06/02/2026
We congratulate senior Norah Kratz on recently receiving the 2026 William Wolfram Student Award in Liturgical Art for her painting "Simul Justus et Peccator". Created during Norah's sophomore year at Bethany, this painting was selected by the jury for its refined use of gold leaf, engaging iconographic style, and insightful theological understanding and visual interpretation. Norah has been invited to receive her award and prize in person at the annual "Lectures in Church Music" at Concordia University, Chicago in October.
"Every Christian is simultaneously both a saint and a sinner, as we are justified to God through Christ but still struggle daily with our sinful nature and the old Adam within us. This paradox, the sinful saint, is our reality until we are at last at home in heaven. This artwork serves to explore the deeper emotions of that reality in the style of a traditional icon illustration, combined with a realistic oil painting style. The viewer is encouraged to place themselves within the context of the painting, so that the figure is a mirror rather than an individual. Part of our communion with each other as Christians is our sinful saintdom, and every difficult, painful, beautiful, and sublime feeling that comes along with that. "- Norah Kratz
