Russian
The Miracle-Working Icon of the Mother Of God Tikhvinskaya
(Part two)
Archbishop John (Garklavs)of Chicago & Minneapolis
From that time the icon stayed at Tikhvin until the Bolshevik Revolution, attracting thousands of pilgrims. Countless healings and other miracles took place in the presence of this icon. This image of the Mother of God came to be one of the most revered in all of Russia.
In the middle of 1920s, the Tikhvin monastery was ravaged by Bolsheviks and was closed. During World War II, the city of Tikhvin was occupied by Hitler’s army. The icon was transferred by Nazis to the areas controlled by them (the city of Pskov, and then Riga, Latvia). However, the fascist troops were not able to take the miracle-working image with them during their withdrawals from the occupied lands.
Archbishop of Riga John Garklavs (†1982) took possession of the icon for safekeeping. From there, through the hardships of war, refugee camps, and at risk for both his own life and the safety on the holy icon, Archbishop John brought the icon to the U.S.A.
Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago's Holy Trinity Cathedral. During all the years of the forced exile, Archbishop John hoped for the return of the icon back home as soon as the country would be free of the persecutors of the Christian Faith; that was indeed, what he instructed in his will.
Archpriest Father Sergei (Garklavs) - the safe keeper of the iconArchpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John's adopted son, became the careful guardian of this venerated sacred image for 55 years. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, followed by the restoration of the Tikhvin Monastery, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. Finally, in 2004 the icon of the Mother of God Tikhvin was returned to the Tikhvin Men’s Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, a humble guardian of the icon, was a young man during the wartime, and it was he who carried the icon himself literally through the fire on his shoulders. He offers constant prayer and support for St. Mark Orthodox Christian Church, here in Bradenton. He arrived to the Sarasota – Bradenton area on Wednesday, May 12 with Tatiana Peters from Riga with the beautiful hand-written replica of the icon of the Mother of God Tikhvinskaya – a precious gift for our newly built church.
Tatiana Peters (Monakhova) - Riga. LatviaThe icon was written by the hand of Father Alexander Shabelnik, pastor of the Church of Transfiguration in Riga, in the same church where many years ago Fr. Sergei Garklavs was an honored Psalm Reader.
Father John Chudik, pastor of the St. Mark Orthodox Christian church, said that the arrival of this icon to our church is not only a great spiritual event for us, but also a great responsibility for the entire community; therefore, we will continue working for our church and for the community to deserve this honor. Services will be scheduled to receive the icon and to pray before it.
Full size copy of the Mother of God of Tikhvin - a spiritual gift to St. Mark Orthodox Christian ChurchClick here to enrarge
Troparion in one 4
Today, like the eternal sun,
Your icon appears in the sky, O Theotokos.
With rays of mercy it enlightens the word
This land accepts the heavenly gift from above,
Honorng You as the Mother of God.
We priase Christ our Lord who was born of You.
Pray to Him, O Quieen and sovereign virgin
That all Christian cities and lands be guarded in safety,
And that He save those who kneel to His divine,
and Your holy image, O unwedded bride.