This Icon finds its origins in a meditation of St. Irenaeus. He wrote about how Adam and Eve tied the knot of human disgrace for the human race by disobeying God, while Mary undid it by saying yes to God and becoming Mother of Jesus. We all have knots in our lives; knots of alienation, addiction, discord, hurt, fears, a lack of respect, or the absence of peace or harmony. We hope to invite people to invoke the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin as we seek her assistance in untying those knots that hold us bound and keep us moving forward in our relationship with God.

Saint Mary was the first to see the Risen Lord, and the first to announce to Caesar the Resurrection of Christ.

See how Mary stretches forth her arms in petition, connecting to her son through prayer. She tells those who pray with this Icon that she is entrusting not only her own cares and needs to her Son, but embraces those who pray with her for God’s life and true joy.

Christ appears in white representing the Resurrection. His white robes are created with shades of blue and shades of red denoting the nature of His humanity and His Divinity. The rays are rendered in light blue and light red signifying John 19:34: “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.” Water represents baptism and blood represent communion.

Guardian of the Holy Family, for centuries Saint Joseph has been one of the most beloved saints of the Church. The saint holds a flowering staff which was the miraculous testimony that signaled God's choice of Saint Joseph as the betrothed of the Blessed Virgin.

Saint Dymphna, celebrated every year on 15 May, is considered the Patron Saint of mental illness.

Saint Dymphna was born in the 7th century to a royal family in Ireland. Her mother was a devout Catholic, but her father Damon was not religious. The upbringing and care from her mother instilled a deep faith in Dymphna.

However, her mother died when Dymphna was around fourteen years old. In his grief, Damon suffered from severe mental illness to the point of near insanity. He decided to marry Dymphna to replace his wife, but the girl fled to Belgium with two family servants and a priest, Saint Gerebernus. Unfortunately, Damon tracked down his daughter. After killing the priest, the soldiers were ordered to cut off Dymphna’s head if she refused to marry her father.

Remaining true to her faith, the teenager refused to comply. Damon's response was to kill his daughter by his own hand. Dymphna is the patron saint for mental illness as well as therapists, incest victims, and the loss of parents.

Born in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of 7, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita, which means fortunate. After being resold several times she was declared free by a judge in Italy in 1885. Josephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession. Assisting her religious community in Schio she soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters’ school and the local citizens. She once said, “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!”

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the patron saint of traditional ecology, Indigenous Peoples, and care for creation.  She was the first Native American to be canonized a saint (October 21, 2012). She is shown in her preferred blue mantle resting on a traditional Mohawk skirt and leggings whose edges are decorated with beadwork.

Kateri Tekakwitha, known as the Lily of the Mohawks, was born in 1656 at Ossernenon in Iroquois country, now Auriesville, NY; and died 17 April 1680 at the St. Francis Xavier Mission at Sault St. Louis, New France, now Kahnawake. Her last words were “Jesus - Mary - I love you”.  During her life she spent her time teaching prayers to children, working with the elderly and the sick, and attending Mass. She had great devotion to the Eucharist and the Cross of Christ.

Deb Korluka | 2022

Stillwater, Minnesota

Byzantine Icon

egg tempera and gold leaf on gessoed wood panel

4’ H x 2” W

Location – Saint Joseph Chapel and during November each year this Icon moves to the Basilica sanctuary for the annual Icon Festival.