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"Viriditas: Finding God in All Things" The 2015 Catholicism and the Arts Lecture by Fr. William H. McNichols

Thursday, 10 September 2015
3:30PM - 5:00PM
Palm Court, Mundelein Center
Lake Shore Campus, LUC

This event was free and open to the public!

The Hank Center was excited to receive an icon from the renowned iconographer Fr. Bill McNichols. Fr. Bill has “written” an icon for Loyola University called The New Pentecost of Viriditas. The icon is a contemplation of God’s continual creativity in the world and in the Church. It is made up of six pieces that include the Holy Spirit from Genesis hovering over the void and braking out into a flood of light and a gathering of three Saints—St. Hildegarde of Bingen, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Ignatius of Loyola—who draw us to participate in this whirl of light. The Latin term “Viridatas” means “greening,” and icon invites us to contemplate our spiritual vocation to give witness to environmental sustainability.

According to Fr. McNichols, the icon "shows the vibrant life of the Holy Spirit from Genesis hovering over the void ... alive with a flood of life at the very moment God ... spoke the Words which are ongoing: Let there [be] light. From the activity of this Word all of life as we know it began."

In his lecture, "Virititas: Finding God in All Things," Fr. McNichols discussed the artistic, spiritual, and intellectual process of 'writing' an icon, and specifically his process for 'writing' Loyola's The New Pentecost of Viriditas icon. Took place on Thursday, September 10th in Loyola's Palm Court in the Mundelein Center.

Wednesday, 9 September 2015
9:30PM - 10:00PM
Madonna della Strada Chapel
Lake Shore Campus, LUC

This event was free and open to the public. All were welcome!

The Hank Center and the Loyola's Sacramental Life community celebrated a special Taize prayer with Loyola's new icon The New Pentecost of Viriditas. Taizé Prayer is filled with song, scripture and silent meditation. It is based on the Liturgy of the Hours evening prayer and is modeled on the style as practiced in the Taizé Community in France. Those who attend regularly find a profound peace and tranquility in this style of prayer.