During the season of Lent it is most appropriate that Catholics through prayer and meditation reinvigorate themselves to the quiet mystery God's Word. There is perhaps no greater manner in which to contemplate the mysteries of the life of God than through the ancient art of icons. For most of us in the Western or Roman Church, icons are unfortunately not familiar examples of saintly and theological representation in our Churches. However, I am thankful to say, our cultural and western attitude towards these long revered and ancient Eastern Church depictions of the most sacred is coming to an end. Icons are part of the heritage of the entire Church and should be rightly considered as part of our liturgical sacred spaces in every rite of the Church.


 
Pope John Paul II had an iconic portrait of The Blessed Mother installed in the papal chapel. It occupies a place of honor and prominence in the sanctuary of the private chapel. Rightly, so, Mary as Theotokos (Mother of God) is one of the most ancient titles attributed to Mary (at the Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431). Veneration of icons in her image offer modern faithful Catholic's an opportunity to not only personify our image of the Blessed Mother, but also permits us to transcend to a deeper contemplation of Mary's sanctity through the iconic image. Through the introduction of an icon of the Blessed Virgin in the papal chapel, John Paul II was providing a living testimony to his belief that both Eastern and Western traditions are indeed the "lungs" of the Body of Christ.


 
The Church, locally and universally needs to foster the development of artistic appreciation in our local parish communities. Often the case, when our sacred spaces are designed, redesigned, altered or modified the true integrity of inclusion of qualitative sacred art is neglected. There is an unfortunate trend towards mass production of our sacred furnishings and accessories. This needs to be changed. Local parish communities need to be aware of the talented men and women that offer their gift from God of artistic inspiration to our Church communities. Those entrusted with the proper design and execution of Catholic architectural design need to include our local artists and artisans in their sacred projects. Quite often, the artist proficient in sacred art is in our own back yard.


 
Iconography, as an artistic discipline involves many stages and nuances. Strictly speaking, all of the details that are included in an icon are regulated by theological revelations or ecclesiastical traditions. Colors for example, dictate the correct portrayal of Jesus' humanity, another that portrays his divinity and so on. These details of artistic appreciation help us in our spiritual development and serve as very strong signs and symbols of our Sacred Mysteries. In the local Philadelphia area, Susan Kelly VonMedicus, is an iconographer that provides all denominations of faith inspiration through her writing of sacred icons. Her hagiography of Jesus, the Apostles and Martyrs and the Blessed Mother all provide us with a portal that leads us to a deeper appreciation and understanding of Mysterium Fidei. Icons as executed by Susan Kelly VonMedicus are exactly the qualitative artistic expressions that we need to include in all of our Sacred Spaces. As faithful and concerned Catholics, our goal should direct of attentions to providing the best possible resources for our liturgical prayer and worship. Perhaps, a greater appreciation of iconography can be achieved by appreciating the works of such a gifted artist as Susan Kelly VonMedicus. Art and the qualitative expression of artisans is as much part of our Catholic history as evangelization and catechesis. Honestly, the visual arts represent well-honed tools that permit us to effectively spread the Good News and teach the Gospel mystery. In the planning and development of our local Catholic communities, we need more than ever to incorporate the works of our very talented and gifted artistic brothers and sisters, as we design our Churches, our Holy of Holies.


 
In our Lenten journey of prayer and sanctification, icons present an integral part of our spiritual journey and transformation of faith. Perhaps, we can develop the tradition in the Roman Church of placing an icon in our homes to remind us of God's presence among us. In her writings the 20th century author, Catherine deHueck Doherty recalls the great gift of icons in "Poustina". Poustina correctly is translated as a desert place. In her writings, Catherine deHueck Doherty illustrates the great role icons hold in the Eastern Church and in her continued conversion towards Christ. As we celebrate Lent, let us incorporate an appreciation and affection for the use of icons as we journey for our 40 days of spiritual poustina.

StoryTel Foundation...renewal through media technologies!

Too often the story is told about Catholic institutions being consolidated, merged or closed throughout dioceses in the United States. For, Don & Chris Carney, of the StoryTel Foundation the story is a remarkable message not about closures and endings in the Catholic parish communities, but rater one of restoration, renewal and rebirth. Together, both brothers operate the non-profit foundation, StoryTel with a distinct purpose in mind; namely the restoration of the sacred to our Catholic parishes and institutions nationwide. They accomplish the remarkable task of renewal and revival through the production of documentaries called, “ On Assignment,” that tell the stories of charitable institutions in the United States that have overcome the pitfalls of urban blight, migration to the suburbs and declining enrollments through a genuine commitment of prayerful renewal of Catholic rituals and principles.
Saint John Cantius Parish on Chicago’s North-west side was a victim of urban decay, isolation from multiple highway expansions and decreasing parish enrollment. However, through the activities and inspiration of Father Frank Phillips, the parish destined for closure became an inspirational oasis for the rebirth of parish activities and a new life. While attending Sunday Mass at the Church both Don & Chris Carney were deeply inspired by the old church’s architectural grandeur and deep spiritual intensity, they decided to help with the development of a documentary. Saint John Cantius; Restoring the Sacred marked the first production for StoryTel Productions. Working with Father Frank Phillips they produced a broadcast quality documentary that reveals the life of Saint John Cantius Parish as it struggled to regain a vision and renewed purpose for its Catholic ministry.

Initially, the parish was one of the first in the Chicago Archdiocese to celebrate the Eucharist in both English and the traditional Latin. Prior to the promulgation of Pope Benedict’s Summorum Pontificum, the Mass of Pope Paul VI was celebrated in Latin according to the norms directed by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council. The parishioners of the parish responded favorably and people started to return to this challenged parish for Mass, and increasingly other religious and social activities. The balance achieved between both the old and the new seemed the balance that drew people back to the local parish community of Saint John Cantius. StoryTel Productions also played a pivotal part in this evangelization of what was going on at Saint John Cantius. The production of the documentary was view on EWTN and generated interest in the project from all over the United States and even the world.
At the same time, the parish continued to grow and develop, and a new religious community of priest and brothers took root in the parish. The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius was created at the parish to undertake a unique ministry in the Church, namely…a restoration of the sacred. The baroque architecture of their parish, the stained glass, the statues and the ability to celebrate both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Eucharist provided the seminal activities that rejuvenated the parish, and StoryTel told the tale through its video production.
The production of a documentary is quite an expensive undertaking and that is where the industrious and creative activities of both Don & Peter Carney kicked in. Don Carney drew on years of experience in the entertainment industry and Peter Carney marshaled his expertise in the financial industry. Together, they generated philanthropic support for the production and distribution of the, On Assignment ,DVD and produced a source of evangelization, catechesis and revenue generation for the parish of Saint John Cantius. Fr. Scott Haynes, CRSJC of Saint John’s calls the work of StoryTel, “a powerful tool for our parish’s revitalization and the work of our religious community! Fr. Haynes also called the documentary, “a decisive tool for attracting vocations, a video that clearly proclaims, who we are and what we do!” Excitedly, he also praised the documentary for its monetary contributions to their ministry.

When speaking with Don Carney of StoryTel, one cannot help but feel the energy and dynamic enthusiasm he brings to his company’s vision of restoration and revitalization of sacred Catholic activities and ministries. The mission for StoryTel is not one of self promotion, it is a company that genuinely wants to make a difference through the videographer’s camera lens, telling the stories about people and places that need financial, spiritual and temporal help and renewal.
Peter Carney directs the behind the scenes activities of generating financial support for StoryTel’s projects and generating interest with individual and corporate sponsors. While not the person behind the lens, Peter is another dynamo of committed activity and has a contagious devotion to the economic benefits StoryTel offers to humanitarian aid through the production of its documentaries.
Together, both brothers are developing a not for profit corporation that is committed to utilizing the latest technologies in media communications to spread the message of the Gospels by contemporary media productions that inspire faith and restore our appreciation of the sacred.

StoryTel Productions has produced a second documentary, Salem Christian School; All Things Are Possible that illustrates the heroic battle of a Chicago inner-city school to keep bringing the message of Jesus Christ with high-quality education. The story follows the changing demographics, economic problems and the challenges in keeping a school alive in both faith and physical school functions. The documentary clearly shows the efforts of students, faculty and other heroes that keep the school alive despite the adversity of the city, the school system and persistent pessimists working towards the school’s institutional demise.

StoryTel Foundation provides an uplifting spiritual perspective on parishes and schools that are often presented with monumental tasks that hope to undermine their Christian message of faith, hope and love in an urban society. StoryTel tells the stories of these institutions in a manner that challenges every person of the Catholic faith to work towards a, “can-do,” attitude in our ongoing need towards a restoration of the sacred in our faith, our neighborhoods and our schools. The work of StoryTel indeed is an embodiment of the call of the Catholic Church towards a new Pentecost in the Church through all modern means and methods of catechesis and evangelization, especially through modern media technologies.

Further information about StoryTel can be found at http://storytel.com . A visit to the site will also provide links and excerpts from their media productions with links to both Saint John Cantius Parish and Salem Christian School. Both documentaries air regularly on EWTN and New Life Christian Network. The stories recounted by StoryTel Productions are infectious and they tell the story of genuine faith and renewal that motivates their production company and the many people and institutions it hopes to faithfully serve.