The Feast Emblem

The Liturgy of the Hours texts for each major Catholic feast day will be heralded by a beautiful image of an angel offering incense to God. This adoring angel powerfully communicates the visual language of victory, the joyful thread that unites every feast day. When we celebrate the feasts of Christ, Our Lady, and the saints in the rhythm of the Church’s prayer through the Liturgy of the Hours, we take part in the rejoicing of heaven. Ruth designed the feast emblem as a reminder of these triumphant occasions of faith. 

“When we are reminded of our heavenly destiny, it brings joy and lightens the hard work of prayer and conversion. These feasts give us the opportunity to celebrate Christ’s victory over death in specific ways, giving us a picture of heaven where angels offer an abundance of incense, as John tells us in the Book of Revelation. In liturgical prayers, all are incorporated into Christ’s self-offering.”

Ruth finds that a visual reminder like this of our heavenly destiny “brings joy and lightens the hard work of prayer and conversion.” Entering into feast days with the Liturgy of the Hours reminds us that the prayer of the Church here on earth is a foretaste of the celebration with God awaiting us in heaven. 

The Illustration for the Ordinary

The Ordinary is the section of the Liturgy of the Hours that outlines the basic structure and instructions for the prayers used for the different hours. It’s a helpful aid to navigating the common prayers and responses found in the different hours of the Divine Office. An elaborate full-page design by Ruth accompanies the section on the Ordinary, with layout and symbolism that draws from centuries of Catholic artistry.

“Inspired by medieval manuscripts’ Gospel canon tables, the image for the Ordinary features the three great canticles drawn from the Gospel of Luke, which are sung daily for morning prayer, evening prayer, and night prayer. These canticles are integral to the structure of the Divine Office, providing a spiritual and liturgical framework for the faithful, expressed in literal pillars of the prayers of the day,” Ruth shares.

Intentionally depicting these canticles as pillars points to their central role in morning, evening, and night prayer. The opening of each song in Latin is written in each pillar:

• • Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel – “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel” –  are the words of Zechariah in Luke 1:68-79, recited during Morning Prayer. 
  • Magnificat anima mea Dominum – ”My soul magnifies the Lord” – is the song of Mary in Luke 1:46-55, prayed at Evening Prayer.
  • Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine – “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace” – was spoken by Simeon in Luke 2:29-32, recited in Night Prayer.

In these canticles, Zechariah, Mary, and Simeon remind us to bless God for what he has done, is doing, and will do throughout time. The whole image is framed by the opening words of the Te Deum in Latin: “You are God, we praise you: You are the Lord, we acclaim you. You are the Eternal Father, all the earth worships you.” Through these details that highlight the canticles in the Liturgy of the Hours, Ruth’s illustration reminds us that blessing and praising God should be foundational movements in our lives too.

Illustration for the Proper of Time

The Proper of Time in the Liturgy of the Hours holds the particular prayers, psalms, and readings assigned to each day of the liturgical year. It is divided according to the liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. Special texts for feast days and solemnities, as well as daily variations in the prayers, are included in the Proper of Time.

“The image of the Proper of Time presents Christ as Pantocrator, the literal meaning being ‘All Holding.’ He is the Christ, the Lord of All, King of the Universe, who holds all of creation in being. Christ is the organizing principle that creates, restores, and integrates all of Time.”

With this symbolism in mind, Ruth placed Christ sitting majestically at the center of the page, in a manner inspired by Byzantine and Eastern Catholic iconography. His right hand is raised in blessing, and to show that all time is sacred, he holds the ornate book of time in his other hand. Two seraphim appear behind Jesus’s commanding figure as a reminder of heavenly realities. 

Six circles around Christ are “set into the gardenscape like gems,” depicting important symbols of the faith that each represent the liturgical seasons. What truly enhances this majestic illustration is how Ruth filled in the background. Rich vines spread in every direction, connecting Jesus’ words “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5) to the beginning of time in Eden, where mankind walked with God. When we abide in Jesus, the Lord of Time, our days are sanctified, and our prayers are placed in communion with the Church’s celebrations.

Frontispiece for Volume II – Lent and Easter

Another special full-page piece designed by Ruth is the frontispiece of Volume II of the Liturgy of the Hours, which holds the prayers for Lent and Easter. These seasons form an important journey towards our salvation, but also an abrupt contrast, and Ruth kept this in mind as she designed the image:

“In Lent, we enter into the longing and yearning for salvation, but also the expectant hope of the Resurrection. We set out once again on the arduous journey with Christ through the desert, toward the fulfillment of his mission of salvation. Christ is depicted on the cross, the Tree of Life, his throne, but glorified as he offers himself eternally to the Father in the heavenly liturgy. The walls of the Heavenly Jerusalem reach out like arms to embrace the whole Church.”

This frontispiece image visually holds together the themes of Lent and Easter: Christ, the Light of the World, triumphs amid the darkness of the passion. Our eyes are drawn upward by the converging walls of the New Jerusalem, which point us to the height of the cross. The image is shaped by tiny details that symbolize Jesus’s Paschal Mystery and show the interplay between death and resurrection.

To see the beautiful frontispiece to the Lent and Easter volume, as well as all the sacred art that accompanies the Liturgy of the Hours texts, you can preorder the new Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition from Ascension starting on July 1, 2026!