At the start of this Lent, Archbishop Aquila gave us a pastoral letter. Along with that letter was the unveiling of a new icon that the Archdiocese commissioned, Standing with Mary at the Foot of the Cross. This icon is to be help us grow deeper in prayer as we prepare over the next 9 years for the 2000 year anniversary of the Pascal Mystery. Along with the icon, the Archdiocese will be entering into a 9 year novena in preparation for that Jubilee Year in 2033.

Read Archbishops Letter

Symbolism in the Icon

Mary’s Hands

Many icons throughout the history of the Church have portrayed Mary with her hands in this posture while at the foot of the Cross. At her son’s death, she remembers holding him as an infant in her arms, but now her arms are empty. She holds the swaddling cloth she has saved all these years from his birth.

Two Angels

Angels were present in the lives of Jesus (Mt 4:11, Lk 22:43) and Mary (Lk 1:26) throughout the Gospel, and two are shown in the icon ministering to Mary at this moment of great suffering.

The Stars

The stars on her cloak are a nod to Our Lady of Guadalupe and to Revelation 12:1, which reads, “A great sign appeared in Heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” 1

It is traditional to feature three brighter stars on Mary’s head and shoulders that point to her virginity before, during, and after the birth of Christ.

“MP θV”

The “MP θV” in the upper right-hand corner is the Greek abbreviation for “Meter Theou” or “Mother of God.” The lines over the letters show that the name is an abbreviation.

The Bones

It is held in our tradition that Jesus was crucified on the same place where Adam, the first man, was buried. Adam’s bones are often shown at the foot of the Cross. In this icon, his bones are crossed to form an “XC,” which is the Greek abbreviation for Christ. The crossed bones are made up of his rib, pointing to the creation of Eve and to Mary as the “New” Eve, and his forearm bone (the ulna), with which Adam would have reached out to grab the fruit from the tree of knowledge.


The Walls

The walls of Jerusalem are in the background, recalling that Jesus was crucified outside of the city walls (Heb 13:12).


The Eclipse

In Luke’s Gospel, we read: “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Lk 23:44-45). Many icons show “the darkness” as an eclipse, which is shown in the upper left corner. The sky around the eclipse is a darker shade to emphasize this moment. Mary’s dark veil against the gold halo also echoes the shape of the eclipse.