Icon of Saint Chad, Bishop of Lichfield

Saint Chad of Lichfield (d. 672) was my discernment icon.  That is, I began writing this icon back in 2005 as part of my discernment process for ordination in the Episcopal Church.  Finding images of St. Chad is rather difficult and I longed to have an icon of my namesake.  

Though my parents did not intentional name me after this humble saint, I adopted him as my patron and desire to embodied his virtue and holy ways--I need humility!

I finished St. Chad in the Fall 2008.  With so many things in life, this icon was started and stopped multiple times.  It was after finishing Chad that I redeveloped the itch to get back into iconography as an important part of my prayer life.  Chad fanned the embers and now the flames are ablaze.  The icon is 16 in. x 12 in., acrylic on wood.

I broke some icon rules with St. Chad--he's portrayed in red which is usually reserved for martyrs.  The cross on his vestments and on the Gospel Book comes from the Lichfield Gospels, an illuminated manuscript attributed to Chad.  I gave him a "Live Strong" bracelet, as my Pastoral Theology professor says, on his right arm.

Prayer of the Akathist to Saint Chad of Lichfield

From the website http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/

O Jesus Christ God, the Divine Logos, we beseech Thee that we may be deemed worthy to recall the works of Thy great wonderworker and hierarch Chad. We pray that we may find grace through his great piety, humility, unceasing prayer, fasting and obedience to his brethren. We seek his counsel and intercessions before Thy glorious Throne. We ask Thee, our God, to grant us humility, love and steadfastness in faith and teaching. Bestow good thoughts and intentions upon us and upon our brothers and sisters, and especially upon our enemies who wrong us. Help us in times of need to call upon holy Chad’s humility to Saint Theodore. As a model of obedience, holy Chad relinquished the See of York, feeling unworthy of such an honour, and so was rewarded with a great See in Mercia and, more, precious humility. 

Help us, O Almighty God, to emulate humble Chad and preserve us from selfish and vain thoughts. Help us never to forget those that suffer, the downtrodden and the unfortunate. Be a hand for us, when in humility, we step aside for others. Keep us, for the sins of pride, vanity and lust are hard to battle and conquer, and only through Thee are they truly defeated. May we learn to love one another in Thee, O Christ, and may we strive for concord through Thee with those before us and around us. May we put aside all earthly cares and come to the knowledge of Thine Eternal Truth. Thou art the Divine Architect Who didst shape this vast universe and Whose power is limitless. We humbly beg Thee, forgive us our sins, for Thy power is great and we are weak. 

Remember humble Chad’s prayers for our sake, and have mercy on us in Thy dread Judgement. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, always, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.