Veronica Bornyi, a self-taught artist, started making icons in 1995.
“One day in February when I was in the chapel of the Sacred Heart Convent I realized that the Blessed Lord granted all my petitions throughout so many years. Then the thought came to me that I have to do something out of gratitude towards God and the Blessed Mother and let others, especially young people know about the great mercy and goodness of God. That was the time when the idea of writing icons came to me.
After this encounter I had a hard time for months. Many times reason wanted to get the upper hand and came up with a long list of why I shouldn’t attempt to start even experimenting with icon painting. However the idea came back and hunted me, until I had to give in. I made my first icon in June of ’95 and I never stopped ever since. I was greatly blessed by God who surrounded me with people of deep spirituality. They appreciated my work from the very beginning and urged me to continue writing icons.
There is a mystery in icons which grabs the heart of the onlooker, and I try to convey this mystery in every one of my works. As Pope John Paul II explained to pilgrims; …this holy art’s foundation is the mystery of the Incarnation, in which God has wished to take on the face of man. Through the contemplation of icons, inserted in the whole of liturgical and ecclesial life, the Christian community is called to grow in its experience of God, becoming more and more a living icon of communion of life among the three divine Persons.”
I don’t consider myself an artist but someone who loves God. Without Him I can’t even draw a straight line, but with God everything is possible.“
Since 1995 Veronica Bornyi has created more than fifty icons. They hang in churches, chapels, rectories and private homes mostly in Ontario, but some can be found in British Columbia and in Europe as well. During the years she has been invited to high schools and by different church groups to show her work of art and give lectures about icons. For many years Veronica Bornyi lived with her husband Lajos, a well known composer, conductor and educator in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario till his passing. She has since moved to the Hamilton area. She has three children and three grandchildren.
