Dear Padre Artical - 14th March 2010

Dear Cheryl,

In general usage, the word icon means any symbol or image. In the Church, however, it refers to an image that depicts Bible stories or holy people. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, icons spread the Gospel with images instead of words (1160).

The word icon comes from the Greek word eikenai, “to be like.” Icons originated with the Eastern Church.

Even though an icon is an image created with paints, icons are written, not painted. Icon writing, called iconography, is a vocation as well as a talent But all painted representations of the saints, Mary, and Jesus are not icons. The difference between a painting of Mary and an icon of Mary is that iconographers follow strict rules and standards set forth in Eastern Church canon law and Christian tradition. Well rooted in God’s Word, icons are rich in symbolism. The colors, gestures, and shapes speak spiritually to invite us to pray and worship.

Icons can be written on almost any surface, but historically most were written on wood and had a gold-leaf background. One example of this type of icon is Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is believed to have been written in the thirteenth century. It, like all liturgical icons, brings us deeper into the Divine: the overflowing, overwhelming love of God for everyone.