The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson, Eleventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, commissioned iconographer Peter Pearson to create this icon of Bishop Barbara Harris in 2021. "I commissioned it for the Diocese as a way of honoring Bishop Barbara Harris and the many faithful women who have been raised up and continue to be raised up in this diocese and across the church," Bishop Deon Johnson said. "It is my hope that those who see it, who engage with it, who pray with it would be inspired by her life and ministry."
Barbara Harris was the first woman consecrated a bishop in the Anglican Communion. She was elected suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts on September 24, 1988. She died March 13, 2020.
The image depicts Bishop Barbara celebrating the Eucharist "in persona Christi." The image includes the bishop's crozier and a thurible, a symbol of our prayers rising before God. The border around the icon is made up of broken chains, representing Bishop Barbara's African ancestry and her advocacy work with social justice.
The original 4-foot by 3-foot icon is displayed at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, MO. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry dedicated the icon during a visit to St. Louis on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021.
You can purchase a variety of wall art copies of the icon through FineArtAmerica.com.
About the iconographer:
Peter Pearson, an Episcopal priest, has been painting icons for over fifty years and teaching for thirty years. He is the author of several books on the subject and was so grateful to be a part of this project honoring God in and through the life of Barbara Harris.