November 7, 2011
Bishop George: Russian people in New York are in dire need of
support from the Diocese
On
Thursday, November 3, on the feast day of St. Hilarion of the Caves,
His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop George of
Mayfield, continued his archpastoral visit to Brooklyn and
celebrated the Divine Liturgy in
Holy New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia Church. His Grace was
co-served by the rector, Archpriest Victor Tseshkovsky, diocesan
secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov, Hieromonk Alexander (Frizzell;
dean of Holy Cross Monastery), Deacon Leonid Roschko (cleric of St.
George’s Church in Howell, NJ), and parish Deacon Petr Utkin.
During the Liturgy, the clergy’s prayers were offered for the health
and length of days of the First Hierarch of the Russian Church
Abroad, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, on the occasion of his
namesday. Upon completion of the Liturgy, Bishop George delivered a
sermon on that day’s Gospel reading. He called upon all the faithful
to strengthen their prayers for their Primate, that the Lord might
send him new spiritual and physical strength to carry the heavy
cross of his service as First Hierarch.
Bishop George greeted the rector and expressed his joy at the
opportunity to serve in the church for the first time, and to pray
together on the saint’s day of their First Hierarch. In response,
Fr. Victor thanked His Grace for his archpastoral visit and said
that "the best gift we can give our First Hierarch is our joint
prayer for him on his namesday." Fr. Victor expressed his hope that
Bishop George will return often and visit Brooklyn’s Russian
Orthodox parishes.
Conversations carried on at the parish luncheon, where Matushka Nina
Tseshkovsky and her assistants greeted the guests with a
well-prepared meal.
After
lunch, Bishop George, accompanied by Igor K. Popov, President of the
Orthodox Business Association, walked through the streets of Russian
Brighton and spoke with local Russian Orthodox people in the bazaar
and Russian stores. Seeing the bishop and clergy walking among the
people, many approached His Grace for a blessing and asked where
they could find Russian churches in Brooklyn.
At the initiative of the Association and the owner of Aqualina Café,
Igor Grafman, a dinner was organized for Bishop George in honor of
his first visit to Brooklyn. Over dinner, His Grace shared his
thoughts on the current situation facing Russian Orthodox people
living in Brighton and Greater New York. Almost a million Russians
live in Brooklyn, many of whom are Orthodox, but not initiated in
church life. Bishop George noted how important it is for the Eastern
American Diocese to reach out to our Orthodox compatriots.
"Russian people in New York are in dire need of support from
the Diocese," His Grace said. "We are obligated to bring the word of
God to these people in order to bring them to the saving bosom of
the Church. Our duty is to provide Russian people the help they need
to enter into the life of the Church. Unfortunately, we lack the
clergy necessary to carry out active missionary work and
catechization, but nevertheless we must. If we, as archpastors and
pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church, will not work to save the
souls of our Russian people spread throughout the world, then who
will care for their salvation?" Bishop George feels that the issue
of catechizing Russian immigrants in America must be taken up by the
Diocesan Council. His Grace called upon the representatives of the
newly founded Association to provide assistance to the Diocese for
the expansion of missionary work among the Russian people of New
York.
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"Eastern American Diocese www.eadiocese.org."
Media
Office of the Eastern American Diocese
