Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • News
  • Features
  • Comment
  • Store
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
    • Submit Press Release
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Stores Targeted
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Podcast Info
    • Hanania Podcast intro
    • Live Arab Radio
  • Your Views
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Toggle search form
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12 American Arabs
  • The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Dr. Manal Fakhoury has been elected to the position of Chair of the National Board of Directors, and that attorneys Spojmie Nasiri of California and John Floyd of Texas have joined the organization’s National Board.
    CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd American Arabs
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC: Honor Dr. King Day with Civility, Unity, and Action American Arabs
  • Citgo Gas Station and Quik Mart at 3759 W. Chicago Ave in Chicago ordered closed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because a street gang member with an AK-47 killed someone in front of the store. Only Arab and Muslim stores are being closed by the Mayor
    When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot targeted Arab businesses in 2021 and 2022 Activism
  • Hussam al-Mayman, The Mayman Show, podcast Arab News
    Arab News launches third season of The Mayman Show podcast Arab News
  • State Rep. Cyril Nichols interviewed on live Arab American radio in Detroit with host Ray Hanania Friday Dec. 9, 2022
    Nichols discusses need to improve Arab-Black relations in Chicagoland American Arabs
  • Voting sticker issued to voters in Cook County elections in 2016. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Gov. Pritzker Announces Six Appointments to Boards and Commissions — no Arabs included American Arabs
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Pritzker again ignores needs of Arab businesses in latest appointments Activism
  • Arab American Democratic Club (AADC) official candidate endorsements for the November 8, 2022 General elections.
    Arab American Democratic Club issues endorsements for Nov. 8, 2022 Cook County Illinois elections Activism
  • Arab Democrats urge NO VOTE on Gov. J.B. Pritzker re-election bid Activism
  • Assyrian American GOP issues endorsements in Nov, 8, 2022 elections
    Assyrian American GOP group endorses candidates in Illinois Activism
  • Abdullah Hammoud, elected Mayor of Dearborn Nov. 2, 2021. Photo courtesy of Abdullah Hammoud Facebook Page
    AHRC’s 2022 Spirit of Humanity Gala a Great Success American Arabs
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts Arab World
  • Rep. Cyril Nichols to be feted by supporters at fundraiser Saturday Oct. 22 Activism
  • Stand up For Human Rights website, United Nations
    UN experts condemn Israel’s ‘sadistic’ punitive measures against French-Palestinian rights defender Salah Hammouri Activism

Cicero Orthodox Church celebrates 20 year anniversary of Miraculous Weeping Icon of the Virgin Mary

Posted on April 14, 2014September 24, 2018 By rayhanania 2 Comments on Cicero Orthodox Church celebrates 20 year anniversary of Miraculous Weeping Icon of the Virgin Mary
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

Cicero Orthodox Church celebrates 20 year anniversary of Miraculous Weeping Icon of the Virgin Mary

Weeping Icon symbolizes the suffering of Christians in the Holy Land, Pastor of Church says

By Ray Hanania

weepingladyofciceroSt. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago’s west suburb of Cicero will hold a special service on Tuesday April 22 to honor the 20th anniversary of the discovery of a weeping icon of the Virgin Mary that has come to be known officially as “The Miraculous Lady of Cicero, Illinois.”

Archpriest Nicholas Dahdal, the pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, will join other clergy, hierarchy and the faithful at a celebration of the anniversary to be held on Tuesday April 22,  which is the  3rd Day of Pascha, called “Bright Tuesday” beginning at 6:30 pm at the church, 1220 S. 60th Court in Cicero, Illinois.

Economos Dahdal said that His Grace Bishop Anthony of Toledo and the Midwest Diocese of the Antiochian Orthodox church will preside over the commemoration.

On April 22, 1994, parishioners witnessed tears shedding from the eyes of The Icon of the Theotokos on the Church’s Iconostasis. His Eminence the late Metropolitan Philip Saliba, who only last month passed away, formally declared the weeping icon a miracle and named it “The Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Cicero.”

The miracle began as just an ordinary day. The congregation was engaged in the traditional Lenten chanting at St. George Church as Father Dahdal was preparing for the Friday evening services. Also visiting at the time was Father Douglas Wyper. Dahdal, Wyper and other parishioners at the church noticed that an Icon of the Virgin Mary had what appeared to be streaks coming from the Icon’s eyes. By the stroke of midnight at the church, the witnesses saw four streams of tears flowing down the icon that continued to the bottom of the icon itself.

