Lenten Campaign 2025
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As the global Church prepares for the Great Jubilee of 2033, marking 2,000 years since Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, the Archdiocese of Denver has unveiled a powerful new icon to guide the faithful in prayer and reflection.
On Tuesday, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, alongside local sacred artist and Denver Catholic columnist Elizabeth Zelasko, presented the newly written icon, Mary at the Foot of the Cross, in a simple yet moving ceremony at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center.
The image of the Blessed Mother standing on Mount Calvary serves as both an invitation and a reminder: to walk with Mary, trust as she trusted, and embrace discipleship with the same depth of love.
“For the next nine years, as we journey to 2033, we will be reminded year in and year out what it means for us to give ourselves as disciples, as Mary gave herself,” Archbishop Aquila told André Escaleira, Jr., as read in Denver Catholic.
9-year novena
The unveiling precedes the release of the archbishop’s Pastoral Note, Standing with Mary at the Foot of the Cross, which formally introduces a nine-year novena leading up to the jubilee.
This initiative, already begun by his leadership team last year, encourages the faithful to turn to Mary as a model of trust and surrender.
A work of beauty and prayer
Zelasko, the icon’s creator, told Escaleira of the prayerful process that guided her work. “It’s a really beautiful opportunity to pray for our community here, a community that I’m a part of so specifically, at the foot of the Cross,” she told Denver Catholic. “Please know that special prayers were said for each of you individually as I was working on this image.”
Attendees were visibly moved by the icon’s presence. Denver Catholic explains how Kateri Joda Williams, director of Black Catholic Ministry, expressed her admiration:
“The icon is magnificent! I am awe-struck by its beauty. It is far more lovely than I could have even anticipated it would be. I’m grateful for such a precious gift! What a blessing!”
Forest Barnette, project coordinator for the Office of Catholic Schools, reflected on the icon’s meaning in today’s world. “It feels like everything is kind of hitting a wall right now in the whole world. This icon is a reminder that, just like the moment of Christ’s death seemed like a moment of absolute despair and loss but was undergirded by hope, Mary at the foot of the Cross and her Son Jesus are right there, guiding us to our salvation,” she told Escaleira.
Reading the icon
The pastoral letter from Archbishop Aquila explains the icon as follows:
Rich in symbolism, the icon invites the faithful to stand with Mary in prayer. She is depicted with her hands open and empty, holding the swaddling cloth from Jesus’ birth. This recalls the sorrow of a mother whose arms once cradled her infant Son, but now stand empty at the foot of His Cross. The gesture also reflects her surrender to God’s will, mirroring her fiat at the Annunciation.
Two angels stand beside Mary, ministering to her in her grief, just as angels were present throughout her life and Jesus’ ministry (Luke 1:26, Matthew 4:11, Luke 22:43). The stars on her cloak are a nod to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Revelation 12:1: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun… and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Traditionally, three stars are placed on Marian icons — on her head and shoulders — symbolizing her perpetual virginity before, during, and after the birth of Christ.
In the upper right-hand corner, the Greek letters “MP ΘV” stand for Meter Theou, meaning “Mother of God,” a title confirmed by the Church at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Below the Cross, Adam’s bones are depicted in an “XC” formation, the Greek abbreviation for Christ. Ancient tradition holds that Christ was crucified over the burial site of Adam, the first man, drawing a direct link between humanity’s fall and its redemption. The bones are symbolic: one is a rib, pointing to the creation of Eve and to Mary as the New Eve; the other is a forearm bone, recalling Adam’s reach for the forbidden fruit, contrasting with Mary’s willing acceptance of God’s plan.
In the background, the walls of Jerusalem remind us that Jesus was crucified outside the city (Hebrews 13:12). Above, an eclipse darkens the sky, referencing Luke 23:44-45: “There was darkness over the whole land … while the sun’s light failed.” The eclipse’s darkened sky subtly blends into Mary’s dark veil, reinforcing her sorrow and the gravity of the moment.
Each detail of the icon draws the viewer into prayer, leading us to ponder the depth of Mary’s suffering, her faith, and her role in salvation history.
