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July 14,
2009
Sea Cliff, NY: Work begins on the Iconography of St. Seraphim Church,
Dedicated to the Millennial Path of the Russian Orthodox Church
On July 12, the feast day of the
Holy Apostles Peter & Paul, the rector, Archpriest Serafim Gan,
served the Divine Liturgy, co-served by Priest Paul Akmolin, a cleric
of the Mid-American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad,
Protodeacon Paul Wolkow, and Deacons Eugene Kallaur and Victor Ganson,
the latter of whom is a cleric of the Church of the Epiphany in
Roslindale (Boston), MA. Fr. Paul Akmolin came to Sea Cliff to install
his newly painted fresco, the first piece of the church's new
iconography, to be blessed on August 1st, the parish feast
day, by the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. As was mentioned
above, the church's iconography will be dedicated to the Millennial
Path of the Russian Orthodox Church, to the restoration within Her of
full brotherly communion, and to the memory of His Holiness,
Patriarch Alexey II; His Eminence, Metropolitan Laurus; Bishop
Mitrophan, (Znosko-Borovsky) and many others who helped Holy Russia in
her hours of need, helping the scattered portions of the Church
achieve an historic reunification, all of which will be reflected in
the icons of the nave.
Having
completed the Deisis icon, Fr. Paul will commence painting the side
walls of the holy altar, which will depict: the Venerable St. Seraphim
of Sarov, the heavenly patron of our church; the Holy Hierarch of
Voronezh Mitrophan (in memory of Bishop Mitrophan of Boston); the Holy
Hierarch Alexey, Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia (in memory of
His Holiness, Patriarch Alexey II); the Holy Hierarch
John, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, whose sanctity touched
the people of three principal centers of the Russian Diaspora:
Belgrade, Shanghai-Harbin and Paris, where he served and where his
views helped many to reconsider their attitude toward the Moscow
Patriarchate and other Orthodox Churches; the Venerable St. Anthony the Roman (in memory of Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky; +1936) and
his protege, Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev; +2000) of Western America
and San Francisco); the Holy Martyr St. Laurus (in memory of His
Eminence, Metropolitan Laurus); and other saints, especially honored
in Sea Cliff: the Holy Hieromartyr Athanasius of Brest-Litovsk, and
the Venerable St. Onuphrius the Great (whose memory is commemorated on
the day of Bishop Mitrophan's ordination to the priesthood). On the
ceiling above the iconostasis will be depicted the Ascension of the
Lord (the great feast day on which the Act of Canonical Communion was
signed in Moscow).
Upon
completion of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Serafim expressed his joy at
serving alongside Fr. Paul Akmolin, with whom he studied in the same
graduating year at the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, and
expressed his sincere gratitude for his holy prayers, for his efforts,
and for his edifying sermon, delivered during the Divine Liturgy.
Following this, the rector greeted his protodeacon, Fr. Paul Wolkow, who
was celebrating his namesday, and presented him with a gift from the
parish clergy and their wives – an icon of
the Holy Hierarch and Wonderworker Nicholas, painted in one of the
most renowned iconographic studies of the Russian Orthodox Church, in
Kursk, Russia. The holy prosphoron was given to Fr. Victor Ganson, the
grandson of Bishop Mitrophan, who was visiting from his parish in
Boston. In addition to Fr. Pavel, also celebrating their namesday were
choir member P.J. Jarostchuk and P.P. Wolkow, one of the church's
altar servers. After the rector's greeting, Fr. Eugene proclaimed the
polychronion for all those celebrating their namesday.
Media
Office of the Eastern American Diocese
reproduced from www.stseraphimschurch.org
