{"id":1964636,"date":"2019-08-29T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=1964636"},"modified":"2019-08-29T00:12:11","modified_gmt":"2019-08-29T05:12:11","slug":"angels-dragons-xxiii-st-michael-the-archangel-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/angels-dragons-xxiii-st-michael-the-archangel-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Angels & Dragons XXIII: St. Michael the Archangel in America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In\nTarpon Springs<\/a>, Florida, USA, there is a shrine to\nSt. Michael the Archangel with an ancient icon of St. Michael known for decades\nfor miraculously curing many sick in America. \nThe icon is approximately 400 years old, and it comes from Symi, an\nisland in a chain known as Greece\u2019s Dodecanese. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The\nstory began when a pious woman named Marie was cultivating a field to plant a\ncrop found the silver icon near the coast of Symi.  She took the icon home, and it\ndisappeared.  The next day she again\nfound the icon of St. Michael in its original place in the field.  Each time she took it home and each time it\nreturned to the same location.  The\npeople took it as a heavenly sign and a church was built which is known as the Monastery<\/a> of the Holy Abbey of Taxiarchis<\/a>\nMichael of Panormitis where 8,000 pilgrims visit on the Feast of St. Michael (November\n8th<\/sup>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Centuries\nlater, James Tsalickis (pronounced sa-LEEK-iss) a sponge diver who along with\nhis crew was caught in a very dangerous storm and almost lost their lives;\nhowever, he promised St. Michael if his life was spared, he would make a\nspecial offering to his shrine in Symi.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nJune of 1937 Maria Tsalickis, wife of James, and her four children went to Symi\nand met with Abbot Prior Chrysanthos Maroulakis to offer $300 which at the time\nwas a lot of money for sparing the life of James and thus fulfilling the\npromise. In return the abbot in great gratitude for such an amount gave Maria an\nicon of St. Michael that hung in the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nNovember 6, 1938 Maria heard church bells coming from the icon of St. Michael,\nand the ringing lasted until 3 A.M. She visited Fr. Theophilos Karaphilis of Saint\nNicholas of Tarpon Springs who advised her to bring the icon to church for a\nspecial mass and blessing since in the Greek Orthodox Church November 8th<\/sup>\nis the special feast to St. Michael.  The\nbells were again heard in the following two years at this time and again a\nspecial blessing ceremony was done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On\nDecember 1939, Maria\u2019s eleven-year-old son, Steve, went into a coma from a high\nfever due to a brain cancer tumor.  He\nwas given 24 hours to live, and he dreamt and spoke with St. Michael.  When he awoke he stated, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMama, I want you to bring me the Icon of the [St. Michael] Taxiarchis.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The name \u201cTaxiarchis\u201d in Greek is given to the Archangel Michael, and it means “commander” [of a taxis, a squadron], in English it translates as “Archangel,” but it is also synonymous with “Michael” in Symi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When\nthe icon was brought to Steve, he placed it on his chest, and he spoke\nincomprehensibly, and then he said to his mother, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMama, St. Michael wants you to build his shrine.\u201d\u00a0 Maria replied yes, to placate her son, but Steve said to his mother,<\/em><\/p>

\u201cMama, say yes with your heart, for he says tomorrow at 10 AM I will be cured.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Maria responded, \u201cYes, Steve, yes, my Steve, with all my heart, I will erect his shrine, as long as he wishes it.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As\nthe angel of the Lord carried John in the Spirit to different places in Rev.\n17:3 & 21:10 so St. Michael transported Steve to the monastery in Symi, and\nhe gave him Holy Communion plus he related that he could now take three steps\nwhen he awoke since he would soon be well. St. Michael also showed Steve the\nexact location of the shrine which was an empty lot owned by the family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The doctors saw the healing as a miracle and the newspapers carried the story publicly.\u00a0 Steve became a popular school counselor, business owner, and passed away in 2007 at age 78.\u00a0 \u00a0The parents fulfilled their promise by building a shrine in the 1940s soon after the miracle, and the shrine continued to have many miracles following this first miracle.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pilgrims\nwho have visited the shrine have been cured of tumors, blindness, hearing,\nbreast cancer, infertility, and the lame have left their crutches behind as a\ntestimony to St. Michael\u2019s intercession. