On Saturday, July 15, the church received a new icon panel for our iconostasis. The icon was blessed on Sunday, July 16, and installed during the following week.

The icon depicts twelve Apostles, gathered around Christ, with the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove from heaven. It reminds us of the apostles as our patrons and intercessors, and of our own "apostolic" calling as a Church community.

This icon joins three other beautifully hand-painted icons on our iconostasis: of Christ, His Mother, and the saints of North America. The next project is a pair of panels for the Holy Doors, depicting the four Evangelists (who are currently shown in small icon reproductions on the doors).

"No less than the written word, an icon is an instrument for the transmission of Christian tradition and faith. Through sacred imagery, the Holy Spirit speaks to us, revealing truths that may not be evident to those using only the tools of reason...

"The icon has a hieratic character; it is concerned solely with the sacred. Through line and color, the iconographer seeks to convey the awesomeness of the invisible and divine reality and to lead the viewer to a consciousness of the divine presence. The icon is theology written in images and color."

—Jim Forest, Praying with Icons