Iconographer Opens St. Vladimir Institute’s Fall Lecture Series

TORONTO—St. Vladimir Institute in Toronto has unveiled its fall lecture-series lineup. Iconography expert Jacob Krekhovetsky, folklorist Orysia Paszczak-Tracz and Royal Military College of Canada professor Lubomyr Luciuk are the featured speakers.

At the first event, taking place on September 21 at 7:00 p.m., Jacob Krekhovetsky will give a talk entitled "Impressions from Nine Visits to Ukraine. "

Krekhovetsky, who lectures on Iconography and on the Gospel at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto as part of the Continuing Education program, says he as been interested in icons for 35 years.

He first traveled to Ukraine when he was invited by the Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa to give a course. Then, Krekhovetsky gave a summer session at the Ukrainian Catholic Institute in Lviv. After that, things snowballed, and Krekhovetsky has now taught in numerous cities, including Lviv, Univ, Zhovkva, Krekhiv, Drohobych, Ternopil, Kyiv, Ostroh and Donetsk.

In Ukraine there is considerable interest in iconography among people of all ages, says Krekhovetsky. “The young people I deal with there are interested in their roots, in history, liturgical music; and churches are filled with a younger crowd.”

In his courses in Ukraine, Krekhovetsky focuses on the theology of icons and deals with questions such as: What do icons say to us? And, how are icons related to the Bible?

At the event at St. Vladimir Institute, he will be presenting a travelogue and showing slides of old and new icons.

Krekhovetsky’s book, entitled Bohosloviya I Dukhovnist Ikony has just had its third printing this year.  It is being sold at St. Vladimir Institute.

The next lecture in the series, given by Paszczak-Tracz, takes place on October 14. She will present a talk called "Baba Was Right, Ukrainian Folk Medicine". On October 20 Lubomyr Luciuk, the Director of the Ukrainian Civil Liberties Association, will talk on "Canada’s First National Internment Operations."

All lectures are in English and   take place at St. Vladimir Institute at 620 Spadina in Toronto. For more information, call (416) 923-3318.