SAINT CLAIR, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Schuylkill County church is working to keep their beliefs alive through the walls of their house of worship.
For a church in Saint Clair, the beauty of one’s faith is represented by more than a prayer.
“Here at saint mary’s we’ve been kind of under a period of revitalization,” said Gregory Sagan, ordained reader at Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church.
The restoration of a sacred part of Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church began on January 23.
“Well being one of the oldest orthodox communities in Schuylkill County, I’ll tell you to beautify the temple it’s really what our commission is to do. //flash// having a beautiful temple, by having a place where people can come and experience god with all 5 senses,” said Sagen.
Richard Jobrey has already painted the entire church and is excited for the revival of one of saint mary’s most treasured parts of their home.
“The thing is, I enjoy doing what I do and duplicating what was done before,” said Jobrey.
The special paintings that cover the walls are important to the orthodox faith. The art is better known as iconostasis, which translates to an icon wall.
The icons are the church’s teachings woven into a painting, giving the opportunity to tell their stories through visuals.
The eye-opening translation goes back to a time when many could not read and needed their sight to comprehend the background of their faith.
“Icons tell basically an ancient truth but make it easy for people to understand,” said Sagen.
Although the beautification process is off to a great start, the artist behind the brush will rest when his process is complete.
“I look at it to enjoy it, but when I’m done that’s when I really sit back and look at it,” said Jobrey.
The revival of the paintings within Saint Mary’s is expected to be finished within the next week.
If you would like to check it out, they will be giving tours while hosting a craft fair on Saturday, February 4.
