Abbot Methodios of Hilandar Visits Our School

This weekend, the students and faculty of St. Sava’s Serbian School of Theology, were paid a visit by the Abbot of the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos. The Hegumen (Abbot), Archimandrite Methodios (Markovic), arrived on Saturday the 18th and participated in in many services as well as gave two lectures. The students greeted him for vespers, and an akathist to Our Lady of the Three Hands (Bogorodica Trojeručica) that we have in New Gračanica. This is a copy of the original icon, that lives at Hilandar, was presented to our monastery in 2010.

Afterwords, he gave a talk at the church of Saint Basil of Ostrog, in Mettawa, IL. In his talk, translated by Hegumen Sergey of New Gračanica, he gave a history of the Hilandar Monastery. Going into detail on the origin of the icon of the Trojeručica. A brief history is as follows: The icon of the Three Hands was an icon that was originally in possession by Saint John of Damascus. After, he was falsely accused of treachery the Caliph, chopped off his right hand. He then prayed in front of the icon of Our Lady, and She restored his hand. Saint John then added an image of his hand to the riza covering the icon, in remembrance of this, thusly the icon came to be known as the “Three-handed”. This icon was present to Saint Sava the Enlightener of Serbia, when he visited the monastery of Mar Sabbas, outside of Jerusalem where Saint John was a monk. Saint Sava was presented with several gifts at this time including Saint Sabbas the Sanctified’s žezl (bishop’s staff), and another icon of the Mother of God, the “Milk-giver”. Following the history of the icon, and how it arrived at Hilandar, Igumen Metodij, encouraged all there to go and pray before the replica at New Gračanica, bringing to mind the countless healings that the Mother of God provides to us through Her intersessions. Liturgy on Sunday was at the church of Saint Sava in Merrillville, IN. At this hierarchical service with Metropolitan Login, the Igumen presented a copy of the Trojeručica to the faithful. On Monday, an additional hierarchical liturgy was celebrated at the church of Saint Sava in Libertyville, IL. The service was followed by the veneration of the relics of Saint Mardarije. After a lunch back at New Gračanica, Igumen Metodij gave a talk to the seminarians. In his talk, he discussed life on Mount Athos, spirituality, interactions with holy elders, and had time for a question and answer session with the students.