St. Irene of Chrysovalantou Church, a parish of our Holy Metropolis in Troy, Michigan, recently celebrated its first parish patronal feast on 28 July OS, the feast of our Righteous Mother Irene of Cappodocia, Abbess of Chrysovalantou Monastery in Constantinople, the great ascetic and wonderworker beloved of the Orthodox Greek people, whose fame has spread in the 20th and 21st centuries throughout the whole Orthodox world.
Following Divine Liturgy on Sunday 27 July/9 August, the feast of St. Panteleimon, Great Vespers for St. Irene was celebrated with a Liti and Artoklasia. This was followed by a festive meal at a nearby banquet facility.
On Monday, the Feast of St. Irene, we celebrated Orthros and Divine Liturgy in memory of our beloved saint.
According to pious custom, apples were blessed after Divine Services on both days, and distributed to the faithful, in memory of St. Irene’s miraculous reception of apples from Paradise at the end of her earthly life, and for the help of the faithful.
55 people were present at services on Sunday, and 28 were present on the morning of the Feast itself. We glorify the Lord, Who has granted stability, growth, and peace to our small community in less than a year.
Our rector Fr. Steven Allen, Protopsaltis Leonidas Pittos, our Parish Council, and our entire parish brotherhood wish to thank our beloved archpastor Metropolitan Demetrius, for his guidance and holy prayers, and to thank also beloved fellow Orthodox of our Holy Metropolis who travelled some distance, as well as well-meaning Orthodox guests from the Detroit area, who came to be with us on this holy day.
This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.
It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door
the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.
The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.
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