December 31, 2011
Stratford, CT: Visit of the Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear" to St. Nicholas Church

We magnify thee, O All-Holy Virgin,
and we honour thy holy image
whereby thou pourest forth healings
upon all that with faith have recourse to thee.

On the feast day of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, Protectress of the Russian Church Abroad, the same day our First Hierarch, Metropolitan Hilarion, concelebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah (OCA), and His Eminence, Archbishop Justinian (MP), St. Nicholas Parish was blessed with a rare visit of the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear." The first official concelebration at the episcopal level of all three churches descending from the pre-Revolutionary Russian Mission in North America was followed with a concelebration on the local level.

This Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear" was gifted to the newly-founded Monastery of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk in South Canaan, PA one hundred years ago from the Docheiariou Monastery on Mt. Athos, where the original Icon, of which this is a copy, resides. The Icon given to St. Tikhon Monastery contains the relics of several saints within its riza, and is usually kept in the iconostasis of the monastery’s main church.

The visit was arranged by Archpriest John Perich of St. Herman of Alaska Church (OCA) in Gradyville, PA, Curator of the Relics and Museum of St. Tikhon’s Monastery. The Icon was accompanied by the St. Theodore Icon of the Mother of God, which had been in the personal chapel of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas in Tsarskoe Selo and is also accounted to be wonderworking, as well as the vestments of St. Innocent of Moscow, and miter and vestments of St. Nicholas (Velimirović) of Zhicha, one-time rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary, the personal effects of St. Alexis Toth, and the relics and icons of the following saints: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland, St. Theodosius of Chernigov, Sts. Cyril & Methodius, Teachers of the Slavs, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, St. Innocent of Irkutsk, St. Nektarios of Pentapolis, St. Theophan the Recluse, St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco, St. Innocent of Moscow, St. Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, St. Nicholas of Zhicha, St. Raphael of Brooklyn, St. Tikhon of Moscow, Hieromartyr Januarius, Hieromartyr Haralampus, New Hieromartyr Vladimir of Kiev, Great Martyr & Healer Panteleimon, Great Martyr Barbara, Great Martyr Catherine, New Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, New Martyr Nun Barbara, St. Alexius, Man of God, St. Sergius of Radonezh, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Herman of Alaska, St. Ambrose of Optina, St. Silouan of Mt. Athos, St. Anastasia, Mother of St. Sabbas of Serbia, and Saint Alexis Toth.

The icons arrived at 2:30 PM Saturday, December 10, and was preceded into the church by the vestments of St. Innocent and St. Nicholas of Zhicha, accompanied by the peal of bells. The Mother of God "Quick to Hear" and Theodore Icons were brought into the church, accompanied by clergy in blue vestments, after which followed a festive moleben. The concelebrating clergy were: Of the Russian Church Abroad: parish rector Archpriest George Lardas, Priest Vadim Pismenny (cleric of the Nativity of the Mother of God Church in Mahopac, NY), and Priest Constantine Semyanko (cleric of the Presentation of the Lord Church in Stratford, CT). Of the OCA: Archpriest John Perich; Archpriest Dennis Swencki, Chief Financial Officer of Saint Tikhon’s Seminary; and Deacon Paul Giatas. Also present were: Archpriest Dennis Rhodes of Saint George’s Albanian Church in Trumbull, CT, and Priest George Coca of St. Dimitrie’s Romanian Church in Easton, CT, both of the OCA. The moleben was sung by the combined choirs of St. Nicholas, Presentation, and St. John the Baptist Carpatho-Russian Churches.

At the conclusion of the moleben, Fr. John gave a moving sermon about his own connection to St. Nicholas parish and how, even when the OCA and ROCOR were not concelebrating, the two Churches were united through St. Tikhon. He then presented both Archpriest George Lardas and Priest Constantine Semyanko icons of the Presentation of our Lord Church for their respective parishes. Fr. John also presented Fr. George with an icon of Sts. Tikhon of Moscow and Tikhon of Zadonsk, patrons of St. Tikhon’s Monastery, a commemorative of the monastery’s centennial. The choirs spontaneously sang the troparion to St. Nicholas, and Fr. John intoned a festive Polychronion, which the choirs joyously sang.

The Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, December 11, was concelebrated by Fathers George Lardas, John Perich, Dennis Swencki, and Deacon Paul, and followed by a short moleben and veneration of the icons and Relics. Communion was from the chalice that had belonged to St. Innocent of Moscow, who had been a missionary here in America. In his sermon after the Gospel, Father John spoke about the Icon, about his student days when he attended St. Nicholas Church, and about the connection of the parish with St. Tikhon’s Monastery, since the first rector, Archimandrite Panteleimon, had been a novice at St. Tikhon’s, as had his assistant Monk Joseph, and both later founded Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY. In his sermon, Fr. Dennis spoke about Saint Tikhon’s Seminary.

At 3:00 PM Sunday, an Akathist to the Icon of our Lady "Quick to Hear" was served with Frs. George and John and other visiting clergy. The Akathist concluded with the festive departure of the icons to the ringing of bells and the singing of many hymns to the Theotokos. Adding to the joy, Archpriest Theodore Shevzov, cleric of Saint Nicholas Church, who is recovering from surgery, was able to greet the icons and the faithful outside the church (as he cannot yet climb the stairs).

In connection with the visit of the icons, the parish held its Annual Holiday Festival and Bazaar. Fr. John supplied the materials and items for sale, assisted by Tanya Guba. Parish council members and volunteers from St. Nicholas parish sold food from a tent outside. Monks Roman and Stephen represented Saint Tikhon’s Bookstore, and had honey, books, icons, and videos for sale.

The visit of the wonderworking icons, and the concelebration with the visiting clergy is a service of healing, for it united those that were separated when St. Nicholas Parish came to the Russian Church Abroad from the OCA in 1984. And, for the first time since then, those that were separated were again able to pray together at Saint Nicholas Church.

Archpriest George Lardas, Rector

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