October 17, 2011
Brooklyn, NY: The Myrrh-Streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Mother
of God visited the Church of Our Lady "The Inexhaustible Chalice"
On
Monday, October 10, the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the
Mother of God visited the Church of Our Lady "The Inexhaustible
Chalice" in Brighton and the
Mercy House of St. John of Kronstadt in
Brooklyn, NY. The Icon was accompanied by its guardian, Reader
Nectarios Yangston, and those with him.
The Icon’s guardian chose this church himself out of all of the
possible churches to visit in New York, explaining his decision by
noting that this particular church, which cares for so many
suffering immigrants, more than anywhere else the intercession of
the Mother of God is needed, along with Her prayerful aid. Church
parishioners and New York’s Orthodox clergy are grateful for the
opportunity to celebrate the Divine Liturgy under the aegis of the
wonderworking Icon and feel its grace.
Greeting the holy Icon, church rector Priest Vadim Arefiev took it
into his hands and blessed all those who had gathered. As he would
later explain, he was stunned by the holy myrrh, which was streaming
down the very glass of the Icon’s case and emitting a marvelous
fragrance. It seemed to all those present that the Most Pure
Theotokos Herself had entered the church.
The rector then led Matins and celebrated the Divine Liturgy,
co-served by Archpriest Charalambos Politis (cleric of St. Nicholas
Church in Brooklyn (EP)), Priest Zoran Radovic (rector of St.
George’s Serbian Church in Elizabeth, NJ), and Priest Viorel (Maria)
Dumitrescu (rector of Descent of the Holy Spirit Church in
Ridgewood, NY (OCA)). Also praying in church were Archpriest
Alexander Tandilashvili (rector of St. Nino’s George Church in
Brooklyn) and ROCOR Synodal representative Archimandrite Ioann
(Magramm), which lent the Icon’s visit a pan-Orthodox feel.
In his sermon, Fr. Vadim underscored the important not only of
formal veneration of the holy Icon and recognition of the love of
the Theotokos to all of us sinners, but also called everyone to
carefully inspect the spiritual meaning of venerating any icon, an
act that only symbolizes the depth of prayer, but that in no way
supplants it. Father shared his own incomparable experiences of
feeling the presence of the Most Holy Theotokos in the church.
Virtually all of the faithful communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries
and, hoping on the intercession of Our Lady, venerating Her
wonderworking Icon.
Upon completion of the Divine Liturgy, a procession was held to
Seaside Park, where parishioners had yet another opportunity to
share in the grace of the myrrh-streaming Icon, but this time
communally – the Icon was carried above the heads of the
worshippers. The parish sisterhood and brethren of the Mercy House
prepared a festal luncheon, in which parishioners, clergy, and their
guests from neighboring parishes all took part.
Photos of the visit of the Hawaiian-Iveron Icon to the Church of Our
Lady and the Mercy House are available to readers below.
A participant of the feast
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