April 23, 2012 New
York City: On Bright Saturday, the Traditional Joint Service of
Patriarchal and Diasporan Clergy was held in St. Nicholas
Patriarchal Cathedral
On Bright Saturday, April 21, clergy and parishioners of the
Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and the Russian Church Abroad
gathered in St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York City for
the traditional joint celebration of the Paschal divine services.
His Eminence, Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of
the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, celebrated the Divine Liturgy,
co-served by Their Graces, Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishops
George of Mayfield and Jerome of Manhattan, as well as an assembly
of clergy from parishes of the Russian Church in the United States
of America.
During the Small Entrance, with the blessing of His Holiness,
Patriarch Kyrill, and on the occasion of Holy Pascha, Archbishop
Justinian awarded several clerics for their diligent labors on
behalf of the Church: Hieromonk Elias (Barna; pastor emeritus of St.
Michael the Archangel Church in Redford, MI) was elevated to the
rank of archimandrite, Archpriest Nikolai Babijtchouk (rector of the
Church of All Saints Illumed in Russia in Pine Bush, NY) was awarded
the miter, Archpriest Sergei Kosich (rector of St. John the Baptist
Church in Little Falls, NJ) was awarded the jeweled cross, Priest
Alexey Bocharnikov (rector of St. Nicholas Church in Chester, PA)
was awarded the gold cross, Deacon John Peters (cleric of St.
Nicholas Cathedral) and Hierodeacon Martinian (Balagtas; cleric of
St. Mary of Egypt Monastery "Mercy House" in New York City) were
awarded the double orarion, and St. Nicholas Cathedral’s Subdeacon
Leonid Panachev was presented a Patriarchal Gramota.
The divine services, which brought together a multitude of
worshippers, were adorned by the singing of the Hierarchal choir
under the direction of Xenia Afanafiev.
After the Prayer behind the Ambo, Archbishop Justinian performed the
reading of the Prayer at the Breaking of the Artos, after which the
Archpastors, clergy, and faithful processed through the streets of
New York, singing the Paschal canon and circling the city block on
which St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral resides. Even regular New
Yorkers joined in the procession, observing the Orthodox service
with sincere interest. The procession concluded with a reading from
the Gospel on the Resurrection of Christ the Savior.
Archbishop Justinian greeted his brother-hierarchs with heartfelt
words: "Holy Scripture calls upon us to preserve our unity in
Christ, unity in our faith, in our hope. And this festal day
certainly bears witness to this. We have need, as human beings, of
God’s aid. And the Lord ‘praises our intention,’ fortifying us by
His Divine power. We express our good desires, and the Lord will
support us, but we must also apply our own human efforts. In ancient
icons of Christ’s Resurrection, we see a depiction of the Lord
extending His almighty Hand to those righteous individuals
languishing in Hades. And we see how humbly Eve reacts: she covers
her hands with her clothes, for her clothes symbolize her humility
and her recollection that it was through her that the fruit that
tempted Adam came forth. Adam, too, daringly stretches forth his
hands to Christ the Savior. And He leads them out of Hades.
"If we do not reach out, the Lord will not be able to save us; for
He saves us, but not without us. Our unity in Christ will be blessed
by Him; all of us, each on his own level: hierarchs, pastors, God’s
people: let us expend our every sincere effort to this end.
"I think that in our liturgical interaction we truly live as One
Holy Russian Orthodox Church: a multinational Church, a Church that
places faith in Christ the Savior, and fealty to the dogmas and
canons of Holy Orthodoxy, at the head of the corner. So it was that,
not in spoken word, but in faith, we understood who our brother was,
and who was far from us. Today the hearts of His Holiness, Patriarch
Kyrill, and Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian
Church Abroad, rejoice, seeing their children praying together,
laboring together, hoping for further brotherly unity, to which we
are called by the Lord, and to which we are called by our faith."
In prayerful remembrance of the divine services that day, Archbishop
Justinian presented Bishop George with a wonderful biography of the
Patriarchal cathedral’s founder: the Hierarch-Confessor Tikhon,
Patriarch of All Russia, and presented Bishop Jerome a Hierarchical
service book. In turn, Bishop Jerome presented Archbishop Justinian
with an antique altar cross and two translations of St. Mark’s
Liturgy in Slavonic.
Eastern American Diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov read
aloud a greeting from the First Hierarch of the Russian Church
Abroad, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion: "From far-off Australia
I greet you with the light-bearing feast of the Savior’s
Resurrection – Pascha, with the fifth joint celebration by the
clerics of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Abroad of
Bright Saturday in St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral, and with the
coming fifth anniversary of the joyous restoration of unity in the
Russian Orthodox Church.
"I am sorry that I cannot be with all of you to share in this
triumphal feast. These joint services at God’s Holy Altar strength
the bonds of brotherhood between us and wash away the bitter
divisions that for decades stood as obstacles to our interaction.
"May the Resurrected Christ, our Savior, fill you with ‘joy
unspeakable and full of glory,’ sending down His aid and multiplying
your strengths for the carrying out of your labors on behalf of His
Holy Church."
After the Polychronion was intoned for His Holiness, Patriarch
Kyrill, Metropolitan Hilarion, the Archpastors, clergy, and laity,
the Artos was given out to all of the faithful.
A video of the Liturgy and procession in St. Nicholas Patriarchal
Cathedral is available to our readers below:
Republication of materials must include a reference to:
"Eastern American Diocesewww.eadiocese.org."
Article: www.ruschurchusa.org translated by the Media
Office of the Eastern American Diocese
