On the feast of Pentecost in May 2024, Father Jim Perkl, pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville, began thinking about the creation of an icon to complete a series at his parish on the main points of the Gospel.
An experienced iconographer throughout his 40-plus years of priesthood, he knew the process well: Think, pray and wait for the Holy Spirit to inspire. The inspiration did, indeed, arrive and Perkl began the process several weeks ago to create an icon he completed March 14 titled, “I am Mercy,”
He said his newest icon completes and embodies the main points of the Gospel, which are listed on pamphlets he and the parish are distributing:
- God loves you and has a plan for your life.
- Sin separates us from God.
- Jesus Christ died to save you.
- Repent and believe in the Gospel, the “good news.”
- Be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit.
- Live a new life in Christ, through his body, the Church.
- Go forth and make disciples.
As he began thinking and praying about what to illustrate in the final icon of the series, he landed on the phrase “missionary icon.” Over the last few months, he made a series of sketches before settling on the final depiction, which he created (iconographers use the term “write” to describe the painting process) over the first two weeks of March, working morning to night in a studio he uses in Prior Lake.
“An icon is a living doorway into the mystery of our life, which is Jesus,” said Father Perkl, 66, who came to Mary, Mother in 2014. “(The) Holy Spirit speaks. I just lend a hand, a couple brushes. But, it’s his (Christ’s) life, and that’s what’s reflected here (in the icon).”
Father Perkl plans to make prayer cards using the icon’s image and may possibly make reproductions to sell, which he has done with previous icons he has written. His office at Mary, Mother is filled with previous works and he uses them both for personal prayer and for spiritual direction appointments. They are colorful reminders of the Gospel he is charged with preaching.
His mercy icon is filled with depictions of spiritual elements and symbols, such as the Ten Commandments resting on Jesus’ arms while he is on the cross, Mary, his mother, and the Apostle John holding the Eucharist (both Body and Blood), and 50 golden rays emanating from Jesus to represent the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost.
On either side of the icon are walls of rock, used to represent today’s culture. “We are being sent to a culture that is sometimes as hard as rock,” he said. “People may not know mercy, they may not know the love of God, they may not know the Eucharist, they may not know the Church.”
The icon illustrates the need for people of faith to “go forth” and proclaim the truths of the Gospel to the rest of the world, Father Perkl said. In that effort, he will make prayer cards from the image of the mercy icon for distribution. The cards will be added to pamphlets previously made that outline the Gospel truths and use images from previous icons Father Perkl has written.
For now, his newest icon will reside at Mary, Mother, but he will consider making reproductions to sell. He has done this previously, with proceeds going to Risen Savior Missions, a food program for the hungry in the Philippines started in 2006 by parishioners Jerry and Barb Krosnowski. Since its inception, the program has served 145 million meals to the hungry in the Philippines by partnering with organizations like Feed My Starving Children. Father Perkl has been to the Philippines and seen the ministry work firsthand.
