evOLve Ministry: The Age of Faith

9:30-11:00 am

McDonnell Hall, lower level Church

The evOLve Adult Education Ministry is excited to welcome Greg Athnos, a retired Emeritus Professor of Music at North Park University.

Mr. Athnos will present: The Age of Faith: Symbolic Voices in Painting, Music and Architecture.

Cathedrals towered over the mud and straw huts of every European village. Inside and out, they were symbols of another world. For the illiterate masses, they became "Bibles in stone and glass". Even the music pointed toward the Divine; it was different from the music of the streets. We'll examine the spiritual nature of Church architecture, stained glass and music. In the present time, those of us fortunate enough to travel to Europe and visit the great Gothic cathedrals, marvel at the artistry of the stained glass and stone carvings and perhaps, attend a concert featuring the music of Mozart or Bach in such sacred environments. We can only imagine the effect they had on an ordinary peasant. What spiritual and aesthetic insights can we learn from them today?


Greg Athnos is an Emeritus Professor of Music at North Park University. His teaching responsibilities led him to serve as director of choral organizations and as conductor of University Orchestra and Choir. His role as Conductor afforded him the opportunity to tour with the orchestra throughout the United States and Europe and included performances of Sacred Music in Russia, Shanghai and Beijing China. Mr. Athnos has also traveled internationally as a lecturer in music and theology and has published books on the Art of the Catacombs. His schedule is filled with lectures and seminars offered to art organizations, Elderhostel/Road Scholar programs in Wisconsin and New Hampshire, museums, retirement communities and churches. His lectures typically include slides and taped music offering samplings of the composer’s music to enhance the experience the composer wished to convey.

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