[velichay]

Trailer: http://www.themakingofasaint.com/index.html

“The Making of a Miracle”

Los Angeles - Albert Einstein in a moment of cerebral epiphany declared that—“Science without Religion is lame, Religion without Science is blind.” Einstein with all his methodical brilliance and prophetic calculus laid claim in that declarative statement to what we all have known yet continue to debate. Both religion and science — modern physics in particular — operate in the realm of faith-based evidence, specifically, of things unseen. Can we then venture to metaphorically say that religion is the thesis, science the antithesis and their confluence the synthesis of life’s elixir, that miracle of the soul - unconditional love in the abundance of God’s eternal presence? Your Call!

As a hypothetical illustration of a truism, a physicist is asked, “How many particles of non-baryonic ‘dark matter’ have you seen, weighed and measured? “None”, he will have to answer. “Why, then, do you believe in it?” we ask. The only answer he can give is, “On the evidence of things not seen. “

Quantum mechanics is not a final theory, but a transitional phase of physics. It has led us to understand that, from the perspective of human reason, strangeness and mystery are prevailing conditions of all existence. Is it the evidence of reason or the reason of evidence? Your call!

What if your child was diagnosed with a severe case of cerebral palsy at birth? Your two daughters are in a horrific car crash? Your niece is born with half a face, a rare birth defect that only occurs one in 10,000,000? And what if that boy with cerebral palsy, let's say about 20 years later is flying with his mother and his nurse only to end the flight a bit too soon, colliding into a busy interstate highway and walking away from the crash site, along with the pilot, the mother and the nurse, completely unharmed? As unbelievable as it may seem, the impact of that crash and the miraculous survival of all the occupants, unscathed, prompted one of the world's leading television news outlets, ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, to devote 3 nights of prime time coverage, reporting the miraculous survival of the occupants of this chartered single propeller plane to Chicago, after returning from Greece, where the family received a blessing of the holy oil at the tomb of St. Nektarios, completely unscathed, walking away from the tangled wreckage of this spectacular and harrowing aviation disaster.

But wait, there is more…on her way to get ice cream, a niece, crosses a set of train tracks. One of her shoes is caught between the railings of one of the tracks. She is unable to free herself in time to escape an oncoming train, rather jumping 25 feet into a ravine and breaking her back. All true and what do you do? Your Call!

Well here is what the Mitchell family of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and the Couvall family of Chicago did over three decades: a testament to a family’s faith and hope. Jimmy, the youngest of the Mitchell children was born with cerebral palsy. At the age of 3 he runs across the kitchen floor of his home 4 months after receiving the blessing from Father Philotheos Zervarkos of Longovarda with holy oils at the tomb of St. Nektarios, patron saint of healing in the Greek Orthodox Church. Father Zervarkos was a disciple of St. Nektarios and a known clairvoyant, who warned the Mitchell’s: “Your son will walk, but your family’s faith will be tested” .

Allison and Georgiann, the Mitchell’s eldest daughters, are presumed fatally injured in that savage and horrific car wreck mentioned at the beginning of this column. How savage? Allison suffers a long coma caused by a ruptured carotid artery and Georgiann has the entire side of her face crushed and remarkably rebuilt, including orbit, nose, jaw and chin. Contacting Fr. Zervarkos he “prognosticates” Allison’s recovery, however, she will be unable to bear children according to the attending physicians. Blessed with the oils, she awakens within 7 days of the anointing, with no brain damage or physical impairments. She marries and yes, has two sons.

Georgette Couvall born with half a face, literally half a face, that only one in 10,000,000 infants experiences, much less survives. At three weeks old she undergoes the first of 19 craniofacial surgeries to build her skull and facial structure. Georgette’s surgical success is profiled on Oprah, Extra and Fox News. Katina Omand, Allison Mitchell’s niece, the young girl who jumped into a 25 foot ravine in order to avoid being hit by an oncoming train, after her shoe is trapped between one of the track’s railings--her injuries so severe that here prognosis is quite dire - paralysis. But wait, you guessed it, after being blessed with the holy oil, Katina’s recovery was a miracle in the making -- no paralysis, no side effects, and no surgery, just a hundred percent recovery.

So what is a miracle? What is faith? Is it good science? Is it religion at its best? Or is it the science of miracles? Maybe Allison Mitchell can help us understand in her witness testimony. Allison!

