Icons/St. John of Damascus

Home Activities:

• Icons are important in Orthodox worship.  Look at all the icons in your church; what is their purpose and what can your child learn from each.
• Color the icon of the Sunday of Orthodoxy for your icon corner. 
• Visit the Walters Art Gallery; look at the icons and religious paintings there.  Write (paint) an icon, but be sure to prepare properly with prayer. 
• Pray each day facing your home icon corner; if you don’t have one, this would be a great week for you and your child to set one up. 
• Does your child have an icon of his name saint; if not, pick one out mounted from the bookstore or a catalog or buy a print and decoupage it with your child. This is easy to do with a wood plaque, painted with acrylic paint, and, after the paint is dry, use Mod Podge to both attach the icon print and then to provide a finish by painting over the print.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for bringing the holy icons back into our churches.

The Triumph of Orthodoxy Crossword

Across

2. Wicked son of Emperor Leo

4. Emperor who began the destruction of icons

5. John's hometown

8. religious pictures to be venerated

9. Empress who called the 7th Council

Down

1. Man who defended icons to the caliph

3. Empress who led the Triumph of Orthodoxy

6. Location of the 7th council

7. holy men who hid icons

ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS AND HIS TEACHER