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August
12, 2009
Boston, MA: Panihida at the grave of Serge Semenenko
On
August 11, Archimandrite Joasaph (McLellan), chief of the Russian
Orthodox Mission in Jerusalem, served a panihida in the presence of
the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God at the grave of Serge
Yakovlevich Semenenko, in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. Fr.
Joasaph was co-served by Fr. Victor Boldewskul, rector of the Church
of the Epiphany in Boston. In this manner was fulfilled the wish of
Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla), who during his life wanted to find Mr.
Semenenko's grave and pray for him there. In 1957, S. Semenenko
donated a building to the Russian Church Abroad, which today houses
the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign, the synodal offices and the
residence of the First Hierarch. Mr. Sememenko passed away on April
24, 1980. In his sermon after the panihida, Fr. Joasaph pointed out
that, thanks to Serge Semenenko, the "Sin of Bethlehem,"
wherein the residents of Bethlehem refused shelter to the Mother of
God during the Roman census, and she was forced to spend the night in
a cave, was not repeated. An exile from Russia, the home of the Most
Holy Mother of God, he offered a home to the Theotokos in the
manifestation of her miraculous icon. Within the walls of this
building, prayers were offered for the homeland, meetings of the Synod
of Bishops and the Council of Bishops took place, the whole truth of
the horrors committed at that time in the imprisoned Russian land was
bravely addressed, and there the whole of the New Martyrs and
Confessor of russia were glorified. Aside from the servant of God
Serge (Semenenko), also commemorated at the panihida were Blessed
Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky), Metropolitan Laurus, and Mr.
Semenenko's relatives.
