March
21, 2010
Jackson, NJ: Bishop Jerome celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the
Protection of the Mother of God Church on the 50th anniversary of the
repose of Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko)
Sunday,
March 21, marked the 50th anniversary of the repose of the
ever-memorable Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko), formerly of Eastern
America and Jersey City. In the lower
Protection of the Mother of God Church of St.
Vladimir Memorial Church in Jackson, NJ, parishioners
and other faithful gathered to prayerfully honor the memory of this
great hierarch and unshakable pillar of the Church Abroad. On the
right side of the church, there is an inscription on the wall written
by Archbishop Vitaly during the church’s construction: "Here is
the grave of Archbishop Vitaly." Below the inscription, in
accordance with the spiritual testament of Vladyka Vitaly, is his
tomb, beautifully erected out of white marble. In the narthex of the
church, an exhibition of photographs and valuables connected with the
history of this magnificent church, founded by Vladyka Vitaly. The
ever-memorable Vladyka dedicated many years of his life to the
creation of a Russian spiritual and social center on Vladimir’s
Mount in Jackson. On the day of the laying of the cornerstone of St.
Vladimir’s Church, Vladyka turned to the faithful with remarkable
words that touched the soul of every Russian émigré, entered the
history of the Church Abroad, and reverberate down to this very day
under the domes of this church:
Even
so now we who are but a small branch of our nation of countless
millions, a branch cast across the oceans, have gathered here in free
America as American citizens to lay in our adopted country the
cornerstone of a memorial church in commemoration of our thousand-year
old Russian Orthodox religion and our richly varied Russian culture,
so that we and our descendants may always remember the basis on which
we stand and the root from which we have sprung… Let us cling firmly
to the Orthodox faith of our fathers. Let us remember the land of our
origin. And for generations to come let us cherish and develop our
Russian culture, so that it may contribute its due share to the
spiritual treasure house of America.
It
is impossible to measure the enormous contribution of Archbishop
Vitaly to the creation of the Church Abroad and our Diocese. He was
one of the most distinguished archpastors of our Church and the
founder of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville. Everyone can
familiarize themselves with the life of Vladyka Vitaly by reading the presentation
of Deacon Andrei Psarev, dedicated to this 50th anniversary.
The
parishioners in Jackson revere Archbishop Vitaly with special love, as
they do his disciple, Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky), who continued the
mission and work of Vladyka Vitaly in constructing the memorial
church, and is also buried in the lower church, opposite his spiritual
father. The tomb of Vladyka Vitaly was widely adorned with flowers,
and on it were placed copies of his portrait, spiritual will, and
sermon on the day of the laying of the cornerstone of the memorial
church. His Grace, Bishop Jerome of Manhattan, arrived in Jackson to
celebrate the Divine Liturgy on the day of the anniversary. His Grace
was co-served by the rector of the Protection of the Mother of God
Church, Archpriest Philip Petrovsky, diocesan secretary Archpriest
Serge Lukianov, deputy rector of the memorial church Priest Serge
Ledkovsky, and Protodeacon Dimitri Temidis. Upon completion of the
service, His Grace delivered a sermon to the faithful.
In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
"Whoever
desires to become great among you shall be your servant," said
Jesus Christ after the Apostles John and his brother James asked
through their mother to sit at His side on the Throne of Glory, not
understanding what they were asking. Dear brothers and sister, we
pray over the entire course of Great Lent: A spirit of idleness,
despondency, ambition, and idle talk give me not.
And three of these evil traits, namely idleness, despondency,
and idle talk, bring harm principally to us ourselves. Of course,
idle talk, when it takes the form of vile rumors, can be to
everyone’s misfortune. But ambition especially, which manifests
itself in today’s Gospel reading, does major damage to the Holy
Church. This is because either one person takes much on himself,
abrasively stating his position while others oppose, but fear to
speak out; or because everyone wishes to be first and chaos reigns
as a result.
And so, in either
case, this harms Church life. And how many examples of this have we
experienced, how many unpleasant occurrences in the Church, because
everyone wants to be in charge, or because someone has achieved and
is abusing his power? Love of power is a very serious vice. And we
especially feel this in the Church hierarchy. Back in the years when
I was here with Archbishop Nikon (God rest his soul!), I remember
that Vladyka Vitaly, buried here, appeared to me in a dream. The
following morning, I told Vladyka Nikon, and he seemed to
immediately understand something that I did not. And he said that
Vladyka Vitaly had appeared to me, no doubt to return and restore
order in the Church. This is because Vladyka Nikon, that brilliant,
great hierarch, also felt that everyone wished to be in charge, and
as a result Church order suffered.
But if we can state
that he who wishes to be first must be a servant to all, then we can
also state the opposite: he who wishes to be a servant to all much
strive to be first. In what sense? When people rise against the
order in the Church, it is, of course, easy to say that it is not
our fault when we can’t get anything done as a result. But we can
indeed serve God and if we put forward everything true, all the
canons and Church order, put it all in a place of primacy; it is
possible despite any opposition, despite any filth, despite any vile
rumors spread in the Church, despite the fact that everyone wants to
be first, to achieve something nevertheless.
And Vladyka Vitaly
of holy memory, whom we commemorate today, was a shining example of
this. How many sufferings did he endure, how much persecution, how
many unpleasant events? But nevertheless, despite all that, he
achieved great things; thanks principally to him, we have our
diocese here. Thanks to what he started and saw through, and thanks
to his prayers in this life and, I am sure, in the next, we have
this magnificent St. Vladimir Memorial Church, where we all prayed
together today. By his example we can manage and overcome those
situations when it seems that everything has gone wrong and order in
the Church has vanished. Vladyka Vitaly is returning, not
physically, but spiritually, especially when he guides us by his
example, thereby guiding and establishing order in the Holy Church.
Amen.
After
the Liturgy, His Grace led a panihida at the tomb of Archbishop Vitaly,
co-served by the above-mentioned clergy and the dean of New Jersey,
Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov. Also praying during the panihida was
Deacon Nathan Mousselli (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in
Lakewood, NJ). After the panihida, a commemorative luncheon was
offered in the parish hall for all in attendance. During the luncheon,
the dean, Fr. Valery Lukianov, and Fr. Serge Lukianov said several
words in memory of Vladyka Vitaly. Fr. Serge spoke of the importance
of continuing Archbishop Vitaly’s work in our diocese, and Fr.
Valery shared his personal memories of Vladyka as our ruling hierarch,
as rector of Holy Trinity Monastery, and as a humble monk. May the
Lord God grant rest to the soul of the ever-memorable Archbishop of
Eastern America and Jersey City Vitaly.
Photographs
of Archbishop Vitaliy
Photo-report
of the 50th Anniversary
Media Office of the Eastern
American Diocese