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A\nlarge book with testimonial letters, newspaper clippings and photos is kept of\nthe many miracles that have occurred over the years. One newspaper clipping is\nabout a young girl who was blind and recovered her sight, another is about a\ncrippled woman who walked, an 8-year-old who left behind a leg harness and\ncrutches, and another of a deaf teen who could hear after St. Michael\u2019s\nintercession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saint\nMichael\u2019s Shrine is located at 113 Hope Street in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and\nit opens at 7 A.M. It closes at 6 p.m. every day except Tuesday and Wednesday,\nwhen doors close at 7 p.m. A special outdoor mass with 300 attendees is held at\nthe shrine every November 8 in honor of the St. Michael\u2019s Feast in the Greek\nOrthodox Church, and it is open 24 hours on his feast day. At the passing of\nMaria (Steve\u2019s mother) in 1994, Goldie Parr (a year younger than Steve), the\nsister of Steve, now cares for the shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From a Catholic perspective, the word \u201cicon\u201d is taken from the Greek word \u201ceikon,\u201d meaning \u201cimage.\u201d The icon is \u201ca bridge between the visible and the invisible<\/em> (Pope St. John Paul II)\u201d or a “window into heaven,\u201d<\/em> since the iconographer prepares to paint the heavenly mystery by praying, fasting, and study, with each stroke of the brush acting as an act of worship. Saint Basil the Great explains, “What the Book of the Gospels explains by means of words, the iconographer shows by means of his works.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adam Blai, a Church decreed expert on religious demonology and exorcism plus an auxiliary member of the International Association of Exorcists based in Rome, uses another icon of St. Michael effectively during an exorcism.\u00a0 This icon of St. Michael was painted by a friend of Adam. To learn more about the miraculous deliverances via this St. Michael\u2019s icon during the rite of exorcism attend the St. Michael the Archangel Conference in Austin, TX on Sept. 27-28<\/a> sponsored by the Fullness \u00a0of Truth Catholic Evangelization Ministries: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE:\n500 St. Michael Relic Stones will be available at the St. Michael the Archangel\nConference plus the many miracles via the relic stones will be shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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33 DAY CONSECRATION PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL (Aug. 27<\/strong>th<\/strong><\/sup> \u2013 Sept. 29<\/strong>th<\/strong><\/sup>) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(An\nindulgence of two-hundred days is granted to everyone who devoutly says this\nprayer once a day, praying for the needs of the holy Church and the Supreme\nPontiff.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh,\nmost noble Prince of the Angelic Hierarchies, valorous warrior of Almighty God,\nand zealous lover of His glory, terror of the rebellious angels, and love and\ndelight of all the just, my beloved Archangel Saint Michael, desiring to be\nnumbered among your devoted servants, I, today offer and consecrate myself to\nyou, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful\nprotection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nentreat you not to look at how little I, as your servant have to offer, being\nonly a wretched sinner, but to gaze, rather, with favorable eye at the\nheartfelt affection with which this offering is made, and remember that if from\nthis day onward I am under your patronage, you must during all my life assist\nme, and procure for me the pardon of my many grievous offenses and sins, the\ngrace to love with all my heart my God, my dear Savior Jesus, and my Sweet\nMother Mary, and to obtain for me all the help necessary to arrive to my crown\nof glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defend\nme always from my spiritual enemies, particularly in the last moments of my\nlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come\nthen, oh Glorious Prince and succor me in my last struggle, and with your\npowerful weapon cast far from me into the infernal abysses that prevaricator\nand proud angel that one day you prostrated in the celestial battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accompany me then to the throne of God to sing with you, Archangel Saint Michael and all the angels, praise, honor and glory to the One who reigns for all eternity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMEN. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pope Francis consecrated Vatican City to St. Michael the Archangel, and he stated, “In consecrating the Vatican City State to St Michael the Archangel, let us ask him to defend us from the Evil One and cast him out.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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