Denver Catholic

9 DENVER CATHOLIC | JULY 8-21, 2017 Amazing Low Rate! AUTO LOANS NEW | USED | REFINANCED ** up to 60 Months 2.49 % APR * Disclosure *APR (Annual Percentage Rate). The Annual Percentage Rate is the advertised rate. Borrowers credit score must be 680 and above to receive the 2.49% interest rate. Terms not to exceed 60 months; debt to income ratio not to exceed 45%; Loan to value not to exceed 125% of NADA value. **Oer not valid for existing Credit Union loans, or renances of recreational vehicles or vehicles used for business purposes; some vehicles may not apply based on age or condition; not valid on indirect loans.Oer only good on new, pre-owned and renanced vehicles July 1 - August 31, 2017. 1 Cannot be combined with any other oer, must mention at time of purchase, limit one per customer. Vehicle must be nanced using standard nancing terms through Fidelis Catholic Federal Credit Union. Oer valid July 1 - August 31, 2017. Your savings federally insured to at least $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government National Credit Union Administration, a U.S. Government Agency NCUA Call: 303.424.5037 Click: Fideliscu.org or Come by today 90 days with no payments and 3 years roadside assistance when you purchase an in-stock vehicle with AutoTrek and nance it through Fidelis. 1 Uniting Your Faith and Finances Mother Cab rini Shrine Summer Feast & Bazaar Saturday & Sunday, July 15 & 16 Saturday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Food Booths, Games, Bake Sale & Handmade Marketplace Mother Cabrini's Birthday Celebration at 3 p.m. in Cabrini Gardens We will pray the novena, release doves in Mother Cabrini's honor and enjoy birthday cake! Mass at 4 p.m. Sunday Masses: 8 a.m., 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. in Spanish The 11 a.m. Mass & the 2 p.m. Mass will be celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodriguez 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. Food booths, Games, Bake Sale & Handmade Marketplace Raffle Drawing at 4 p.m. 20189 Cabrini Blvd, Golden, CO 80401 I-70 West, exit 259 303-526-0758 www.mothercabrinishrine.org The specifi c look of the icons: the elongated nose, the wide eyes, the dimensions and perspectives, are all intensely symbolic. "Icons do not depict outward appear- ances, but refl ect something of invisible, spiritual realities. In fact, all good art does this," Hart said. "An artist isn't just someone who puts colors [on a canvas]," Pierson said. "An artist reveals the reality of this world, which sometimes isn't possible to see. And icon painting is revealing this invisible reality and making it vis- ible with lines and colors." So what are icons revealing through their symbols? Here are just a few insights from Hart: • Inverse perspective: "There is a number of perspective systems used in icons. With inverse perspective, the lines converge on us, the view- ers. This serves to include us in the action depicted," Hart said. "A sacred event in the past is still acting on us today, 'Today Christ is risen.'" • Flatness: "It helps us pass through the icon to the person and events depicted. The aim…is not to replace the subject depicted, but to bring us into living relationship with them," Hart said. • Anatomy: "The eyes and ears of people are often enlarged, and the nose elongated. This is to show that the saint is someone who contem- plates God, who listens to him, who smells the fragrance of Paradise," Hart said. THE SPIRITUAL PROCESS Pierson has been painting icons for 25 years and teaching for 18. Follow- ing the rich tradition of the painting style is the fi rst step of entering into the "spiritual journey" of painting an icon, Pierson said. "It's very important for me to get rooted in Byzantine tradition, espe- cially because it's an art that comes from the Eastern world," Pierson said. "You have to be very careful not to dis- tort ancient tradition but also fi nd a way to speak to our modern world, so it's a very delicate balance. For me, that's crucial, to fi nd this balance." "[Painting] has to be a solitary expe- rience because you have to pray, but for me, it's important to be anchored in a community and liturgical life," Pierson said. Pierson, who is commissioned to paint icons for the community often, begins with research and prayer, both to whom the icon is depicting and for the person who will receive the painting. Then the painting begins, which is an intense, multi-layered process. First, a binder, which is what the pigment adheres to in order to stay on a board, is created. The binder consists of egg yolk mixed with an equal part of water. This is mixed with the paint pig- ment and a few drops of water, creating the egg tempera medium with which icons are traditionally painted. Next, guiding lines are traced into a gesso-covered wooden board and then engraved with a tool. Then, paint is added, layer by layer, beginning with dark colors and fi nishing with lighter colors. "It is as though the iconogra- pher begins with darkness and death, and ends with light and resurrection," Hart said. The fi nal stage is writing the saint's name; then the icon is blessed by a priest and venerated. The working time varies, but it is a very long process, taking up to a year. REVEALING A PRESENCE The act of painting is something Pierson discovered she needs for her life to fl ourish — "essential," even. With icon painting, it "combines art and the vertical connection to God," Pierson said. And the connection to God is expe- rienced deeply throughout the painting journey. "There is a journey — there's a time you feel discouraged or bored. Even though you don't feel it, you live by faith, trusting what you do has meaning and will bear fruit," Pierson said. "With iconography, there is a Presence." "This whole painting journey teaches you about yourself, it takes patience — it takes time. You cannot fi nish an icon painting in a few hours. You have to trust the process. You have to trust someone else is inspiring you, even though it might not be perfect. It's all very like our spiritual life. It teaches us all that in a very practical way," she added. Laurence Pierson, a former nun, teaches the only icon painting class in the metro area. PHOTO PROVIDED

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