In the 20 years since, more than 1 million visitors from around the world have traveled to the community of Cicero, Illinois in the United States, to visit St. George Antiochian Church and to view the Weeping Icon which is on continuous display for public viewing. Many people who came to the church with their ailing family members claimed that they experienced miracles as their family members were healed.

StGeorgeChurchCiceroIn interviews with the news media, Dahdal said that visitors came from as far away as Finland, the Philippines and from countries in the Middle East. St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church boosts having the largest congregation of American Arab Christians mainly of Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian and Lebanese heritage.

“They have come from everywhere. We get people that come by the church every single day from everywhere to visit the church and see the icon which is on public display,” Dahldal said.

The church began distributing cotton swabs dipped in oil that has been mixed with the tearing that flowed over the icon. More than 100,000 cotton swabs were distributed in the two months after the Miracle was witnessed. More than 1,000 churches received little bottles of oil mixed with the tears that are used in healing services all over the United States.

“We feel very blessed here especially because we have been able to accommodate all these people. The church became the center of Orthodoxy because of the Weeping Icon. We do so many services for the Orthodoxy here. Many Christians come here to be married here because of the Icon,” Dahdal said.

Dahdal said that in particular, many Hispanics come to the church.

FatherDahdal“It has been very attractive to Hispanics and I think that is because Hispanics are very attached to the image and love for the Virgin Mary. They have a great devotion to the Mother of God and because of course we have a large Hispanic population here and they are very devoted,” Dahdal said.

Asked about the meaning of the Weeping Icon, Father Dahdal said it is up to each individual and driven by their faith.

“Honestly, I don’t have one answer to what the meaning is. It depends on who you talk to. Some people think it is a joyous occasion. Some people think it is a tragic experience,” Dahdal said.

“As a Palestinian Christian, I personally view it as a sign to the world to help protect the presence of Christianity in the Holy Land. The Christians are disappearing from the Holy Land. That is the and where the Virgin Mary lived. That is where Christ came. And the plight of Christians has been ignored in that particular place in the world.”

St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church was officially re-located in the Town of Cicero on May 1, 1984 after having been founded in 1966 in Oak Park. It has always been one of the region’s leading Antiochian Orthodox Christian Churches with a congregation that boasts more than 1,500 families, mostly American Arab. Father Dahdal originates from the only remaining all-Christian village in Palestine, Taybeh, located in the West Bank. Services are held in English and in Arabic at the Church.

Click here for a history of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church.

Click here for the website of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church www.StGeorgeCicero.org.

Click her for a biography of Father Dahdal.

Related articles
  • Cicero, IL: St. George Hosts Symposium on Book of Revelation
  • Metropolitan Philip Saliba; 1931-2014: Antiochian Orthodox leader recalled as man with vision
  • Holy Mother Icons Weeping in Russia and Ukraine
[subscribe2]

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
rayhanania
rayhanania
Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News
RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

Click here to send Ray Hanania email.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
rayhanania
Latest posts by rayhanania (see all)
  • Israeli-push behind effort to ban Tiktok in the United States - January 19, 2023
  • Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12 - January 18, 2023
  • CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd - January 12, 2023

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
5
Shares
     5    
 
 Tweet 
American Arabs, Bloggers, Christian & Muslim, Commentary, News, Palestine & Jordan, Ray Hanania, religion Tags:Christianity, Cicero, crying, Dahdal, Eastern Orthodox Church, Holy Land, Miracle, Palestine, Palestinians, picture, St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, suffering, tearing, United States, Virgin Mary, Weeping Icon, West Bank

Post navigation

Previous Post: Norman Podhoretz and the face of modernday hate
Next Post: Olmos argues “race” is not a label for divisions at diversity conference

