FILE: 14-Holy Angels.jpg

DESCRIPTION: The word Icon comes from the Greek word eikona, which means image. So literally, a religious Icon is a depiction of Christ, the Virgin Mary, a Saint, Angel, or a particular holy event. ICONS are unique religious images. By contemplating icons of our Lord, of those holy ones who are with our Lord in heaven, and of those sacred events which are part of Christian Tradition, we strive to achieve a powerful and prayerful meditative mood. We never worship the images, themselves. Through these “windows into heaven” we direct our prayers to God Who became visible and approachable in the Son and Who, alone, we worship and adore. Icons are found throughout the church yet our attention is specially focused on those which form the icon screen. The "holy doors" in the middle of the screen represent the gates to the kingdom of heaven and, like the icons themselves, draw us into the heavenly mystery rather than separating us from it.