Aglow With Intricate Religious Icons: Lackawanna, NY’s St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church

THE BUFFALO NEWS
By Charity Vogel

St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church feels like entering another century.

NEW YORK --- This week marks the end of a sweeping six-year quest by the Rev. Theodore Jurewicz to fill the building [St. Stephen Serbian Orthodox Church] with striking religious art. The icons and scenes Jurewicz painted cover all the ceiling of the 1950s-era structure, which seats 180. They adorn all the walls. They bedeck, too, the hidden spaces behind doors and around windows, and even incorporate fixtures such as lights, hardware and heating elements. “The idea is to cover every inch of the walls and ceiling,” said Jurewicz, an artist and Serbian Orthodox priest who has commuted to Lackawanna regularly from Pennsylvania to complete the project. But why? “Beauty brings the soul into contemplation of the divine,” Jurewicz said.  [link]