Religious Iconography discussed at Ancilla’s Lampen Lecture

  10/02/13 Sister Cathy Schwemer, PHJC, was the featured presenter for the Ancilla College Lampen Lecture series Wednesday, September 25^th.

Sr. Cathy has been a student of iconography for 15 years and received her Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies.  She met with students, faculty, staff, and members of the PHJC community to discuss icons, which are religious images famous in the Orthodox and Eastern churches.  The following question was posed “Why do we call the symbols on our computer screen icons when religious images honored by the Orthodox Church for centuries were called icons?”

“Sister Cathy told us that icons point beyond ourselves.  Computer icons point to functions; religious icons point to religious stories. Religious icons came into being to tell religious stories during the time when many people could not read or write” explained Sister Carleen Wrasman, Coordinator of Mission Integration at Ancilla College. 

“It was evident icons are important to Sister Cathy. She even showed us two icons she had written,” Wrasman continued.

The Lampen Lecture Series is free lectures open to the public and is held in Room 231 at Ancilla College. The series was named for Sr. Joel Lampen, the first president of Ancilla College, who opened the doors of Ancilla to the local community. 

The Lampen Lecture Series was designed to combine the universality of the Catholic Church, the international character of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, who sponsor Ancilla College, and the Earth Charter to promote thinking beyond one’s own experiences and interests. 

Dr. Ron May, President of Ancilla College will be the featured guest at October’s lecture to discuss his trip to Rome over the summer.

Ancilla College (www.ancilla.edu) is a Catholic, liberal arts, Associate’s Degree college in Donaldson, Indiana, sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.