Hundreds of faithful venerate wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon at Jersey City’s Saints Peter and Paul Church
Faithful from the New York and New Jersey area joined His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah in venerating the wonderworking Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God at Saint Peter and Paul parish here on Saturday, January 2, 2010.
With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the icon was brought to the parish by Archpriest Serge Lukianov, secretary of ROCOR’s Eastern American Diocese.
Metropolitan Jonah presided at the Divine Liturgy, assisted by Archimandrite Michael [Dahulich], Bishop-elect of the OCA’s Diocese of New York and New Jersey; Archpriest Joseph Lickwar, host pastor and diocesan chancellor; Father Serge; and visiting clergy. Deacon Igor Yakunin was ordained to the holy priesthood during the Liturgy.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Father Serge greeted Metropolitan Jonah and Father Joseph and presented them with copies of the Kursk-Root Icon. In response, Metropolitan Jonah expressed deep gratitude to Metropolitan Hilarion for blessing the visit of the Icon to the parish.
During the luncheon that followed, clergy and laity alike enjoyed a media presentation detailing the Kursk-Root Icon’s fall 2009 visit to Russia.
The Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God was discovered on September 8, 1259, by a hunter outside the town of Kursk, Russia. He found the icon lying face down by the root of a tree. Lifting it up, he discovered that the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. Simultaneously, as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, a spring of pure water gushed forth. Deciding not to leave the icon in the forest, the hunter placed it in a small, ancient chapel.
The icon was transferred to the city of Ryl’a and placed in a new church erected in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. But the icon soon disappeared and returned to the place in which it first appeared. The people of Ryl’a made several attempts to return the icon to their city, but it repeatedly returned to its former place. Everyone then realized that the Theotokos preferred the place of the icon’s appearance.
The special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is associated with many important events in Russian history.
A photo gallery of the joyous event may be found on the OCA web site. Additional photos may be found on the ROCOR web site.