December13, 2009 Philadelphia: The Kursk Root Icon visited St. Andrew’s Cathedral
on its patronal feast day
On
Sunday, December 13, the feast day of the Holy Apostle St. Andrew the
First-Called, the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God visited St.
Andrew’s Cathedral in Philadelphia, PA. The cathedral was
consecrated by then-Bishop Tikhon (Bellavin, future Patriarch of
Moscow and all Russia) in 1902. Amongst its first parishioners was a
group of émigré officers who took part in the construction in
Philadelphia of the famous Imperial Russian Cruiser Varyag, as well as
the Battleship Retvizan. In memory of the weighty events involved in
the fates of these ships, a museum-exhibition was established in the
building adjacent to the church. Among the many valuable cultural and historical artifacts, the museum houses photographs and
biographical articles on each of the 57 donors and builders of the
cathedral. Also stored in the museum are the royal doors, the
seven-branched candlestick, and the memorial table from the ship’s
chapel of the sunken Varyag. As a sign of acknowledgement of their
naval traditions, the parishioners decorated their church and parish
hall with St. Andrew’s flags, including one huge flag serving as the
altar curtain.
The
icon arrived at the cathedral at 9:30AM; after the triumphal greeting,
the Divine Liturgy began. The Liturgy was celebrated by the rector,
Mitred Archpriest Mark Shinn, co-served by diocesan secretary
Archpriest Serge Lukianov and the parish clergy: Priest Alexander
Tsygankov, Priest Eugene Solodky, Priest George Johnson, and
Protodeacon Michael Stulpin. Even before the greeting of the icon, the
church was filled with worshipers, who came to celebrate their
patronal feast day and venerate the principal relic of the Russian
Diaspora, a process that took place over the course of the whole
service. So many faithful were in attendance, that the priests offered
Holy Communion out of three chalices.
The
cathedral was also visited by a delegation from the Russian Federation
Embassy in Washington, DC, headed by Vice Admiral Alexey Y. Mezenin,
Representative of the Russian Federation Armed Forces to the UN
Military Staff Committee. Also part of the delegation were Captains
P.A. Belyaev and S.E. Makhovnev, naval attaché and first assistant to
the naval attaché, respectively, as well as other respected guests
from the Russian embassy in Washington and consulate in New York.
After the communion of the clergy, the rector invited the high-ranking
officials into the altar, where he showed them an icon of the Nativity
of Christ above the table of oblation that was donated in 1904 by the
captain of the Battleship Retvizan, Edward Nikolaevich Shchensnovich,
and offered them copies of the Kursk Root Icon as a token of his
gratitude for their participation in the parish’s feast day. On
behalf of the First Hierarch, Metropolitan Hilarion, Fr. Serge gave
the officials small books, dedicated to the current visitation of the
Kursk Root Icon to the Eastern American Diocese, and containing a
short history of the icon, photographs of the icon’s return to
Russia this last September, and an akathist to the Mother of God.
Upon
completion of the Divine Liturgy, His Grace, Bishop Jerome of
Manhattan, arrived at the cathedral, having just completed the Divine
Liturgy in the neighboring parish of Our Lady, Joy of All Who Sorrow.
His Grace was accompanied by that parish’s rector, Archimandrite
Athanasy (Mastalski) and Deacon Nathan Mousselli (Lakewood, NJ). The
moleben immediately commenced, after which all those present came
forward to venerate the holy icon and kiss the cross, receiving at the
same time an archpastoral blessing.
After
the moleben, parishioners gathered in the parish hall for a luncheon.
During the course of the luncheon, a number of speeches were given,
thanking those present and those who helped make the celebration of
the feast a reality, as well as a musical presentation by the parish
youth of traditional folk and naval songs. Fr. Serge then began his
presentation, a speech and photo-montage of the historic return of the
Kursk Root Icon to our Homeland, which made a deep impression on
everyone present, and reminded them of the words of Fr. Alexander,
who, earlier in his sermon, expressed a wish that concerns all of us
in today’s ongoing restoration of Orthodox Russia: "In
rejoicing at the return of St. Andrew’s Cross, let us pray that we
may rejoice not only in the restoration of an historical tradition,
but that we may chiefly rejoice in the fact that we once more fall
down with all our heart before the protection of the heavenly
intercessor of the Christians of every Slavic land, the Russian navy,
and our historic church."
By
the prayers of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Saint Andrew, may it
truly be so!
