St. Irene: Looking For A Miracle

They came in wheelchairs and on crutches for the past week, and upwards of 5,000 visited St. Irene Chrysovalantou Greek Orthodox Church in Astoria to see the church’s patron saint’s tear-stained icon.

One of the visitors, Anna Konstantinidis, from North Bergen, New Jersey, related: ”I believe in St. Irene. My mother (deceased) has a picture of her on her tomb. In the fall of 1979, I suffered a miscarriage. I prayed to St. Irene and in my dream one night, St. Irene told me I would give birth to a daughter the following year. And I did!”

The lame and infirm who visited the weeping icon, a small decorated painting encased in glass, were hoping for greater miracles, greater cures, but none occurred.

But this did not lessen the zeal of the many visitors. Many broke down in tears at the sight of the painted wooden icon, and almost all waited up to three hours on Monday to get into the church at 36-07 23rd Ave. to view the saint.

Elena Rodriguez and Raul Coello carried their little son, Adrian, who they said suffers from cerebral palsy. Elena, who is Roman Catholic, stated: ”I came for my son, to pray for his health. I believe.”

His Grace Bishop Vikentios of St. Irene’s explained: ”St. Irene Chrysovalantou is the most famous saint in our church. People always look to her and pray for miracles. Last year the clergy of St. Irene’s went to Chicago for four days, at which time we brought the icon with us. We had a request this year from the congregation of Chicago to bring the icon back again this year, so that the saint would bless the people there. We granted their request, and on Oct. 17 (last Wednesday), we arrived at St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago at approximately 4 p.m. and held a service for the sick at 7 p.m. with 1,000 of the faithful in attendance. We also said a special prayer for peace in the world. Many Greek people have sons in the Army in the Persian Gulf now. After the service, we held a reception at which the bishop and archbishop attended. However, the people stayed upstairs with the icon of St. Irene. Suddenly, we heard cries from the people, ‘The icon is crying!’ It began crying like a live person.”

They returned early last week to Astoria and then last Wednesday, the Bishop continued, he discovered beads of moisture and streaks running from the icon’s eyes. When word of this got out to the public, visitors began to descend on the little church in hordes. Church officials estimate that about 50,000 have visited since last Thursday. Most of these came over last weekend when a special service was held for world peace, especially peace in the Middle East.

After the service, the icon was paraded down 23rd St. in a procession, just as is done each summer during the festival in honor of St. Irene.

The icon depicts St. Irene Chrysovalantou, an 8th Century Byzantine noblewoman from Kappadokia who refused to marry a king and instead became a nun. It was painted by a monk in Mount Athos, Greece, in 1919 and has been in the United States for at least 20 years. St. Irene is the church’s Patron Saint of Peace and of the sick, Vikentios said, and has been credited by believers with performing many miracles.

The Astoria church, which is named for the saint, belongs to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Genuine Orthodox Christians of North and South America, headed by Archbishop Paisios in Chicago, Vikentios said. Vikentios is an assistant to the archbishop.