My name is John Liquori and I am a current graduate student at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where I am completing a Master of Arts in Evangelization & Culture.

As a capstone for my degree, I need to complete a major project that focuses on evangelization. As I paint icons in my spare time and it is something I have a passion for, I decided to combine icons and scripture to complete my project to create a museum-style exhibit to connect the Seven Sacraments to their Biblical foundations.

Description: "Iconography has been a cornerstone of the Catholic faith since the beginning. Icons have been used for centuries as an aid in prayer and adoration of God. Throughout history, there has been vigorous debate about whether icons are acceptable as tangible items to use for prayer. Much of the controversy with icons had to do with Christ’s hypostatic union, or the belief that Jesus Christ is both fully divine and fully human. The Second Council of Nicea in 787 declared icons can be used for veneration, and icons continue to be a powerful source in adoration and prayer today. However, icons can also be a great tool in telling a story. Like iconography, there is controversy surrounding the Sacraments in the Church. Different Christian denominations argue that certain sacraments are misguided, while others are not Biblical at all. Using iconography as an anchor, this exhibit will make the case that all seven Sacraments in the Catholic Church are true and Biblical in nature."

With this project, I will need to travel to Houston, Texas, and complete the project by offering the exhibit and speaking to guests at a reception for the exhibit. This major project comes with costs. There is the expense of the materials to make the icons, the panels, the images, as well as getting them to Houston safely. Also, I will need to go to Houston and stay there for a brief time (a week) to be present at the exhibit. This requires airfare, lodging, and miscellaneous expenses to go toward the event. In addition, once the exhibit is finished in Houston, it will then be brought back to Elmira and will be displayed for our local community.

The goal, of course, is to help evangelize Catholics and non-Catholic Christians, although the exhibit and the project are open for anyone to enjoy. With your help, I can do as Christ instructed us to do as stated in Matthew, chapter 28, verses 19-20: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

If you wish to donate in other ways, here is how:

PayPal: @johnliquori

Venmo: @mrliquori

CashApp: $rideallama05