At the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Daniel of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the myrrh-streaming ‘Hawaiian’-Iveron icon of the Mother of God will be brought to the God-preserved lands of Bulgaria from 1st – 19th August 2026.
With the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Church Abroad, a delegation headed by His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe, Synodal Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations, will bring the wonderworking icon to the country, where it will be received by the Patriarch in the capital before undertaking a programme of visitations across the nation. Full details of the programme of the icon’s visits will be made available in due course.
‘This occasion will mark a special moment in the warm relations between the ROCOR and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church,’ Bishop Irenei recently remarked, ‘and also in the close ties that exist between the Hierarchy of the Church Abroad and the Patriarch himself, dating from his time of ecclesiastical service in the United States. There he made a strong impression on all our Bishops and our faithful, even during his time as a Vicar Bishop in the Bulgarian diocese in the USA, for his ascetical character, prayerful demeanour, and gentle yet firm defence of the canonical path of Holy Orthodoxy in the modern world.’
‘We look forward to being granted, through the blessing of the Mother of God herself, the possibility to bring one of her most revered icons to that ancient land, for the veneration of the pious Bulgarian faithful. May the All-pure Theotokos, who brings peace to troubled times and the grace of her Son to all who call upon her, make of this occasion a cause of blessings for all.’
Synodal Secretariat for Inter-Orthodox Relations 