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 Pavel 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. Pavel 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