Related Posts

  • Farm Stand foods featured by C. Love Cookie Project. Featured during the third episode of “Elevating Voices,” a new TV series celebrating diversity in Maine businesses. Photo courtesy of Castle PR, Maine
    Lebanese chef among those featured in new TV Series Celebrating Diversity in Maine American Arabs
  • Love Story by USS Liberty Survivor of The Six-Day War Arab World
  • Dearborn schools fail to include Arab among superintendent finalists American Arabs
  • Christian Procession at Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine. Photo courtesy of Maria Khoury
    Jordan King says he is committed to protecting Christian Arabs Arab World
  • Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin acknowledge applause during a Joint Session of Congress in which President Jimmy Carter announced the results of the Camp David Accords. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    Trump throws media, Israel into badly needed disarray American Arabs
  • Prosecute Saudis, then prosecute US Soldiers, too American Arabs

More Related Articles

J.B. Pritzker from his election campaign Facebook Page at UFCW union endorsement. Pritzker, Brannigan and the “politics” of apologies American Arabs
Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif and Vanunu: Israel’s Nuclear Whistleblower Arab World
Cover of Issue 21 of Fifth Wednesday Journal which focuses on writings from Middle East origin writers. Photo courtesy of Fifth Wednesday Journal Fifth Wednesday Journal publishes essays from Middle East writers American Arabs
Arab American Democratic Club President Samir Khalil, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, and Hassan Nijem at a ceremony int hich Pappas recognized the community service of Khalil and Nijem. Photo courtesy of Hassan Nijem Pappas names Hassan Nijem as Deputy Treasurer for Arab Community American Arabs
Press Release: ADC issues Community Advisory after Chapel Hill shooting Activism
I’ve Been Thinking about Maria Shriver, Book Tours, Vanunu and a USS Liberty LOVE Story #IveBeenThinking Arab World

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Tiktok.com/@RayHanania
    Israeli-push behind effort to ban Tiktok in the United States
    January 19, 2023
  • Ghassan Rubeiz
    To what extent is Hezbollah responsible for the current crisis in Lebanon?
    January 17, 2023
  • Image from Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's "A Compendium of Chronicles. Image courtesy of Wikipedia
    Why allow religious extremists to re-define Islam in the West?
    January 10, 2023
  • CAIR Executive Director and co-founder Nihad Awad
    This Thanksgiving, let’s use our Blessings for good
    November 23, 2022
  • NEWS
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12
    January 18, 2023
  • The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Dr. Manal Fakhoury has been elected to the position of Chair of the National Board of Directors, and that attorneys Spojmie Nasiri of California and John Floyd of Texas have joined the organization’s National Board.
    CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd
    January 12, 2023
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC: Honor Dr. King Day with Civility, Unity, and Action
    January 11, 2023
  • Citgo Gas Station and Quik Mart at 3759 W. Chicago Ave in Chicago ordered closed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because a street gang member with an AK-47 killed someone in front of the store. Only Arab and Muslim stores are being closed by the Mayor
    When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot targeted Arab businesses in 2021 and 2022
    January 4, 2023
  • NEWSWIRE
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12
    January 18, 2023
  • The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Dr. Manal Fakhoury has been elected to the position of Chair of the National Board of Directors, and that attorneys Spojmie Nasiri of California and John Floyd of Texas have joined the organization’s National Board.
    CAIR Announces Dr. Manal Fakhoury as New Board Chair, New Board Members Spojmie Nasiri and John Floyd
    January 12, 2023
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC: Honor Dr. King Day with Civility, Unity, and Action
    January 11, 2023
  • Stand up For Human Rights website, United Nations
    UN experts condemn Israel’s ‘sadistic’ punitive measures against French-Palestinian rights defender Salah Hammouri
    October 19, 2022

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Ad-Pantry-essentials.jpg
  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Sices-Ad.jpg
  • ZiyadBrandLogo-2016BlackRedBackgrnd.jpg
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib, book cover. Photo courtesy of Cune Press
    Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib
    November 1, 2021
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Hussam al-Mayman, The Mayman Show, podcast Arab News
    Arab News launches third season of The Mayman Show podcast
    December 15, 2022
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • Comedian Ramy Youssef courtesy of his Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ramysfaceboo/
    “Ramy” cable series melds Arab world reality with every day American life
    October 22, 2022
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • American Arab CHamber President HassanNijem accepts the Proclamation from Chicago Ald. Roderick Sawyer at the Chamber dinner March 30, 2022
    Chicagoland celebrates Arab American Heritage Month
    March 31, 2022
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at Gab.com, MeWe.com and IDobbinate.com, the alternatives to Facebook and Twitter Censorship.

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2023 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme