Pentecost has always been seen as the moment the Church was founded. Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, O.S.B., commissioned this Pentecost Icon - The Icon of the Church - for the Jubilee Year.

The icon depicts the fullness of the Church throughout history and the Communion of Saints. In the icon we see calm and unity, for all were of one accord - filled with the diverse gifts of the Holy Spirit, but united as one in the Church.

A reproduction of the icon has been presented as a gift to all parishes in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

What is an icon?
The word "icon" is from the Greek "eikon," meaning "image." Iconography is a liturgical art, meaning simply that it is art intended for use in liturgy. There is a presence of God in each icon and icons are often referred to as "windows to the sacred," for they are intended to assist the viewer in going beyond the painting into the depth of the subject, bringing you into touch with the transcendent. Icons are often used for prayer, contemplation or veneration.

Icon Perspective And Lighting
Perspective plays a large role in iconography. While secular art uses a "vanishing point," where figures decrease in size and perspective as they recede from the foreground, iconography uses an inverse perspective, where the figures grow bigger as they recede from the foreground. Figures in iconography are not three dimensional, but represented on an equal plane, symbolizing their equal importance. The figures in iconography are shown in a state of "transfiguration." That is, everything is seen, not in natural light, but in "the light of Mount Tabor," the traditional site of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8).

The figures, having attained deification, offer the only light source. There is no light source above or outside the figures, no reflections or sun. Instead, the figures glow from the inside.

The Setting
The Holy Spirit descending is symbolized in the traditional blue rays at the top of the icon and in the tongues of fire. The icon hints at the historical place, the Upper Room, by the pale blue windowed structures that frame it. All in this Upper Room received the Holy Spirit and went out to preach the Gospel, yet the openness of the buildings indicate that the event is not a one-time occurrence, but timeless.

The setting is timeless because the Holy Spirit continues to descend upon the Church without the limitation of time. So this icon does not try to represent only the historical moment, but rather the fullness of the Church throughout history as expressed by the Communion of Saints. Thus while some saints portrayed were historically present in the Upper Room, other saints who were not present at Pentecost are included as well.

For example, we notice the addition of St. Paul, St. Mark and St. Luke: Paul due to his importance in the early life of the Church and his missionary activity; Mark and Luke are honored as evangelists. Because details in icons are governed by a different kind of historical accuracy, Peter is pictured holding a Gospel book, even though the Gospel was not yet written.

Four women saints who lived in different countries and centuries, are also added. These holy women are seen as heavenly friends or patrons who continue to intercede for us. In the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, we have had or presently have parishes dedicated to these women saints. They are Catherine of Alexandria, Barbara, Elizabeth and Hedwig.

The Virgin Mary
The Virgin Mary is at the center of the icon, seen not only as one present, but also as a human Icon of the Church. Here she represents all of us, for even though the Holy Spirit descended upon her at the Annunciation, she was also present in the Upper Room to receive the Holy Spirit as a representative of all creation. Her hands are raised in prayer for the entire Church. The letters on either side of her head are in abbreviated Greek and mean "Mother of God."

St. Peter, Apostle and Martyr (died c. 64) - June 29.
Originally called Simon, head of the Apostles, he was a native of Bethsaida and a brother of Andrew. This married fisherman was given the keys to the kingdom upon his confession of Christ as Messiah (Matthew 16:15-19). After Jesus' Ascension, he presided over the Church in Jerusalem and then in Rome where he was martyred by upside down crucifixion.

St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr, (supposedly fourth century) - November 25 (on local calendars).
Her legend says that she was beheaded at Alexandria after being broken on a wheel, and buried on Mount Sinai. A very popular saint in the middle ages, especially among artists. She is still regarded as the patroness of Christian philosophers.

St. Elizabeth, Cousin of Mary and mother of St. John the Baptist (first century) - November 5.

St. Andrew, Apostle and Martyr (first century) - November 30.
He was a disciple of St. John the Baptist and the first to be called an Apostle. He was the brother of St. Peter and a fisherman. He evangelized Asia Minor and Greece, and was crucified on a cross in the shape of an X. Patron saint of Scotland, Russia and Greece.

St. Luke, Evangelist (first century) - October 18.
Luke was a Greek physician of Antioch who became the fellow worker of St. Paul. He wrote the third gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. He is the patron of surgeons and artists.

St. Mark, Evangelist (first century) - April 25.
Mark is generally thought to be the young man who ran away when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52). He accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas on their first missionary journey; then followed St. Peter to Rome where tradition holds he wrote the Gospel that bears his name, based upon the preaching of St. Peter.

St. Bartholomew, (sometimes identified as Nathanael), Apostle and Martyr (first century) - August 24.
One of the twelve, he labored in Asia Minor, and was martyred perhaps in Armenia.

St. Thomas, Apostle (first century) - July 3.
Surnamed the 'Twin', he is best known for the Gospel account of his unbelief and subsequent profession of faith in Christ's resurrection (John 20: 24-28). Legend says that he preached and was martyred in southern India.

St. Barbara, Virgin and Martyr (date unknown) - December 4 (on local calendars).
Legend states that she was locked in a tower by her father, who killed or nearly killed her himself because she became a Christian. He was then struck dead by lightning. She is the patron of architects, builders and stonemasons and special protector of those in danger of dying without the sacraments.

St. Hedwig, Widow (1174-1243) - October 16.
Hedwig, born in Bavaria, was married to the head of the Polish royal family at the age of twelve. Mother of seven, she retired to a Cistercian monastery upon her husband's death. She is often pictured in a religious habit holding a church.

St. Paul, Apostle and Martyr (c. 3-65) - June 29.
Born at Tarsus, brought up by Gamaliel as a Pharisee, Paul, a tentmaker by trade, began as a persecutor of Christians. Called Saul until miraculously converted on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6), he became the Apostle of the Gentiles.

