A unique retreat combining elements of art, religious history and prayer is making its way to Canada for the first time, giving Catholics in Halifax the opportunity to craft their own "windows to Heaven." 

The Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth is facilitating its own Iconography Retreat, with St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi Parish acting as the hosting parish and classes being held at St. Catherine of Siena Church Sept. 23 through 30. 

Across the week leading up to the Feast of St. Francis, participants will receive expert education about icons while they craft and paint their own icon of St. Francis.  

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The group behind the art-driven initiative is known as Kalos Iconography, an association of expert teachers and iconographers with intentions of restoring the beauty of the Church through the long-standing tradition of iconography.

Newlyweds Dave and Maria Guadalupe Levangie are two iconographers who have had their hands in organizing the first-ever Kalos retreat in Canada. Maria spoke about the program's recent growth, which has its roots in her home in Mexico. 

“Dave and I have started this association of iconographers, most of whom are from Mexico like myself. We named it Kalos, which in Greek means beauty because, in the end, beauty will save the world,” she said. “This will be our fifth retreat but we are excited that this will be the first one to be held in Canada as the other ones were always in Campeche, Mexico.” 

Icons are religious works of art often painted on carved wood using traditional methods. They go back to the early days of Orthodox Christianity but are also prominent in various historical accounts across different religions and Christian denominations, including Catholicism.  

“Iconography has a deep and rich history within the Church, not just Christianity but also the Jewish traditions that came before and led to Christianity. We see iconography as images having been throughout the entirety of the Old Testament, passing into the New Testament and forming a critical part of the Church moving from being persecuted into being accepted by the Roman Empire in the early Christian Church,” Dave explained. 

While the physical beauty of each crafted icon is a sight to behold, the couple emphasized the significance of the spiritual experience that artists undergo during the crafting process, likening it to that of deep prayer rather than a simple art exercise. 

On each of the seven days of the retreat, Holy Mass will be offered with adoration being available one session as well. The organizers intend to cover aspects of theology during the retreat to explain the history of how icons differ from normal pieces of art, going back to the importance of prayer and reflection over solely constructing each piece of artwork. 

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“We wanted something that wasn’t just internal to the parish but had an evangelical and ecumenical perspective with some of our brothers in the Orthodox Church here in Halifax. We have even been reaching out to Nova Scotia Community College to include some of their art students and so on… we have cast a pretty wide net to make this happen,” Dave said. 

Each icon will be built the old-fashioned way, using traditional materials such as wood panelling, egg tempera paint, different pigments and even gold. The natural wood used is symbolic of Christ’s Cross, which is prepared and braced together with an arc joint, which itself is symbolic of Noah's Ark as well as the Ark of the Covenant. From there, bole clay is applied which signifies the creation of man and the earth before seven coats of pigment are added as a nod to the seven days of creation. 

The couple explained in greater detail the extensive symbolism found throughout the creation of each icon at every elaborate stage of production. They describe the process as mirroring creation as a whole. 

“These follow the same theology as famous Baroque and Renaissance style artworks when it comes to the colours of divinity and humanity, which are all represented in their symbolic way within the icon,” Dave said. 

“What ends up happening is the artist will actually move from the darkness into the light as they progress, both physically on the icon itself, but also spiritually. When they put the linen into the wood, that is symbolic of the beginning when God puts the soul into our bodies — it is like the icon itself is capturing life itself,” Maria added. 

“The crescendo is the gilding of the gold on the icon where both the artwork and that symbolism of creation reach up to its highest point. The process is complete and what is left is often referred to as a microcosm of our faith.” 

Kalos Iconography is expecting 11 individuals to participate in the retreat, which the organizers say will be beneficial as it creates a more intimate and prayerful experience as well as making for a better ratio between participants and the three visiting iconographers.  

Each created icon will be blessed during the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4 as part of a solemn Mass the Levangies say will cement the experience in a truly special way. 

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“St. Francis is pretty special to us all and he was a big part of my own conversion from Protestantism,” Dave said. “The blessing is quite incredible and will help the icon with conversions and healing. It is not just a piece of art you hang up in your house, it becomes something that touches the sacred, that you can go to and pray with.” 

To register contact [email protected].