The
icon, Mother of God of Lasting Things, was written
by Mary Katsilometes of Portland. It depicts Mary as a Coast Salish woman
holding the Native Child Jesus. It was commissioned by St. Paul Parish on the
Swinomish Indian Reservation near La Conner, Wa. Jesuit Father Jerry Graham was
pastor at the time. This lovely work was blessed and installed at St. Paul
Church during Pentecost Mass on May 23, 2010. Both
Mary and Jesus wear traditional earth-toned clothing — Mary’s skirt is made of
cedar bark strips, and Mother and Child are wrapped in traditional blankets
woven of dog hair and tufts of mountain goat fur.
They are surrounded by moving water,
symbolizing Christian baptism as well as creation, and leaping salmon,
representing Christ feeding his people with lasting nourishment from his Living
Water.
The
figures are framed in an almond shape (mandorla), representing a connection
between heaven and earth. The mandorla’s three bands of color represent the
Trinity, while the gold leaf used in the icon represents the divine energy of
God radiating outward.