St. Matthew, Apostle (first century) - September 21.
Matthew was a tax collector (named Levi by Mark and Luke), before being called by Jesus as an apostle (Matthew 9:9). The Gospel of Matthew is attributed to him.

St. Simon, Apostle (first century) - October 28.
Surnamed 'the Zealot', in the New Testament his name appears only in the lists of the apostles.

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (died c. 100) - December 27.
A fisherman, son of Zebedee and brother of James the Greater, he was the "Disciple whom Jesus loved", to whom Christ entrusted his mother. The fourth Gospel, the canonical letters and the Book of Revelation are attributed to him. After the resurrection, he spent most of this time at Ephesus.

St. James the Greater, Apostle (died c. 44) - July 25.
Son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of St. John, Jesus called him with John to be an apostle. He was the first of the Twelve to be martyred (Acts 12:2). He is the patron of Spain.

St. Philip, Apostle (died c. 80) - May 3.
One of the Twelve, a native of Bethsaida, he is mentioned three times as a confidant of our Lord in St. John's Gospel.

The Saints
All the saints portrayed are shown with halos in gold, representing the resurrection and symbolizing the light of grace. Some of the saints have their hands in an "orans" position (open and reaching upward), indicating their prayerful openness to the Spirit. The small "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3) placed within the halos indicate the Holy Spirit reposing in the saints, and the diversity of the gifts given to the Church.

The World
The lower, central figure standing under what appears to be a brown arched doorway, represents the World. The black background represents the World without the presence of the Spirit. The elderly man exists in a dark place, since the whole World had formerly been without the light of the Spirit. He is bowed down with years, made old by the sin of Adam. The crown signifies sin, which ruled in the World. The white cloth in his hands with the 12 scrolls represents the 12 apostles who brought light into the World by their teaching, reminding us of our need to bring the Light of the Spirit to the World through evangelization.

The Writer of the Pentecost Icon
Iconographers do not consider themselves artists or painters, but rather writers, whose hands are guided, through prayer, by the Holy Spirit. This Icon of the Church was written by Melpo DeFotis.

Mrs. DeFotis completed her studies in Liberal Arts at Syracuse University. She studied oil painting with Leo Manso at New York University, and continued her studies in collage with Beverly Ellstrand, and oil painting with Joseph Teresi and Gianni Cilfone in the Midwest.

In the early 1980s, Mrs. DeFotis studied iconography with Fr. John Matuisak. She was inspired and critiqued by Chicago iconographer Shirley Kontos. Mrs. DeFotis blends her Byzantine style with the classic Russian style.

DeFotis' icons are portative in size and are in private collections in Africa, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Switzerland and the United States. A member of the St. John of Damascus Association of Iconographers and Iconologists, Mrs. DeFotis is a resident of Park Ridge, Illinois and attends Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Glenview, Illinois.

The Preparatory Process
A great deal of research takes place before even starting an icon. Study is made of any scriptural reference. Manuals are consulted and icons from different countries and periods are reviewed. The iconographer always refers to a prototype to be sure the icon is scripturally and traditionally correct. Once a prototype is selected, then writing can begin.

The iconographer does not use imagination in creating a different version of an icon, it must be within the confines of the tradition of the Church. There is nothing random about iconography, it is a disciplined, liturgical art, with a theological basis in the Incarnation and the Transfiguration.

The Method
The Icon of the Church is painted on ¾-inch birch plywood. There is symbolism in the use of wood, as Christ was crucified on the wood of the Cross, but the Cross is also a symbol of life through the Resurrection.

The wood surface is sanded smooth before a layer of gesso (a pale-colored acrylic medium) is applied. Eight layers of gesso, with every other layer sanded smooth, leaves a blank, white surface, symbolizing emptiness at the beginning. The icon image is then transferred to the board from the prototype.

Unlike secular art, iconographers work from the darkest colors to light, reflecting the theology that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). Four to five layers of dark colors are applied until the brush marks are lost. Then the colors are highlighted from dark, to medium, to light by adding white or lighter colors to the basic color mixture. There may be a least eight to 10 layers of paint on the subject.

There are stages of assent in the creation of an icon. With the varying layers, the transfigured light of Christ is revealed. The gold leaf background symbolizes the transfigured light.

Acknowledgements
In celebration of the Great Jubilee Year 2000, Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, O.S.B., commissioned The Icon of the Church for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

This booklet was created to assist people in viewing the icon, and in their understanding and appreciation of the liturgical art of iconography.

Several individuals contributed to the writing of this booklet, including Archbishop Weakland, Rev. Kenneth Omernick and Iconographer Melpo DeFotis.

Other sources used for this booklet include The Catholic Encyclopedia; The Meaning of Icons by Leonid Ouspensky and Vladimir Lossky; The Gospels in Iconographic Records by N. Pokrovsky; and The Book of Saints, A Dictionary of Servants of God compiled by the Benedictine monks of St. Augustine's Abby.

This booklet was produced by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Communications Office. No part of the booklet can be reproduced without written permission.

The publication of this booklet was made possible through the generosity of a private donor.

A Message from the Icon Writer
In painting the Pentecost Icon, I started with the figure of "The World", on my knees, asking forgiveness for all of us. Then I moved up to the figure of the Virgin Mary who is intercessor for us all. The various apostles and saints were placed in the Icon, showing us that there can be unity and understanding in diversity. We are different from one another, but through the Holy Spirit can comprehend one another.

I pray that the Icon of Pentecost will touch your heart and renew your faith in the Church during the Jubilee Year and always.

-Melpo DeFotis

©2000 Archdiocese of Milwaukee