On Saturday, May 3, 2008, His Grace Bishop TIKHON of Philadelphia & Eastern Pennsylvania visted our Mission and blessed a newly completed ikon for our parish.

In June of 2007, His Beatitude Metropolitan THEODOSIUS, the retired Primate of the Orthodox Church in America visited our Mission, and gave us four relics: St. Herman of Alaska, St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre, St. Elizabeth the New Martyr, and St. Raphael of Brooklyn. The next day plans were made to have an ikon commissioned to enshrine these relics, and immediately a donor came forth with the funds to due so. Rdr. David Mastroberte, an accomplished ikonographer from South Carolina (who has already done some ikon work for our Mission) was asked to create an ikon. After working with Father Timothy, he came up with a unique design for this special blessing for our parish.

By God's grace, during Holy Week 2008, the ikon was completed and delivered to our Mission.

The ikon consists of the four saints gathered around the ikon of the Holy Theotokos, "She Who Is Quick to Hear", a miraculous copy of the original ikon given to St. Tikhon's Monastery at its founding from Mt. Athos. This is a special ikon to our Diocese as it rests at St. Tikhon's Monastery in South Canaan, PA, a short ride up Route 81 (for more information see St. Tikhon's Monastery website: www.sttikhonsmonastery.org)

A special aspect of this ikon is shown as St. Alexis holds a scroll with a verse from the 4th Ikos of the Akathist to the Theotokos which says: "Rejoice, never silent voice of the Apostles!" a reference to our parish's heavenly patrons.

The relics of these saints, now enshrined in this holy ikon are now hung in the chapel for veneration. Plans to honor their feast days are being made, and a weekly singing of  their troparia has been instituted.

May God, through the prayers of the Holy Apostles, and of St. Herman of Alaska, St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre, St. Raphael of Brooklyn, and St. Elizabeth the New Martyr, grant that our Mission continue to grow and prosper in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an Orthodox manner. Amen.

Glory to God for all things!

St. Herman, Elder and Wonderworker of Alaska and all America:

• Commemorated on August 9 & December 13

Herman of Alaska was a Russian Orthodox monkl from Valaam Monastery in Russia who traveled with eight other monks in 1793 to bring the Gospel to the native Aleuts and Eskimos in the Aleutian Islands. As part of the Russian colonization of the Americas, Russians had been exploring and trading there since at least 1740. Thus, he marks the first arrival of Orthodox Christian missionaries in North America. He built a school for the Aleutians, and he often defended them from the injustices and exploitation of the Russian traders. He was known to them as Apa which means "Grandfather." He lived most of his life as the sole resident of Spruce Island, a tiny wooded island near Kodiak Island. St. Herman was glorified in August of 1970 as the first American saint.

St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre, the Confessor & Defender of Orthodoxy in America:

• Commemorated on May 7

St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre was born Alexei Grigorievich Tovt (Toth) in an area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Slovakia) that is known as Sub-Carpathian Rus'. A widowed priest, he was in the late 1800s ministering to Eastern rite Roman Catholics in the U.S. when he decided to return to the Orthodox faith of his ancestors. He afterwards undertook mission work which resulted in 29,000 others taking the same path that he took. He reposed in 1909 and was buried at St. Tikhon's Monastery, where his relics remain. He was glorified as a saint in 1994, at St. Tikhon's, being hailed as "Confessor and Defender of Orthodoxy in America."

St. Raphael of Brooklyn, Shepherd of the Lost Sheep of America:

• Commemorated on February 27

• Commemorated on July 18