On Friday evening, May 25th, the faithful of Holy Apostles Orthodox Church, along with many visitors of St John the Forerunner Church in Nanticoke, PA, gathered together around the Pantanassa Icon of the Mother of God, known for its hand in many miraculous healings.  The icon resides with Fr Adam Sexton in his parish, and made the journey to Lansing for this special occasion.  The icon of our Mother found its place in the middle of the church.  The priests and the faithful then sang the Akathist that is associated with the icon.
       Fr Adam then offered a homily explaining how he obtained this copy of the miraculous icon.  There was a woman named Judy who was suffering with cancer, and had this icon in her apartment.  Fr Adam befriended her, and quickly learned that she was full of joy, even though her body was not well.  She had Christ in the center of her life, and the Mother of God continually consoling her.  Wherever you sat in Judy’s apartment, you would see this icon and the promise it offered.  Healing, in the Orthodox sense, is not necessarily about making our bodies whole, but making our souls to be healthy and a place where Christ can meet us.  
       After the akathist, those present were anointed with oil from the lamp of another miracle worker – St John of San Francisco.  This was the beginning of a very special weekend in the life of our parish, centered around the Theotokos.  To see more about the rest of this weekend, see the news tab.