Icons are topic of Lenten Study at St. Francis

Patricia Resmondo, iconographer, says Icons are the scripture and theology represented in color. She is leading a Lenten study of icons at St. Francis of Assisi.

This year's Lenten Study at St. Francis of Assisi in Gulf Breeze addresses Icons and Iconography. Patricia Resmondo, Iconographer, is guiding the worshippers into the world of Icons and Iconography. Resmondo is a resident of Pensacola and a member of Christ Church. Some of her work, representing the Nativity and Resurrection of Christ, adorns the chapel at Christ Church in Pensacola.

Resmondo teaches, "Icons are in color what the Scripture is in words. Iconography is the Bible and theology in color. Icons were never meant to hang on wall merely as an aesthetic object. Its purpose is to encounter God. They are an attempt to represent the invisible in a way that reminds us of the supernatural and help worshippers concentrate on prayer and contemplation. God speaks to the heart through the eyes. Sense of sight is the most powerful of the human senses. The way to pray before an icon is with eyes wide open."

The St. Francis Lenten Series will continue each Wednesday night in Lent except for March 21.

The Reverend Al Pruitt, Rector of St. Francis, will cover the History of Icons and Iconography on March 14 and Time with Icons on March 28. A Saturday field trip to the Orthodox Church in Malbis, Ala., is planned as part of this study.

This Lenten Series of study, prayer and meditations is time well spent. The evenings begin with a simple supper at 6:00 p.m. and conclude with a service of Compline.