A Statement by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago Regarding the Icon of the Virgin Mary in the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Chicago.
On September 10, 2019, the Metropolis of Chicago made the following statement:
On Sunday morning, September 8, 2019, the icon of the Most-Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary on the iconostasis of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago was discovered, by an employee of the parish, to appear to be weeping. In such cases, Orthodox clergy know to immediately inform their bishop so that he may take appropriate steps to discern the nature of the phenomenon. When similar events were discovered in the Metropolis in the past, such news was not shared until months later in order to discern that what was observed was truly a sign from God.
Unfortunately, appropriate discernment was not used in this particular instance, and an announcement was hastily posted on Facebook, which subsequently led to negative public attention.
In order for the Church to lend its official voice to this event, the Holy Metropolis of Chicago has asked the parish for temporary possession of the icon. After a period of prayer and examination, the Metropolis of Chicago will return the icon to the Holy Trinity parish and will issue an official statement on the nature of what was observed.
The Metropolis of Chicago asks the faithful to remain vigilant and also reminds them that while it is indeed possible to experience the divine through temporal objects, our faith rests not on “signs,” but on Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1: 20-25).
About the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago
Tracing its roots back to 1923, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago is the diocese of Greek Orthodox faithful in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin as well as northern Indiana and southeastern Missouri consisting of 58 parishes and two monastic communities. The Metropolis is one of nine regions in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and is presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael. The general offices of the Metropolis are temporarily located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. For more information, visit www.chicago.goarch.org. To sign up for news from the Metropolis, visit: https://chicago.goarch.org/signup.
For More Information:
Chris Varones
312-213-3887
chris.varones@aesopgroup.com