Show r The sTKANQe ivfysTeRy of The weepiNQ madonnas In two humble homes What the Madonnas Mean housewives looked up from prayers to see tears form in the eyes By ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS of pictures of the Blessed Virgin Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in North and South America hundreds of others claim to have Twice in a month’s time I have been called to witness the weeping of Madonna icons The first time at the Catsounises’ apartment I did not see the tearing myself It had stopped but the many others who had witnessed the tearing were living proof that the invisible God still speaks to the hearts of people When however I visited the apartment of the Kouliscs and saw the tearing in the eyes of their portrait of the Virgin Mary I was certain then that the weeping of the Madonnas was a miraculous sign — a sign signaling seen the same phenomenon — what is behind it? By GEORGE CARPOZIJR she did each night Mrs Pagona Catsounis knelt before a small shrine in her bedroom to thank God for the blessings of the day Her husband Panagiotis a restaurant counterman was not rich their home in Island Park NY was small and crowded But Mrs Catsounis felt that few couples could be as happy as she and Panagiotis She raised her eyes to a picture of the Virgin As Mary whose blessing she had asked two years before when she had been married in Greece Then Pagona stopped her prayers It seemed that the Madonna’s eyes had opened and glanced at her Frightened the young woman watched moisture form in the comer of the Virgin’s eye and slip down the painting Pagona rose slowly and backed away from the shrine She called almost hysterically to Panagiotis in the living room When he ran to her he found her trembling “The Virgin is weeping!” she said He followed Pagona’s stare toward the icon where he saw another tear form and run down the painting The Catsounises’ discovery in March was only the beginning of a strange series of events For no sooner had the excitement and wonderment spiritual regeneration It was my duty to declare the scene hallowed ground to read the special service called ParaLlesis and to offer thanksgiving prayers for the love She manifested and humble supplications that She continue to be our Hope Perpetual Helper and Protector I am making a special trip to Istanbul to report on the miraculous occurrences to Patriarch Athinagoras I of Constantinople the supreme spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians I feel a declaration by higher authority than I must be made I myself am not in a position to explain the deep or remote meaning of the sign Only the Son of Cod knows the mind of God I only know that both homes from which the icons came are humble shelters — places where Our Lady could indeed give birth to new salutary hopes for the world In my heart I feel we Americans have received a sign that the time has come to revitalize our faith We are witnesses to the fact that faith alone can despise cold rationalism — we have experienced the power which is faith over this weeping Madonna subsided than another even more tearful icon of the Virgin was reported This was in the home of Pagona’s sister Antonia and her husband Peter Koulis in Ocean-sid- e N Y four miles away The second surprise was presaged in a series of prophetic dreams in which Antonia says she had a vision of Christ on the Cross telling her: “You will see what happens on Holy Thursday” The next day driven by an “uncontrollable urge” to burn incense before her collection of 20 icons and say a prayer Mrs Koulis went into her daughter’s room where the altar is kept As her eyes glanced at the icon of the Virgin — a lithographic reproduction of the Holy Mother of Porta Itisia — she too saw tears! It was 20 minutes before she could compose herself and call her husband “A miracle!” she cried “It’s our Madonna— She is weeping like my sister’s icon wept” Then as Mrs Catsounis had done Mrs Koulis summoned their parish priest the Rev George Papadeas pastor of St Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hempstead N Y As Father Papadeas made his way into the modest home of the Kouliscs once again he felt (Continued on page 18) f '“V nr'’ f i vm- nnww ti&rermtn IW !!- Z3J Safe' June COVER: Ozzie Sweet catches the aqua -batics of Nancie Rideout Women’s World Water-S- ki Champion and Buster MacCalla Men’s Champ Nancie’s story is on p 11 high-flyi- LEONARD $ D AVI DOW President and Publisher' WAITER C DREYFUS Vice President PATRICK E O'ROURKE Advertising Director ng Family Address Family Send all advertising communications to Weekly 153 N Michigan Ave Chicago 1 III all communications about editorial Features to 60 E Weekly © I960 56th St New York 22 FAMILY WEEKLY N Y MAGAZINE INC 12 I960 Board of Editors ERNEST V HEYN Edilor-in-ChiBEN KARTMAN Executive Editor ROBERT FITZGIBBON Managing Editor MARGARET BELL Feature Editor PHILLIP DYKSTRA Art Director MELANIE DE PROFT Food Editor ef Driscoll Irma Heldman John Kochmann Jerry Klein Harold London Jack Ryan Peer Oppenheimer Hollywood 133 N Michigan Ave Chicago 1 III All rights reserved |