VISIT OF THE WONDERWORKING “HAWAIIAN” IVERON ICON OF THE THEOTOKOS TO THE PARISH IN LINCOLN AND THE CONCELEBRATION AT THE ROCOR DIOCESAN CATHEDRAL
On the 13th and 14th of November, our Archdiocese was blessed by the visit of the wonderworking Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, which spent a day at the parish of All Saints of Lincolnshire, Lincoln. This visit was a gracious gift from His Grace, Bishop Irenei of Great Britain and Western Europe (ROCOR) to our Archdiocese.
The Icon arrived at the parish on the evening of the 13th of November, accompanied by three priests of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia: Fr. Paul Elliott, Fr. Nectary Yangson (the keeper of the Icon), and Fr. Theodore Stanway. His Eminence, Metropolitan Silouan, together with many clergy from our Archdiocese, solemnly welcomed the holy Icon and led a procession into the church. A beautiful Supplication Service to the Mother of God followed.
At the conclusion of the service Metropolitan Silouan expressed heartfelt gratitude to His Grace, Bishop Irenei, and the Fathers accompanying the Icon for bringing the joy and blessings of the wonderworking Icon to our community. In his homily Metropolitan Silouan spoke about the importance of miracles in the Church, emphasising that our Lord, in His infinite love, will work miracles in our lives if we approach Him in faith and prayer. His Eminence then invited Fr. Nectary to share with the faithful the history and miracles of the Icon. Fr. Paul Elliott conveyed to His Eminence, the clergy, and the parishioners of our Archdiocese the fraternal greetings of His Grace, Bishop Irenei, who was unable to visit Lincoln on this occasion.
On the morning of November 14th, the Feast of the Holy Apostle Philip, His Eminence presided over the Festal Orthros and Divine Liturgy, assisted by clergy from our Archdiocese and ROCOR. In his homily, Metropolitan Silouan reflected on the profound meaning of the words from the day’s Gospel reading: “Come and see” (John 1:39). He reminded the faithful that to find God in our lives, we must take the initiative. First, we must come to the Church, where we encounter our Lord Jesus Christ in every Divine Liturgy through the Eucharist. Second, we must strive to see Christ in our neighbours.
Sayedna again expressed his gratitude to His Grace, Bishop Irenei, and the clergy of the ROCOR Diocese for bringing the Icon to our community in Lincoln. He also emphasized the close ties between the Church Abroad and the Antiochian Church, both working together to bring more faithful to the Orthodox Faith in the British Isles.
Following the celebrations, the Icon departed from the parish of All Saints of Lincolnshire to continue its tour across England.
On the 19th of November, the clergy of our London-based parishes were invited by His Grace, Bishop Irenei, to the ROCOR Diocesan Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Royal Martyrs to join the final Supplication Service with an Akathist in front of the holy Icon before it departs to Ireland. With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Silouan, who could not attend on this occasion, our Archdiocese was represented by Fr. Michel Touma, Fr. Boniface Carroll, Fr. Dcn Dmitry Ismagilov, and Fr. Dcn George Moldoveanu.
Concelebrating the service with His Grace, Bishop Irenei, were clergy from various Orthodox jurisdictions in the UK. The church was filled with the faithful from across London and beyond, including many of our parishioners, singing praises with one soul and heart to the Most Holy Mother of God. After the completion of the service, all the faithful had the opportunity to venerate the holy Icon once more.
Concelebrating the service with His Grace Bishop Irenei were clergy from across the Orthodox jurisdictions of the UK. The church was full of the faithful from all across London and beyond, singing praise with one soul and heart to the Most Holy Mother of God.
Following the service, the concelebrating clergy were invited by Bishop Irenei to dinner at the parish house. Afterward, the clergy, including fathers from our Archdiocese, returned to the church to venerate the Icon alongside the remaining faithful and bid it a solemn farewell.
This past week was a true blessing for our Archdiocese, as the faithful were uplifted by the presence of the wonderworking Icon in Lincoln and united in joy and prayer through the opportunity to venerate and celebrate at the ROCOR Diocesan Cathedral in London. We give thanks to God for this beautiful gift!
The photography of the concluding visit in England to the ROCOR Cathedral in London may be found here: https://orthodox-europe.org/content/london-final-service-with-hawaiian-icon/
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