WESTERN EUROPEAN DIOCESE: 5 November 2024
The Hawaiian “Iveron” Icon of the Mother of God visits Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral

On the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, 3 November 2024, when the Church keeps the sacred memory of the Venerable Hilarion the Great, His Grace Bishop Irenei, the Ruling Bishop of London and Western Europe, welcomed the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian “Iveron” Icon of the Mother of God at Geneva’s Exaltation of the Holy Cross Cathedral for the first time. The holy icon was greeted at the doors of the historic church by its clergy and placed in a shrine specially prepared by the Sisterhood for the veneration of the faithful.

Vladyka Irenei was then greeted by the clergy, and officiated at Divine Liturgy, co-served by the cathedral clergy, Archpriest Pavel Tsvetkoff and Archpriest Emilian Pocinoc, Archdeacon Dometian (Redko) and Deacon Antoine Barros, as well as Archpriest Antony and Abbot Herman, visiting from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

After the great entrance, Deacon Antoine was ordained as a priest, to the joyful cries of “Axios!” by the clergy and faithful. The newly-ordained Fr Antoine then took his place with the other priests around the Holy Altar.

Enormous crowds of faithful were present in the Cathedral to receive the Divine Mysteries of Christ, pray before the miraculous icon of His Mother, and experience the grace of the ordination. The number of faithful could not be contained even by the large cathedral, and filled the territory outside the temple with worshipers who waited for hours to venerate the icon.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Bishop Irenei delivered a short sermon on the spiritual significance of the day, and the traditional gramata of Exhortation to the newly-ordinated priest was proclaimed by the Deacon. “Memory Eternal!” was also intoned for the ever-memorable Metropolitan Hilarion on the occasion of his namesday.

Following these prayers, Vladyka Irenei warmly welcomed His Eminence Archbishop Michael to the Cathedral, and the two Hierarchs together led a moleben before the Hawaiian icon, imploring the Mother of God to look lovingly and compassionately upon the flock of Her Son in the trying times of this world.

Following the prayers, faithful remained for many hours, venerating the icon and being anointed with the precious myrrh that flowed from it during the services.

A full calendar of the Hawaiian icon’s visit to parishes across the Diocese can be found here.