THE PORTAITISSA OF MONTREAL, CANADA
In 1982, a Chilean convert to Orthodoxy, Jose Munoz, in the company of two friends, embarked from Canada to the ancient bastion of Orthodox monasticism, Mt. Athos, on a pilgrimage. An art teacher by profession, he is also an iconographer, and therefore wished to visit some of the sketes (small monastic communities dependent upon one of the 20 major monasteries of Athos) and monasteries which specialize in icon painting. One of the friends who had accompanied Jose decided to become a monk and remained on Mt. Athos in one of the smaller sketes; Jose and his other companion directed themselves towards the Danilov skete, where icons are painted in the ancient Byzantine style using the egg tempera technique. After eight hours of climbing uphill on rough terrain, they were very tired and decided to stop at a skete which they could see on the the Mountainside below. This skete, dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, is very poor and its 14 monks keep a strict monastic rule. The abbot, Fr. Klimentos, greeted them warmly and offered traditional Athonite hospitality. Then he took them to see the skete's icon-painting studio. As soon as he entered the studio, Jose felt an immediate and
indescribable attraction to a copy of the Iveron Icon of the
Mother of God which hung on one of the walls. As he later
explained, his heart felt as though it had 'leaped or turned over.
" He asked whether he could buy this Icon, but was told
repeatedly that it was one of the first icons which had been
painted at this skete ( by one Fr. Chrysostomos in 1981) and
was not for sale at any price.
That night at a divine service in the church of the skete,
during the singing of the angelic hymn to the Theotokos
"It is Meet" (one of the chief prayers of the Orthodox
Church to the Mother of God), Jose fell to his knees and begged
the Mother of God to make it possible for him to take the Icon back
with him into the world, where "we have need of You."
Immediately he felt an assurance that somehow his prayer would be
answered. The next morning, as Jose and his friend were about to
depart, the abbot appeared holding the Icon and said to Jose that it
pleased the Mother of God for Her Icon to go with him to North
America. Jose and his companion went down the mountain and took the the boat
towards Daphne, a port on the western shore of the peninsula. On the
way, Jose heard a strong inner voice which bade him: "Go to the
Iveron monastery and touch your Icon to the original wonder-working
Iveron Icon." This they did. Upon arrival at the Iveron monastery they waited three hours before
a monk came to open the church which houses the original
"Portaitissa." Jose asked that the protective icon case
be opened so that his Icon could be placed upon the original
Portaitissa in order to be directly blessed by the Mother of God.
The monk was suprised, but agreed to Jose's request when it was
explained to him that Jose and his companion wished to take the
blessing of the Mother of God to the West where Her intercession
is much needed. Returning to his home in Montreal, Canada, Jose placed the Iveron
Mother of God in his icon corner, where he also kept relics of the
saints from the Kiev Caves monastery and of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth (one of the New Martyrs of Russia). Jose began to read a daily Akathist (hymns of praise) before his
newly-acquired Icon. At about 4 a.m. on Nov. 24, 1982 (three weeks
after his return from Mt. Athos), Jose woke up to the smell of a
very strong fragrance, as though someone had spilled a bottle of
exquisite perfume. He thought at first that the fragrance emanated
from the relics but later, when he stood before the Icon to say his
morning prayers, he saw that the hands of the Mother of God were
streaked with oil. Jose assumed that a friend who was sharing the
house had spilled some oil onto the Icon while adjusting the flame
of the vigil lamp hanging before it, but the friend denied touching
the lamp. When Jose wiped the Icon, he discovered that it was the
source of the wonderful fragrance which had by now filled the whole
house. Upon the advice of a local Orthodox clergyman, the Icon was taken to
church and placed on the altar. During the entire liturgy, myrrh
flowed from the hands of the Christ Child. Since that time, with
the exception of several days during Holy Week, when the Icon is
absolutely dry, the myrrh has continued to flow almost uninterruptedly. In the years since, Jose has traveled to many cities and parishes
where the Icon has been venerated to the great joy and consolation
of the faithful. Wherever the Icon goes, there are always many questions.
Some people initially have doubts. A scientist in Miami was
astounded to see that the back of the Icon remained perfectly
dry. He later surreptitiously chipped off a small piece of the
board on which the Icon is painted for scientific analysis: it was
found to be ordinary pine wood, nothing more. At some times the myrrh flows in greater abundance than at others.
During the consecration of a bishop in Montreal there was such an
outpouring of the myrrh, that it streamed down from the analogion
(lectern on which icons are kept in Orthodox churches) onto the floor.
On another occasion, in Florida, the myrrh was seen to rise forth
from the hands of the Mother of God and the Christ Child as though
it were being pressed from within. Nobody has any power to regulate
the flow of the myrrh, it moves to the will of God and His Most Pure
Mother. The Icon is kept in a frame about two inches deep and measures
about 12 X 18 inches. At first the myrrh flowed only from the hands
of the Mother of God, from the star on Her left shoulder and,
occasionally, from the hands of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet in March
1985, during a Lenten service, even the frame and glass of the Icon
began to exude myrrh in such quantities, that the cloth of the
analogion on which it lay was totally saturated. There is always a
layer of cotton wool at the base of the Icon to absorb the myrrh:
pieces of this cotton are distributed to the faithful. Although there have already been several cases of physical healing
(not only among Orthodox, but Catholics and Protestants, too),
the purpose of the Mother of God seems to be directed more at
the healing of souls. Many who have stood before the Icon have
testified to this, experiencing not only compunction and repentance,
but consolation at the same time. As mentioned earlier, the flow of myrrh ceases during Holy Week.
It ceases on Holy Monday. After the liturgy on the morning of Great
Saturday, a light dew of myrrh forms on the Icon, its case and
protecting glass. During Matins (the midnight service at which
the glorious Resurrection of Our Lord is proclaimed), when the
procession of clergy and faithful, holding icons and banners,
leaves the church, the Icon begins to exude myrrh in such quantities,
that it covers the hands of the person who is carrying it. Source : |
