November 11, 2009
Atlanta, GA: Bishop George led the Divine Services for the parish feast of Joy of All Who Sorrow Church

On Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, Bishop George of Mayfield led the festal services at Joy of All Who Sorrow Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on the occasion of the parish feast day. The Vigil service was served by the parish rector, Archpriest Alexis Duncan, who was co-served by Priest Alexander Logunov (Charlotte, NC) and Deacon Zachary Rose (Roswell, GA), along with a large number of altar servers. The church was filled with faithful and the choir sang beautifully in Slavonic and English under the direction of Matushka Anna Duncan. On Sunday morning, Fr. Alexander performed the blessing of the water, which was followed by the greeting of His Grace, Bishop George, who then celebrated the Divine Liturgy. His Grace was co-served by Archpriest Steven Ritter (Roswell, GA) and the aforementioned clergy. The church was filled again with the faithful, and many parishioners partook of the Holy Mysteries from two chalices.

Bishop George delivered a wonderful sermon relating to the Resurrectional Gospel. After the Liturgy, a Cross Procession was performed under the beautifully sunny and warm Georgia sky. The rector of the parish thanked Bishop George, the visiting clergy and friends of the parish for their participation.

The parish Sisterhood of St. Elizabeth the New Martyr, led by head sister Irina Kuznetsova, prepared a truly splendid meal in honor of the feast. After dessert, parishioners Natalia Kocherinskaya-Viderman and Eduard Swetlowsky played guitars and sang Russian ballads and folk songs with the enthusiastic participation of the audience. Many commented that this was perhaps the most beautiful feast in recent memory. Parishioners now will dedicate all their energy toward the construction of a new church, which will hopefully begin within weeks.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese