Feast of the Annunciation: March 25, 2026. Before we look at this icon let me share with you a little background to icons that may help in our understanding of what we are looking at. Firstly, icons are symbolic art, they are not naturalistic, rather they are 2-dimensional so the 3rd dimension does not recede into the background as in Western art, but comes forward, out of the image into the eyes and heart of the viewer. And secondly, icons are a form of art that has a specific function. They...

On the evening of 16th January, students from all over Tokyo gathered at Maria Nosenkyosha Francisco Shudokaitotsuka Daini Monastery to begin an intensive two day workshop with iconographer Lisa Ghent. After enjoying the first of many meals they were to share over the next two days, the workshop begun with a lecture on the fundamentals of iconography.  With the "writing" of Icons being a spiritual practice, prayer was at the core of the workshop and students were invited to join the rhythm...

Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2026. This feast is celebrated in both the Easter and Western Christian Churches on January 6 or on the nearest Sunday. However, what is being celebrated is slightly different. In the Eastern Orthodox Church this is the commemoration of the Baptism of Jesus where Jesus is baptised by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and hears God’s voice addressing him as “My Son, the Beloved.”  Whereas in the Western Church the Epiphany is the celebration of the...