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December 13, 2010
Philadelphia: Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk celebrated the
Divine Liturgy in St. Andrew’s Cathedral
On
Sunday, December 12, the eve of the feast day of the Holy Apostle
St. Andrew the First-Called, the wonder-working Kursk Root Icon of
the Mother of God visited St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Philadelphia,
PA. The Divine Liturgy was led by the Administrator of the
Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Archbishop Justinian of
Naro-Fominsk.
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 cruiser.
His Eminence was co-served by cathedral rector Archpriest Mark
Shinn, Eastern American Diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge
Lukianov, Archpriest Evgeny Goncharenko (cleric of St. Nicholas
Patriarchal Cathedral in New York, NY), Igumen Nicodemus
(Balyasnikov; assistant to Archbishop Justinian), parish clerics:
Priest Eugene Solodky, Priest Alexander Tsygankov, Priest George
Johnson, and Protodeacon Michael Stulpin; Protodeacon Igor Panachev
(cleric of St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral), and Deacon Leonid
Roschko (cleric of St George’s Church in Howell, NJ). During the
Small Entrance, Archbishop Justinian awarded Fr. Alexander Tsygankov
the right to wear the kamilavka.
The
cathedral was visited by a delegation from the Russian Federation
Embassy in Washington, DC, including staffers of the Representative
of the Russian Federation Armed Forces to the UN Military Staff
Committee, as well as the Russian Federation embassy’s Cultural
Attaché, Dr. Vyacheslav V. Moshkalo.
Upon completion of the Divine Liturgy, a short moleben was served
before the Kursk Icon, after which all those present came forward to
venerate the holy icon.
After the moleben, parishioners gathered in the parish hall for a
luncheon. During the course of the luncheon, a number of speeches
were delivered, thanking the faithful for coming and especially
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 and poems.
O most holy Theotokos, save us!
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materials must include a reference to:
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www.eadiocese.org."
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Diocese
