Icon in our hospital chapel

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A beautiful little icon has appeared in our hospital chapel of the Virgin and Child. It sits on a stand about 31/2 feet high. I couldn’t read the script under it because it is in an unfamiliar alphabet. I am thinking our Byzantine priest, who is Romanian, put it there.

Anyway, since I am a Latin Catholic, and not very familiar with icons (although we have a large one in our church) I was wondering about the proper way to venerate it. I did kiss it, but are there some prayers that are said when doing this? I would like to venerate the one in our church (actually it’s in the day chapel) also. Thank you.
 
CB_Catholic said:
A beautiful little icon has appeared in our hospital chapel of the Virgin and Child. It sits on a stand about 31/2 feet high. I couldn’t read the script under it because it is in an unfamiliar alphabet. I am thinking our Byzantine priest, who is Romanian, put it there.

Anyway, since I am a Latin Catholic, and not very familiar with icons (although we have a large one in our church) I was wondering about the proper way to venerate it. I did kiss it, but are there some prayers that are said when doing this? I would like to venerate the one in our church (actually it’s in the day chapel) also. Thank you.
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Basically, except for kissing (I’ve never seen a statue kissed), venerate her anyway you would a statue. There are special prayers said before various icons, but they are not mandatory. Usually one crosses himself, makes a bow touching the floor or a full prostration, and then kisses the icon, then making a small bow of the head while backing away.

It is somewhat a rule to kiss the forehead, not the face. There is the question of respect (kissing on the face is a little presumptious) but also the practical aspect of wear and tear where it will not obliterate the image (in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the marble relief of the angels, etc. have had their faces literally kissed off).
 
In the Byzantine tradition, the hands of the Theotokos or other saints, and feet of Christ (or hand if no feet) get kissed.
 
Hello,
CB_Catholic said:
A beautiful little icon has appeared in our hospital chapel of the Virgin and Child. It sits on a stand about 31/2 feet high. I couldn’t read the script under it because it is in an unfamiliar alphabet. I am thinking our Byzantine priest, who is Romanian, put it there.

Anyway, since I am a Latin Catholic, and not very familiar with icons (although we have a large one in our church) I was wondering about the proper way to venerate it. I did kiss it, but are there some prayers that are said when doing this? I would like to venerate the one in our church (actually it’s in the day chapel) also. Thank you.
Click to expand...
I don’t know if Father put it there or not. I don’t think he is too terribly impressed with the new layout, though.
 
I belong to the Syrian Catholic diocease of Pala, India. In our church new icon paintings adore the alter. I don’t know whether the same resembles the Byzentine tradition. The same does not seem to resemble any of our traditional paintings. Its peculiarity is that the same is tailormade to be in contradistinction with the imagery in the Latin tradition. I dont understand why the eastern rite are so averse to the Latin rite. If Latin rite imagery tends to bring us closer to Jesus Christ our lord and Saviour, the same has to be promoted and we should not be enslaved to false notions of traditionalism. Further in our church the tabernacle where the Holy Eucharist is kept is placed on a side table and it appears to be an insignificant reservation and contrary to the prescribed norms. Whether east or west we should remember that Jesus Christ is our Lord and not our falsified and fabricated cultural inclinations.
 
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