In order of appearance: C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dallas Willard, Wendell Berry, G.K. Chesterton, Henri Nouwen
Luke Wronski
In Western religious circles, the word “icon” is often avoided. In secular culture, it’s become synonymous with celebrity and fame. Yet in Eastern Orthodox tradition, icons remain central to liturgy and spiritual formation.
As I’ve entered the work of Hildegard College and reflected on the way the great books of history create a foundation of thought, I’ve reflected more on my own “icons,” so to speak, that continue to guide me. None are sufficient by themselves, nor are they ends in themselves. Rather, each points beyond itself toward something greater. Together, they form a mosaic of the life I seek to live.
This is my mosaic, which began in college and has been an ongoing filter ever since. In the age of AI, I find myself harkening back to these guides now more than ever, using their voices as filters to navigate paths forward in this ever-changing landscape.
Without exposure to these writers and those who came long before them, I don’t know where I would be. But with them, alongside many other disciplines, I believe I continue to be formed toward what is good, true, and beautiful. And ultimately, toward the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
This is the work of Hildegard College, and I’m very grateful to engage with these and many other thinkers alongside the next generation.
