Holy Cross Class Commissions Icon for Chapel

In an extraordinary gesture of love for our sacred school and its worship life, the Holy Cross Class of 2022 recently donated a very special icon to our Chapel. They could have used the limited funds available to them for a class trip or other purpose that would benefit only them, but chose instead to benefit the entire school through their gift. A magnificent icon of the Theotokos ‘Kardiotissa’ now graces the Chapel, depicting the Mother of God holding her blessed Son close to her heart.

As class president Minas Tsambounieris explains, “We had originally decided to purchase icons of our patron saints to put on the doors of our dorm rooms. But then, knowing we had student funds available from the Student Government Association, we thought to ourselves, why don’t we give back to our beloved school?” As they explored different sources for icons, one member of the class, Pavlos Sotirelis, revealed that he knows the sisters at Holy Protection Monastery, near his hometown in Pennsylvania, who produce beautifully hand-painted icons of exceptional quality. Pavlos worked closely with the sisters on the project and Minas credits him for “his marvelous design and dedication to the project.”

The entire HCHC community is very grateful to the Holy Cross Class of 2022 for adding so meaningfully to the holy atmosphere of the Chapel with their most generous gift of a truly unique icon.