May 6, 2009 
Freewood Acres, New Jersey: Parish Feastday of St. George's Church

On Wednesday, May 6th, on the commemoration day of the holy great-martyr and victory-bearer George, the parish of St. George marked its feastday. On the eve of the feast, an All-Night Vigil was served by His Grace, Bishop George of Mayfield, co-served by Mitred Archpriest Victor Potapov (Rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC), Archpriest Serge Lukianov, Protodeacon Joseph Jarostchuk (St. John of Kronstadt Church in Utica, NY), Protodeacon Leonid Mickle (St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC), and Deacon Leonid Roschko. Before the start of the service, Fr. Leonid Mickle presented our parish with the relics of St. George, the Holy Martyr Alexandra, and several other holy saints. The Vigil proceeded in a prayerful and festive spirit.
     On Wednesday morning, the rector performed the rite of the Lesser Blessing of the Water, followed by the greeting of His Grace, Bishop George. During the hours, Vladyka tonsured to the rank of reader a member of the St. Sergius Publishing House, Peter A. Beliaeff. During the Liturgy, His Grace was co-served by Archpriest Joseph Lickwar (Rector of Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Jersey City, NJ), Archpriest Philip Petrovsky (Head of the English Mission in Jackson, NJ), Priest Ilya Gun, Priest Vadim Arefiev (St. John of Kronstadt Church in Brooklyn, NY), Metropolitan's Archdeacon Eugene Burbelo, and the above-mentioned clergy. At the end of the Liturgy, Vladyka blessed all of the new icons that had been put up over the course of the church renovation. A procession around the church was also held. At the end of the Liturgy, the rector congratulated Bishop George on his namesday, gifting him a set of sacred vessels for storing oil, incense, and holy water in the name of the parish.
     A festive luncheon was served in the Cossack hall. During the luncheon, a unique and touching montage, consisting of over 200 photographs, was presented, the theme of which was "The History and Life of St. George's Church." Click here for the transcript of the montage. At the end of the montage, many stood with tears in their eyes. Prior to his departure, Bishop George offered his heartfelt thanks to all of the parishioners and guests for their warm welcome and joyous celebration of his namesday. Click here for photos from the parish feastday.

Official website of St. George's Church
Freewood Acres, NJ
www.stnicholasredbank.com