September 6, 2013
Bishop George led Divine Services on Feast of Dormition in St.
George’s & St. John the Baptist Churches
On
Tuesday the 27th and Wednesday the 28th of August, the great feast
of the Dormition of the Mother of God, His Grace George, Bishop of
Mayfield, performed an Archpastoral visit to New Jersey and New
York. The Eastern American Diocesan vicar bishop began his travels
in the region on Tuesday in Howell, NJ, where he led the All-Night
Vigil with the Jerusalem Burial Rite in
St. George’s Church. On the eve of the feast, His Grace was
co-served by parish clergy: rector Archpriest Serge Lukianov,
Archpriest Boris Slootsky, Protodeacon Leonid Roschko, and Deacon
Michael Wengrin, as well as Priest Constantine Gavrilkin. During the
Polyeleos, Bishop George addressed the faithful with the following
words:
"All of the Christians around Jerusalem came to say farewell to the
Mother of God. She had been their light; a shining light for them
after our Savior ascended into Heaven. And the light, the grace that
dwelt in her was a great comfort for all of the Christians who would
come to talk to her, and she would relate to them stories of her
time with our Savior. At that time, our Savior Himself came to take
her soul. We can see on the icon Christ holding a small child; this
represents her soul. She passed peacefully, as if falling asleep,
and He took her soul. Surrounded by the singing of the angels and
great fragrance, her soul was taken up into the Heavens. The Mother
of God, who brought our Savior into this world, was herself carried
into the next world, into Heaven, by Him, in His arms.
"We are the ones who benefit when we magnify the Mother of God, for
this night, instead of being occupied with worldly occupations, our
minds and hearts are drawn to the Mother of God. We are drawn to
heavenly things, and we are able to appreciate her divine virtues:
modesty, humility, her piety. It is in that spirit that we also may
acquire these same divine attributes, that we may become worthy to
be with her and all the angels with our Savior in the next world.
Amen."
The following morning, Bishop George traveled to Brooklyn, NY, and
celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the
Church of St. John the Forerunner & Baptist of the Lord. His
Grace was co-served by parish rector Archpriest Alexander Belya,
Archimandrite Ioann (Magramm), Protodeacon Leonid Roschko, and
Parish Deacon Petr Utkin.
Bishop George concluded his visit in prayer at a commemorative
Liturgy, served at St. George’s Church in honor of the 36th
anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Archpriest Peter
Motcharsky, a distinguished clergyman of the Eastern American
Diocese.
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