Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In October 23, 2010 our Parish blessed by visit of His Holiness Bishop Peter and The Kursk Icon of Our Lady of the Sign. Molieben dedicated to Mother of God was served.

Vespers prayer and Divine Liturgy were served by Bishop Peter, Father Lubomir and Father John in the new built Church of St. Jonah.

Visit of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God in the St. Vladimir Church in Houston

On October 23rd, 2010, with the Goodwill of the Lord, the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “Sign”, the main relic of Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, arrived at St. Vladimir Orthodox Church. This miracle-working icon was brought to Houston by His Grace, Bishop Peter of Cleveland, Administrator of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America.

The icon was welcomed by the rector of our church, Fr. Lyubomir Kupez, Deacon Vsevold Gonzov, Warden Vladislav Sharin, senior sister Ekaterina Marinova, all of the parishioner of the St. Vladimir Orthodox Church along with General Consul of the Russian Federation in Houston Mr. Nikolay Y. Babich, his wife Valentina Vladimirovna, their daughter Evgeniya Nikolayevna and visitors from other parishes. The warden, Vladislav Sharin, presented His Grace, Bishop Peter, with bread with salt as a special tribute for his visit.

His Grace, Bishop Peter placed the relic on the central icon stand, which was decorated by the magnificent wreath made of fresh flowers, then the Bishop blessed to start moleben to the Most Holy Theotokos, who come to us and has consecrated with Her presence all space of the St. Vladimir church.

Bishop Peter gave an inspiring sermon titled, “The Preservation of Orthodox Icons – The New Testament in Paintings.” The icon is not only meant as a visual aid, in the sense of the word, but also as an expression of prayful worship.

We venerate the icons, put incense in front of them, and bow. However, the Christian does not bow to the painting itself but to the image represented on the painting,” said the Bishop, addressing to the gathered parishioners. At times, we cannot realize the grace, which the wonder-working icon gives us at once.”

The Bishop told a story from the Synod of Russian Church Abroad in New York. A Christian woman became very frightened after the icon fell on her head because of her due to carelessness. The woman visited a doctor who assured her that she did not have any complications from being struck by the icon. However, after a detailed medical examination, it was discovered that she had cancer in her brain. The woman underwent a successful operation and recovered from her illness. She now thanks the Most Holy Theotokos for the grace given to her to recover from the fatal illness.

The Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God is always present at all the main events of the Russian Church Abroad, which include blessings and consecrations. To this day it continues to be our Hodigitria”, – said the Bishop at the end of his sermon.

Our priest, Fr. Lyubomir, addressed to the Bishop, thanking him for this presence, saying, “We believe that the Virgin Mary is always with us, and especially today, in the form of her miracle-working icon. She blesses us, bows to Her Son, and prays for our salvation. We pray and hope that this sanctity never leaves the grounds of Russian Orthodox Diaspora and that each and every one of us should make and effort and be spiritually worthy of this”.

All parishioners sung ‘Many Years’ to the Bishop Peter, and then to our Fr. Lyubomir.

After sermon, Fr. Lyubomir, his helpers, and all of the parishioners present venerated the icon. His Grace, Bishop Peter anointed all of the parishioners with oil and then Fr. Lyubomir presented everyone a gift – a small icon of the Kursk-Root Icon ‘Sign’ of the Mother of God.

At the end of the service, Bishop Peter honored us with his presence in the parish house where lunch and tea was served. The sisterhood of the church prepared a diverse and delicious lunch, with beautifully decorated tables adorned with flowers. The warden Vladislav, Matushka Tatiana, and Head Sister Ekaterina respectfully invited Bishop Peter to a specially prepared table, decorated with fresh flowers, fine china, and had precious table cloth. Bishop Peter sat at the table with Mr. Nicolay Y. Babich, the General Consul of the Russian Federation in Houston. Sister Ekaterina presented the Bishop a present – basket full of various crafts and goodies made by the Sisterhood. During trapeza, Fr. Lyubomir expressed his gratitude to the Bishop Peter and the clergy of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America for their presence and kindness to our parish.

Following the sermon and a tasty meal, the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God visited the Church of St. Jonah in Spring, Texas, where an evening vigil and a morning liturgy next day were carried out.

Fr. John Whiteford, rector of St. Jonah church, Archpriest Martin Swanson, rector of the St. Vasily the Great Church in St. Louis, Fr. Lyubomir from the St. Vladimir Church in Houston, Fr. George Dahdouh, rector of St. Elias Church in Houston, Fr. Sergei Kapitan, rector of St. Archangel Michael Church in Houston, protodeacon Vadim Gan from the St. Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in Chicago, deacon Vsevolod Gonzov, and other clergymen from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia served together with His Grace Bishop Peter.  All our parishioners were also invited to the service at St. Jonah Church, where they had an opportunity to venerate the icon once more and commune on this feast day.

We thank His Grace, Bishop Peter for the pleasure of having the miracle-working icon of the Mother of God in our church.

Glory be to God for everything!