September
12, 2009
Hierarchal
services on the feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist
On
the feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, His Grace, Bishop
George of Mayfield, led the divine services in St. George's Church at
the diocesan center in Howell, NJ. His Grace was co-served by diocesan
secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov, Priest Ilia Marzev
(Cleveland, OH), Priest Jonah Campbell (Howell, NJ), Deacon Leonid
Roschko (Howell, NJ), and Deacon Andrei Psarev (Jordanville, NY). On
the eve of the feast, the Vigil was sung antiphonally by the parish's
male and mixed choirs. On Friday, September 11, after the Liturgy a
litiy for the departed was served, at which were commemorated all
those warriors who laid down their lives for the Faith, the Tsar, and
the Fatherland, as well as all those Orthodox Christians killed in the
terrorist attacks of September 11. After the Liturgy, His Grace,
accompanied by Fr. Serge and Fr. Ilia, left for New York to join the
remaining ROCOR delegates, who will be traveling to Russia alongside
the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.
That
same day, His Grace, Bishop Jerome of Manhattan, celebrated the Divine
Liturgy in the Synodal Cathedral. Present at the Liturgy was His
Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, as were many members of the ROCOR
delegation. After the Liturgy, a moleben was served for safety on the
great journey, after which the delegation departed to Russia.