AM: Each field in the universe interacts with all other fields. Both physics and the Orthodox Christian spiritual life are focused on energy and light. Energy is about relationships. The soul is intelligent energy; God communicates that created energy, and the saints communicate that very same energy through divine grace: none of these concepts is beyond the human reason and the realities of quantum physics. The documentary will attempt to illustrate the power of divine energy that is related through the saints and their prayers, and its effectiveness in the healing process and all the miracles experienced.

In a page taken from the movie, “Pay it Forward”, the Kevin Spacey-Helen Hunt feature about a young boy played by Haley Joel Osment who comes up with the idea that if he can do three good deeds for someone, they in turn can “pay it forward”, conjuring up the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward—repaying good deeds not with a payback, but with new good deeds. And with that Good Samaritan concept, Allison Mitchell has embarked on filming a documentary featuring the Blessed Elder Archimandrite Philotheos Zervarkos of Longovarda (1884-1980) who is slated for sainthood. The story will also include his mentor, Saint Nektarios--with Academy and Emmy Award winning composer, Misha Segal, as well as, Doug Schiete, (Post Production) Travis Bailey (Art Director) chronicling her family’s miracles associated with Saint Nektarios and Saint Philotheos, narrated by Tyler Neitzel, one of the stars of “300”, who played the coveted role of the young King Leonidas, fending off and eventually slaying a wolf like beast in the film’s opening sequence.

TN: Being a third generation Greek American, the whole Greek pride and symbolism (Tyler’s mother is Greek and his father is German), I have witnessed miracles in my family. You have these stories all the time, but you don’t get a chance to wrap them up and show the facts. The fact it’s part of my faith and culture, and this would be a perfect opportunity to participate in this project for I am drawn to this story. Hosting the online interactive session, narrating the documentary, and the companion book will all be tied together. Our forum will also include works of art and inspirational stories. It’s going to be a whole community of people who can reach out and touch each other. I would like to be deeply involved like one on one, interacting with the fans and their stories. Once they get all the footage edited together that’s when I will come in and help make sense of it all.

Misha Segal, Doug Schiete, and Travis Bailey had a chance to echo Tyler Neitzel’s passion for this story and their motivation in helping to bring this tale of faith and hope in the face of complete unconditional adversity that would have broken many a family.

Misha Segal, the film’s composer whose credits include the filmed version of “Phantom of the Opera” had this to say.

MS: Music (is always) an important element in any story: This one especially because of the spiritual nature more so…The music will guide the viewer as much as the narrator. The approach is that of a feature rather than a documentary.

Travis Bailey will apply his illustrative skills by creating images taken from the footage that was shot in Greece. As part of a commemorative album, this book will coincide with the release of the documentary.

TB: Its not about the profit, it’s about the project and the beautiful content I get to illustrate and the amazing people I get to work with.

And Doug Schiete, the post production supervisor had this to say.

DS: The absolute harmony between the people involved and the magical relationships is what makes this project completely unique. The Making of A Saint” has had an impact on all of our lives. We all have experienced miracles.

Indeed Doug, we do and my miracle is to have had this opportunity to chronicle you, Misha, Travis, Tyler, Allison and the Mitchell/Couvall family in “The Making of a Saint” slated for completion in the spring of 2010. Some of the proceeds from this documentary will go the “Agios Miracle Foundation” that will serve to show case Saints as an inspiration and guide for people, remaining faithful in the face of adversity, when the theoretical theology of science meets the doctrinal truths of religion. We have the making of a miracle. Pay it forward people!

“He operated in the realm of the energy of grace, and touched all who came to him with that energy, that grace which is a gift of the Holy Spirit. This is hardly strange to those who have faith in God, and should not be so strange to those who have faith in the operations of quantum physics.” Archbishop Lazar (Puhalo)

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Lazar (Puhalo) of Ottawa, is a retired hierarch of the Orthodox Church in America, and is the founding Abbot of the Monastery of All Saints of North America.

I wish to thank His Grace Archbishop Lazar of the Orthodox Church in America for his valuable insight and contributing quotation--helping to shed a clearer light on the church’s doctrinal position in relation to quantum mechanics and the physics of faith based science as it pertains to both explained and unexplained phenomena. If you would like to contact His Grace, you may send an e-mail to synaxis@orthodoxcanada.org. Finally, I especially want to thank Allison Mitchell the driving force behind The Making of A Saint. This article would not have been possible without her invaluable assistance. To learn more about The Agios Miracle Foundation and The Making of A Saint, you can visit their project’s website at www.themakingofasaint.com (where a video trailer of the movie can be viewed).

http://www.viewda.com/webpaper/greek...lti/index.html