Notre Dame College Presents 22nd Eastern Church Seminar

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio—12 September 2006—Notre Dame College (NDC) is presenting its annual Eleanor Malburg Eastern Churches Seminar Friday and Saturday, October 6 and 7. The Friday session takes place at St. Stephen Byzantine Catholic Church in Euclid beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Saturday program takes place from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Notre Dame College in South Euclid.

This year’s program, “Learning the Language of Icons,” features Eastern Christian theologian Rt. Reverend Mitred Protopresbyter Andriy Chirovsky and iconographers from a variety of Christian traditions.

Friday evening local iconographer, Nicholas Loya, will discuss the process of iconography using icons from recently-restored St. Stephen’s Byzantine Church. Fr. Andriy Chirovsky, S.Th.D., professor and founding director of the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at St. Paul University in Ottawa will give several presentations including “Iconographic Cheekbones: Looking under the Skin of an Icon to Understand its Beauty” on Saturday morning. His afternoon presentation is titled “A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place: Parts of Speech in the Highly Inflected Language of Icons.”

In a description of his presentation Fr. Chirovsky says, “Icons are highly disciplined pieces of art. They have to be, because they express not the personal whims of a single artist, but rather the fullness of the Holy Tradition of the Church. In verbal communication there are rules of grammar that need to be observed so that cultured people can express themselves and be understood even in cases of great nuance. In the language of icons, Eastern Christians utilize the advanced rules of aesthetics developed by Greek and Hellenistic artists long before the time of Christ.”

Representatives from the Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions will respond to the presentations. Iconographer Dennis Bell, Bishoy Mikhail of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church and graphic designer Sister Donna Marie Kristoff, O.S.U. of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Foundation will add the lenses of their respective religious traditions.

The seminar is open to all. The cost of $30 ($35 after September 28) includes Saturday’s luncheon. Continuing education credit is offered for an additional fee.

Notre Dame College is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. For additional information contact the director of the Center for Pastoral Theology and Ministry, Sr. Mary Ann Baran at 216.373.5389 or visit www.NotreDameCollege.edu.

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