February 25, 2009

Chapel icons depict mysteries of salvation history

By Roxanne King

Since Jan. 6, six artists have labored up to 12 hours a day to paint a series of icons inside the new chapel of Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in south Denver. The artists plan to finish their work, which would normally take six months, this week.

The dozen icons done in bold colors circle the base of a domed ceiling and appear suspended above the chapel, which is flooded with natural light from a series of windows just over the paintings. They are fittingly called the “Mystery Crown.”

To contemplate the works, which depict the main events of salvation history, one must lift one’s head heavenward. The goal, said Spanish artist Miguel Angel Sastre, is that one’s heart also will be turned to heaven— to God—and be converted.

“Through the paintings, we evangelize,” Sastre, 54, said through a translator. “We bring the history of salvation to people through the paintings.”

The icons, a blend of traditional Russian-style iconography with a touch of Picasso-like modernity, were designed by Spanish artist Kiko Arguello, 70, an initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way, a Vatican approved catechumenate—or path of formation—that aims to bring people to mature Christian faith.

All the seminarians attending Redemptoris Mater come from parish-based Neocatechumenal Way communities across the globe. Dedicated to the new evangelization, the seminarians will be ordained priests to serve the Denver Archdiocese.  They also receive missionary training and at the discretion of the archbishop, may be sent anywhere in the world.

Reflecting the international flavor of the seminary, the icon artists, too, represent a variety of countries. Like Sastre, two hail from Spain, one is from Denmark, one lives in the United States and one splits his time between Guatemala and El Salvador. Another six people, including two of the painters’ wives, are helping the artists. They are all laboring for free.

“We do it for the love of Jesus Christ,” Sastre said, explaining that the entire team of painters are lay missionaries with the Neocatechumenal Way.

“Missionaries live on the charity of the people,” Sastre explained. “It’s an ancient tradition that continues to exist in the Church today—for example, monasteries depend on donations. It’s a sign of dependence on the providence of God.”

Formerly an electrical engineer, Sastre said that he and his wife Maripaz, who is helping with the painting, have served as missionaries for 31 years. The parents of 12 children, they live in Valladolid, Spain. Sastre said he paints one to two churches a year in different countries, usually with the same team of painters.

As sacred music played the artists painted, each careful to follow the example of a copy they held in their free hand.  Every artist, Sastre said, was responsible for two icons. In mid-spring, when Arguello comes to proof and touch up the work, the team will return to make corrections.

The central icon depicts the Parousia, or “Second Coming” of Christ. In it Christ holds a book of Scriptures, which declare, “Love your enemies. I am coming.” Icons to the left of that image emphasize Christ’s humanity, including his birth, baptism and crucifixion.  Icons to the right of it emphasize Christ’s divinity, including his resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven.

Up to 16 icons can be depicted in a Mystery Crown, Sastre said. Depending on the size of the area to be painted, fewer may be incorporated. The first Mystery Crown done by Arguello is in St. Bartholomew Church in Florence, Italy. The Almudena Cathedral in Madrid also has one.

Prior to becoming a lay missioner, Arguello, 70, was an artist who studied under Pablo Picasso. In the 1960s, experiencing an existential crisis, he went to live among the poor in the slums of Madrid. There Arguello experienced a profound conversion and formed a Christian community among the residents, which was the start of the Neocatechumenal Way. Today, the Way is present in all six continents and boasts more than a million members worldwide. In the Denver Archdiocese 17 parishes are host to some 34 Neocatechumenal Way communities averaging 20-40 members.

In addition to the seminary in Denver, which is located at 3434 E. Arizona Ave., the Way has ties to 71 other Redemptoris Mater seminaries across the globe. The Way also is responsible for sending hundreds of missionary families like Sastre’s to de-Christianized areas of the world to evangelize.

As a lay missioner, Sastre preaches the good news of salvation. As an artist, he lets the icons do the preaching.

“Sharing the teachings of the Church is the purpose of the icon,” he said. “It’s to give hope.”

It is sacred work, and in the tradition of icon painting the artists pray and fast over their art.  In Denver, the artists rise before 7 a.m., begin the day with morning prayer, share breakfast at the seminary, then paint from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They take a two-hour break for lunch—except on Fridays, when they fast.  They begin another shift of painting at 4 p.m. Five hours later they attend Mass followed by dinner, which concludes their day.

“We start with an American schedule and finish with a European schedule,” Sastre said with a chuckle.

“We are very happy to be here in Denver,” Sastre added, noting that the previous day Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M.  Cap., had stopped by to view the work.

“(The archbishop) said he hopes the icons will help people to pray for many years,” the burly artist said with a smile.

“This is our payment,” Sastre declared. “We don’t get paid money. Our payment is that the people may see the painting and praise God.”

Highly symbolic, icons are a religious art that started in the Eastern Church to communicate theological truths. In the Eastern Church, icons are often described as “windows into heaven.” The colors, forms and stylization in icons strive to convey the spiritual to the beholder. Faces represent human nature transformed into the divine.
“In the Catholic Church we have the word of God, which we proclaim and which has the power to convert,” said Father Florian Martin Calama, rector of Redemptoris Mater. “In the Orthodox Church, they have the icon tradition as well, which shows in art what the Scriptures say with words.

“The Lord speaks to the heart through the word and through the image,” he said.

One of the icons in the Mystery Crown depicts the Annunciation.

“In the Annunciation, the woman, Mary, receives the call of God from the angel,” Father Calama said. “Through her ‘yes,’ the word became flesh.”

So, too, for us, the rector explained.

“God wants to do wonderful things for us,” he said. “Christ wants to be born in us.

“Many people have been called to conversion through icons,” Father Calama said.

In addition to being catechetical, the icons are striking and inspire awe.

“The house of God is beautiful for everyone to enjoy,” Father Calama said. “You should feel at home in the Church. In it you should see the beauty of heaven, the beauty of God.”