Yale Cultural Centers would also be displayed during Ordinary Time: the Korean Martyrs (Asian American Cultural Center), St. Martin de Porres (La Casa Cultural), St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Native American Cultural Center) and St. Josephine Bakhita (Afro-American Cultural Center).
One icon, that of STM’s patron saint, St. Thomas More, would be permanently housed in the Chapel, truly making him “the man for all seasons.”
In discussions of icons and iconography in Christianity we encounter a rich trove of history, art, worship — and yes, even battle. Simply put, an icon is defined as an image of the holy, an image that is used for veneration. Ancient Christian tradition holds that some early icons were credited to divine agency. These were known as acheiropoieta (not made by human hands). An early icon, the Madylion, was a white cloth
imprinted with the face of Christ by Christ and cited as a miracle icon. In the twelfth century, an icon image of the Virgin Hodegetria was believed the handiwork of St. Luke, prompted by “divine agency.” In that icon, Mary cradles the Christ Child in her left arm as her right arm points to the infant. Hence, the tradition of St. Luke as the original iconographer of Christ.
Left: Jesus Christ the Teacher // Center: Marek Czarnecki works on the icon of St. Thomas More // Right: A collection of completed icons in Marek Czarnecki's studio
While we usually consider icons as paintings, they can take many forms: coins, ivory, marble, precious metal, enamel, textile, mosaic and fresco. Icons can portray an individual, a place, a group or an event. Icons carry with them an implied expectation that the viewer will approach it with deep devotion, will venerate the icon (often by kissing) and proceed to contemplate and meditate—and even emulate—the subject of the work. However, icons were also often mounted on poles and carried into battle, hardly a meditative experience.
Yet, unlike those icons carried into battle, STM’s new icons will be a meditative experience, providing inspiration and opportunity for the spiritual advancement of STM students and community members. Truly, the new icons will take their place and become a part of an eighty-year-old Chapel, guiding those who encounter them in the practice of devotion, veneration, emulation and belonging for decades to come.
Grace Zazzaro - Mystic, CT
Working from her Athella Icon Studio on Enders Island, Grace Zazzaro will write a number of icons for STM. Grace studied at the Chicago Art Institute. Her iconography mentoring was under the tutelage of Iconography Masters in Moscow, Belarus and Greece. Her current mentor is George Kordis of Athens.
Ordinary Time: Korean Martyrs, St. Martin DePorres, St. Josephine Bakhita and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
Marek Czarnecki - Meriden, CT
Marek Czarnecki will be writing STM-commissioned icons from his studio, Sephardic Restorations. He is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Marek continues to work under the tutelage of Russian Orthodox iconographer Ksenia Pokrovsky, foundress of the Izograph School in Moscow.
Advent: Joseph, Mary, (Elizabeth and Zachariah) and John the Baptist.
Lent: (St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux), (St. Catherine of Siena and St. Hildegard of Bingen), (St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Robert Bellarmine) and (St. John of the Cross and St. Jerome).
Permanent Icon: St. Thomas More
Sister Anne Sekul, R.S.M. - Mt. Angel, OR
Sr. Anne Sekul, R.S.M., a Sister of Mercy, is a graduate of the Iconographic Arts Institute located at Queen of Angels Benedictine Women’s Monastery. Her greatest joy, she reports, is in writing icons. She has spent seventeen years writing commissioned icons. She has worked for years under the tutelage of Kathy Sievers, one of the founding teachers of the Iconographic Arts Institute.
Ordinary Time: Good Samaritan, Hemorrhaging Woman, Catherine McAuley and (St. Patrick and St. Bridget).
Works Referenced:
Nouwen, Henri. Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons. Revised Edition. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2007.
Visel, Jeana. Icons in the Western Church: Toward a More Sacramental Encounter. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2016.
Many thanks to Assistant Chaplain Carlene Demiany '12 M.Div. and Fr. Bob for their insight, work and wisdom in both spear-heading this project and shaping this article.
