Parishioners at a small, "cozy" Russian
Orthodox Church in Hawaii say they
have a lot to be thankful for.
"We certainly don't deserve it," Father
Antole Lyovin says of the church's good
fortune. After all, the Holy Theotokos of
Iveron Russian Orthodox Church in
Honolulu is home to not one, but two
miracle icons.
The church's image of the Virgin Mary
and Christ child and a wooden cross both
are said to produce myrrh, an oily resin
that Father Lyovin describes as "drops
that are like dew, dew on grass."
The myrrh is said to smell sweet, like
roses, and hold miraculous healing
powers. It's credited with healing a
young girl who was diagnosed with a
brain tumor and for restoring sight to a
man who was mostly blind from a
football accident.
"Before he had the accident," Father
Lyovin told KITV of the latter miracle,
"he was not 20/20. But now he became
20/20."
The Honolulu image of the Virgin Mary
started producing myrrh five years ago.
While the icon is taken on tours around
the country, its existence is little known
outside of the Russian Orthodox church.
The image is based on the Panagia
Portaitissa, or the Iveron Theotokos,
which was supposedly painted by Luke
the Evangelist and is now housed on
Mount Athos in Greece. The original
prototype and many of its copies are also
credited with wonderworking.
The Honolulu icon is an exact replica of
a Montreal version, which streamed
myrrh for fifteen years (1982-1997) and
was cared for by Brother Jose Muñoz-
Cortes. On the fifteenth anniversary of
Brother Jose's death, the Honolulu icon
started producing its myrrh.
Ever since, according to Father Lyovin,
"A drop appears here, a drop appears
there. And it starts flowing down. So,
how can you fake that?"
Father Lyovin doesn't mind skeptics. He
quotes the gospel saying that some have
eyes but cannot see and have ears but
cannot hear.
"I think," he told KITV thoughtfully,
"even belief, to some extent, is sometimes
a blessing."
Orthodox Church in Hawaii say they
have a lot to be thankful for.
"We certainly don't deserve it," Father
Antole Lyovin says of the church's good
fortune. After all, the Holy Theotokos of
Iveron Russian Orthodox Church in
Honolulu is home to not one, but two
miracle icons.
The church's image of the Virgin Mary
and Christ child and a wooden cross both
are said to produce myrrh, an oily resin
that Father Lyovin describes as "drops
that are like dew, dew on grass."
The myrrh is said to smell sweet, like
roses, and hold miraculous healing
powers. It's credited with healing a
young girl who was diagnosed with a
brain tumor and for restoring sight to a
man who was mostly blind from a
football accident.
"Before he had the accident," Father
Lyovin told KITV of the latter miracle,
"he was not 20/20. But now he became
20/20."
The Honolulu image of the Virgin Mary
started producing myrrh five years ago.
While the icon is taken on tours around
the country, its existence is little known
outside of the Russian Orthodox church.
The image is based on the Panagia
Portaitissa, or the Iveron Theotokos,
which was supposedly painted by Luke
the Evangelist and is now housed on
Mount Athos in Greece. The original
prototype and many of its copies are also
credited with wonderworking.
The Honolulu icon is an exact replica of
a Montreal version, which streamed
myrrh for fifteen years (1982-1997) and
was cared for by Brother Jose Muñoz-
Cortes. On the fifteenth anniversary of
Brother Jose's death, the Honolulu icon
started producing its myrrh.
Ever since, according to Father Lyovin,
"A drop appears here, a drop appears
there. And it starts flowing down. So,
how can you fake that?"
Father Lyovin doesn't mind skeptics. He
quotes the gospel saying that some have
eyes but cannot see and have ears but
cannot hear.
"I think," he told KITV thoughtfully,
"even belief, to some extent, is sometimes
a blessing."
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