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July 9, 2010
Lakewood, NJ: Parish Feast Day of the Church of Our Lady of Tikhvin

On July 9th (new style), the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. This feast day celebrates the miraculous appearance of the icon on Lake Ladoga; its transfer, from the Second Rome at Constantinople, to the Third Rome, Moscow. This wonderful, miraculous icon protected our homeland from sorrows and strife for hundreds of years, and is the symbol of Holy Russia.

On July 8-9, the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in Lakewood, NJ, formerly the St. Alexander Nevsky Church, celebrated its feast day. The church was founded in 1936 by the ever-memorable Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko), and in 1948 hosted the hierarchal consecration of Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky). In 1994, when a new cathedral was built in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky, the old church was renamed in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, and from that time, parishioners commemorate the church’s feast day on July 9.

On the eve of the feast, the All-Night Vigil was led by the rector, Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov, co-served by diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov and parish clerics Priest Seraphim Chemodakov and Protodeacon Nicholas Lukianov. The rector celebrated the Divine Liturgy, co-served by the above-mentioned clergy, as well as Priest Leonid Goferman (rector of Holy Virgin Protection Church in New Brunswick, NJ) and Priest Paul Ivanov (cleric of New Martyrs of Russia Church in Brooklyn, NY). Present during the Liturgy was Archdeacon Eugene Burbelo.

A multitude of parishioners and the faithful from neighboring parishes came to raise up their prayers to the Most Holy Mother of God on the day of the feast. The church is home to a deeply revered copy of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, which once belonged to the holy Empress-Martyr Alexandra. (To read a full history of the icon, click here.) Upon completion of the Liturgy, a moleben was served to the Mother of God, followed by a crucession.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese