OUR LADY of the SIGN BLESSING

Blessing of our sanctuary icon on Pentecost Day

June 9th, 2019

Yesterday, on Pentecost we had the blessing of our new Our Lady of the sign icon.  Our former icon was damaged beyond repair after using an oil lamp to light at Compline each night for many years.  We commissioned Mary Bennett of Philadelphia Pa.  to write the icon for us.  Mary is the blood sister of our Sr. Nettie.  Mary has written other icons for  us and we esteem her as a great iconographer.  She proved it again with the icon of Our Lady of the Sign.

Prayers blessing the icon

Incensing the icon

Fr. Mark Scott, the abbot of New Melleray Abbey blessed the icon at the end of Sext.  It was a beautiful and meaningful event for our community which we will have for years to come.  This icon will be lighted with an electric light!   Fr. Mark then joined us for dinner.

Sopranos singing

Regina Caeli Jubilee

The icon depicts the Theotokos during the Annunciation at the moment of saying, "May it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38). The image of the Christ child represents him at the moment of his conception in the womb of the Virgin.  Someone mentioned to me that the face of Christ is of an infant but the face of Mary is not of a young teenage mother but a mature woman who has been under the cross.  This icon is also sometimes called the Virgin of the Sign, a reference to Isaiah 7:14:  “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.”  The Holy Spirit gave birth to the Son of God descending into her womb; and gave birth to Church of God ascending into the upper room.

The Greek letters to the right and left of Mary’s head is an abbreviation for “Mother of God”.  The three stars on the Virgin signify that she was a Virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ.  Her halo signifies her holiness and the gold cuffs on her sleeves portray her as a Queen and indicate her intercession for all people.  Her mission is dedicated to the coming of the Kingdom of the Son of God. 

    Inside the mandorla, appears the King of the Universe. The Greek letters on left and right are abbreviations for "Jesus Christ".  He appears vested in divine robes of gold that symbolize his divine glory.  His halo and the lettering within, proclaim his divinity: "I am who am".  His right hand is raised in a blessing.