All Orthodox churches, monasteries, and chapels are naturally dedicated to the worship of God. After the period of persecutions ended and Christians first became able to build churches, they built them on holy sites associated with events in scripture, the life of Christ, or over the tombs of the martyrs. If there was no holy site at hand, the faithful would dedicate the church or monastery in the name of a saint or a holyday commemorated on the ecclesiastical calendar. This tradition has continued to this very day, so our churches always have their own special feast day. This is called the altar feast or the patronal feast.
Our monastery chapel is dedicated to the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” which is celebrated tomorrow on the Julian Calendar. The original Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” was glorified by wonderworking in the year 1688. A woman named Evphymia, who was by birth the sister of the Patriarch of Moscow Joakim (1674-1690), lived in Moscow and for a long time had suffered from an incurable illness. One morning during a time of prayer she heard a voice: “Evphymia! Go thou to the temple of the Transfiguration of My Son; an image is there, named “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” Have the priest serve a molieben (prayer service of entreaty) with a blessing of water, and thou wilt receive healing from sickness.” Evphymia, having learned that in Moscow was actually such an icon in the church of the Transfiguration on Ordynka Street, dutifully followed the instruction that had been conveyed to her, and she was healed of her infirmity. The miraculous healing occurred on October 24th/November 6th in 1688.
When establishing our monastic community in 2013, the decision to dedicate our chapel to the patronage and protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Joy of All Who Sorrow was not without due consideration. Approximately twenty-five years ago, an acquaintance of mine was informed that her distant relative who resided in Austria had recently died. Having no living relatives in Austria, my acquaintance was named as the executor of her relative’s affairs. Upon her return from Austria, my acquaintance requested to meet with me privately to discuss an important matter. During our meeting, my acquaintance shared the following information with me:
Toward the end of World War II two young soldiers came upon my relative’s home and begged for shelter. They related that they had been forcibly drafted into the army and had been stationed in Russia on the Eastern Front. Having fled the fighting, they were desperately trying to return back to their families in Austria. The woman offered them food and overnight shelter. On the following day, she provided them with civilian clothing and destroyed their military uniforms. In gratitude for her generosity, one of the young soldiers gifted her with an icon that he had obtained while in Russia. She graciously accepted the gift and entrusted the safety of the two young men to the protection of the Mother of God. Although the woman was Roman Catholic, she hung the icon in a prominent place in her home where it was kept with reverence for the rest of her earthly life. In her Last Will and Testament, she requested that the icon be given to a Russian Orthodox priest, who would spiritually value it as she had done so during her lifetime. My acquaintance stated that I was the only Russian Orthodox priest that she knew and, therefore, would like to gift me with the icon pursuant to her relative’s request.
The icon is a portrayal of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow. The exact age of the icon and its provenance are unknown to me. Miraculously the icon survived the Bolshevik Revolution and subsequent persecution of the Church, when most sacred items were destroyed unless they had been secretly hidden. The holy icon also survived the prolonged and devastating Nazi invasion of Russia during World War II. The icon bares signs of both age and abuse. Upon receipt, I had a case (kivot) specially fashioned in an attempt to help preserve the icon and to protect it from further damage and deterioration. And, so, it seemed appropriate to consecrate our community to the protection of the Icon of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow. Coincidentally, or rather, providentially, the official approval date of our Articles of Incorporation is November 5, 2013, which happens to be the eve of the Icon’s Feast.
Veneration of the Mother of God is very popular among Russian and other Slavic people, and there are countless churches with this dedication in the Russian lands and in the immigration. I think it safe to say that our small community senses the great sanctity of our precious icon and feels the heavenly intercessions and protection of the Mother of God in a special way. We give thanks to God for our OCCA household of faith, our small place of worship, for God’s innumerable mercies to us, for the intercession and protection of the Mother of God on our walk through life, for our religious community and for our beloved family and friends.
The annual celebration of our altar feast is something very special to us, filled with prayers for special intentions and thanksgiving. Tomorrow morning we will offer a special Molieben and Akathist in the monastery chapel before the Icon of Our Lady Joy of All Who Sorrow. If you would like to have prayer for any reason offered before the icon, please send your intentions via email to: ocmoljaws@gmail.com
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