Adult Faith Formation —Know your Catholic Faith
The Seventh Ecumenical Council was held in Nicea, Asia Minor, in 787 A.D. under the Empress Irene. 367 Bishops were present. It centered around the use of icons in the Church and the controversy between the iconoclasts and iconophiles.
The iconoclasts were suspicious of religious art; they demanded that the Church rid itself of such art and that it be destroyed or broken, as the name “iconoclast” implies.
The iconophiles believed that icons served to preserve the doctrinal teachings of the Church; they considered icons to be man’s dynamic way of expressing the Divine through art and beauty.
The Council proclaimed “We define that holy icons, whether in color, mosaic , or some other material, should be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on the sacred vessels and liturgical vestments, on the walls, furnishings, and in houses and along the roads, namely the icons of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, that of our Lady the Theotokos, those of the venerable angels and those of all saintly people. Whenever these representations are contemplated, they will cause those who look at them to commemorate and love their prototype. We define also that they should be kissed and that they are an object of veneration and honor, but not of real worship, which is reserved for Him Who is the subject of our faith and is proper for the divine nature, … which is in effect transmitted to the prototype; he who venerates the icon, venerates in it the reality for which it stands.”
A Regional Synod was called in Constantinople in 843 A.D. under the Empress Theodora. The veneration of icons was solemnly proclaimed at St. Sophia’s Cathedral. Monks and clergy came in procession and restored the icons to their rightful places. The day was called “The Triumph of Orthodoxy.” Since that time, this event is commemorated yearly with a special service on the first Sunday of Lent, “The Sunday of Orthodoxy”.
The Yevshan Ukrainian Vocal Ensemble cordially invites you to a 20th year Jubilee Concert on Sunday, October 20th, 2:00 pm at St. Patrick – St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church, 285 Church Street, Hartford. Tickets ($20.00/adults and $10.00/children) will be available at the door. For more information, please call 203-380-2892 or 860-521-4914.
The Sower and the Seeds
The Lord told this parable: “A sower went out to sow some seed. Some fell on the footpath and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, sprouted up, then withered. Some fell among the briers and the thorns stifled it. But some fell on good ground, grew up and yielded grain a hundredfold.” (Luke 8: 5-8)