THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA Praying with Icons a TREATISE Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religiou

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA Praying with Icons A TREATISE Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Ministry By Jeana M. Visel Washington, D.C. 2017 Praying with Icons Jeana M. Visel, D.Min. Director: Michael Witczak, S.L.D. Today, many Roman Catholics do not understand the role of religious images. Unfamiliar with how to pray with sacred art, many are uncomfortable venerating icons or other images of Christ or the saints. Often, sacred art is used as mere decoration. At the same time, we see increasing interest among Christians in Eastern icons. Without adequate training or theological education, many well-meaning Catholics and Protestants start painting “icons” of poor artistic quality, not following principles of Eastern iconography. Often, the result is bad art and bad visual theology. Consequently, some Orthodox become protective of their tradition, sometimes refusing to work with others who would want to learn iconography. This tension does not help build ecumenical unity. What is needed at this time? Broadly speaking, Roman-rite Catholics must be more intentional about how religious art functions within different sacred spaces. Many could benefit from catechesis on how to “read” religious art, and a deeper understanding of the ancient Christian tradition of visual culture. Beyond cognitive understanding, many Catholics also need to learn how to pray with images. While basic education about sacred images is a start, some people may need assistance “crossing cultures,” from the aniconic to the visual. This project utilized presentations and guided experience within the framework of a 6-day Intensive Spiritual Formation Week held at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. The immediate goal was to help seminarians gain understanding of and comfort with using icons in different forms of prayer, so as to prepare them to use religious images appropriately in their future ministry, and to become better partners in grassroots ecumenical dialogue between the Eastern and Western churches. Assessment data gleaned from the project found that with focused catechesis and guided experience interacting with icons, Roman Catholics can become more knowledgeable and comfortable with appropriate use of religious images. This treatise by Jeana M. Visel fulfills the treatise requirement for the doctoral degree in Ministry approved by Michael Witczak, S.L.D., as Director, and by Stefanos Alexopoulos, Ph.D., as Reader. _______________________________________ Michael Witczak, S.L.D., Director _______________________________________ Stefanos Alexopoulos, Ph.D., Reader ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks are due to Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, and Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology for supporting me in the pursuit of this Doctor of Ministry degree. Thanks also to my prioress, Sr. Barbara Lynn Schmitz, OSB, and the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, whose prayer and encouragement have kept me moving toward completion. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 Part I. Background And Rationale .......................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 1: THE PROBLEM: RELIGIOUS IMAGES AND ORTHODOX-CATHOLIC ECUMENICAL CONCERNS .................................................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: ORTHODOX THEOLOGY AND USE OF ICONS .................................................................. 14 CHAPTER 3: ROMAN CATHOLIC TRADITIONS USING RELIGIOUS IMAGES ......................................... 34 CHAPTER 4: A REVIEW OF CATHOLIC DOCUMENTS ON USE OF THE SACRED ARTS ..................... 53 CHAPTER 5: A CONTEMPORARY CATHOLIC SYNTHESIS: DIFFERENT FORMS OF ART FOR DIFFERENT FORMS OF PRAYER ................................................................................................................ 76 Part II: The Project. ................................................................................................................. 92 CHAPTER 6: PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN: CROSSING CULTURES WITH CATECHESIS AND GUIDED PRAYER ......................................................................................................................................................... 92 CHAPTER 7: CONTEXT AND METHODOLOGY: THE INTENSIVE SPIRITUAL FORMATION WEEK 115 CHAPTER 8: OVERVIEW OF SESSION CONTENT: “PRAYING WITH ICONS” IN THE INTENSIVE SPIRITUAL FORMATION WEEK ............................................................................................................... 125 Part III: Assessment, Evaluation, And Conclusions. ............................................................ 137 CHAPTER 9: PROJECT ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 137 CHAPTER 10: EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ITERATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 163 CHAPTER 11: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 168 Appendices APPENDIX A: GOALS, OBJECTIVES, EXPECTED OUTCOMES ............................................................. 172 APPENDIX B: PLAN FOR WEEK .............................................................................................................. 173 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 1 ……………………………………………………………….176 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 2……………………………………………………………….183 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 3 ............................................................................................................. 187 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 4 ............................................................................................................. 191 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 5 ............................................................................................................. 198 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 6 ............................................................................................................. 206 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 7 ............................................................................................................. 210 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 8 ............................................................................................................. 214 APPENDIX C: PRESENTATION 9 ............................................................................................................. 217 APPENDIX D: PRE-TEST .......................................................................................................................... 224 APPENDIX E: POST-TEST ........................................................................................................................ 225 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 226 iv INTRODUCTION From the earliest years of Christian practice, sacred images have been used as part of prayer and worship. The walls of the catacombs are covered with Scriptural images, and fourth century writings reference early icons.1 Churches from every century are adorned with Christian imagery on walls, windows, ceilings, and altars. In some parts of the Church, two-dimensional painting, frescoes and icons have prevailed; elsewhere, three-dimensional statues of Jesus and the saints have held pride of place. From liturgical vessels to processional crosses, imagery long has been part of the adornment of liturgical spaces. Beyond the walls of the church, in many places Christian images are the central focus of shrines along roadways and at outdoor places of pilgrimage. In Christian homes, too, sacred images have found their place, as reminders of Christian identity, as focal points for prayer, and as signs of the presence of those who have gone before us in faith. Yet at various points in history, Christians also have wrestled with whether it is doctrinally acceptable to use images for prayer and worship. Iconoclasm has emerged in different forms in different periods. At each juncture, representatives of the Church have arisen to make arguments justifying the place of religious art in Christian practice. Perhaps best known, the eighth- and ninth- century experience of Byzantine iconoclasm sparked a spirited defense of icons, led by St. John of Damascus, St. Theodore of Studios, and others. In this process, the Eastern Church came to define sacred images as an intrinsic part of Orthodox Christian identity and belief. Indeed, to this day the definitive end of iconoclasm is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of Lent with the “Sunday of Orthodoxy.” 1 Leslie Brubaker, “The Sacred Image,” in The Sacred Image East and West, ed. Robert Ousterhout (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995), 3. 1 2 In the early modern period, Protestants, too, worked to reduce or eliminate imagery from churches. While Martin Luther could accept some images in churches, those affiliated with Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin were more vehemently opposed to sacred images. For the reformers, iconoclasm often served as a marker of how each group was moving

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