September 20, 2015
Brooklyn, NY: Bishop Nicholas leads Patronal Feast of St. Joasaph of Belgorod Church

On Thursday, September 17, His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, visited St. Joasaph of Belgorod Church in Brooklyn, NY, on the occasion of its patronal feast day.

His Grace celebrated the Divine Liturgy, co-served by clerics of the Brooklyn churches: Archpriests Alexander Belya (dean of New York City, rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral), Boris Oparin (parish rector), Petro Kunitsky (cleric of Holy New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia Church), and Alexandre Antchoutine (dean of Long Island & Hudson Valley, rector of Inexhaustible Chalice Church), Protodeacon Igor Panachev (cleric of St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City), and Deacon Vladimir Barros (cleric of Holy Virgin Intercession Church in Glen Cove, NY). On behalf of the fifth and newest Brooklyn parish, Archpriest Paul Ivanov (rector of Holy Myrrhbearers Church) arrived toward the end of the service and prayed in church.

At the Little Entrance, with the blessing of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops and for his longtime and dedicated service to Christ’s Church, Fr. Boris was awarded the right to wear the jeweled cross.

The little storefront church (located in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood) was filled to capacity with parishioners and the faithful from neighboring parishes, who had come to share in the joy of the patronal feast with their brothers and sisters, and who communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Specially commemorated at Liturgy was Archimandrite Joasaph (McLellan), former head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, as well as the recently departed Mission clerics Abbot Macarius (Butin) and Hierodeacon Julian (Sudakov).

Upon completion of the Liturgy, Bishop Nicholas addressed the faithful with a sermon, in which he said, in part:

"Today we celebrate the memory of a great saint of the Russian land, the Holy Hierarch Joasaph of Belgorod, our Heavenly patron. From the saint’s infancy, it was clear that this child was chosen, and that he would come to serve God, observe Christ’s commandments, and serve the people with love and prayer. And so it was. We read in his life that he was a strict clergyman, but always addressed everyone with love – the clergy, the needy, the sick, his parishioners, and even went out at night to perform acts of charity… When we are experiencing hardships, or pain, or uncertainty, let us always remember St. Joasaph, remember how he strove toward God. He is an example for all of us: striving toward God from childhood, he received the gift of the priesthood and achieved holiness. We must likewise strive toward God, strive to become holy. This may seem strange or impossible, for we are so very far from being holy But we can and must strive toward this, and always remember that we are not alone – our Heavenly patron is with us, the Mother of God is with us, and all of the saints are with us! We must make even the slightest effort to change our lives and follow Christ’s commandments."

The clergy then served a short moleben before the icon of St. Joasaph. On behalf of Metropolitan Hilarion, Bishop Nicholas greeted the rector, parishioners, laborers, and singers on the occasion of their patronal feast, and wished them God’s aid in their service and prayer to the Lord. His Grace also congratulated Fr. Boris with receiving his award, and underscored that it was not only the rector who was rewarded, but the entire parish for all of their labors in founding and adorning the church, and working with children in the parish school. The protodeacon then intoned the Polychronion for all in attendance.

After the service, a bountiful luncheon was served in the parish hall, during which a short film about the history of the parish’s founding, construction, and early years was shown.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese