March 27, 2012
Brooklyn, NY: Bishop
Jerome led the Sacrament of Holy Unction in the Church of our Lady
"The Inexhaustible Chalice"
The
Lord has sent healing to those in Brighton suffering from spiritual
and physical ailments. Led by His Grace, Eastern American Diocesan
vicar Bishop Jerome of Manhattan, clergy arrived at the
Church of our Lady "The Inexhaustible Chalice"
and the Mercy House of St. John of Kronstadt in Brooklyn, NY on
Sunday, March 25. His Grace led the Sacrament of Holy Unction,
co-served by Archpriest Mark Burachek (rector of Our Lady of Kazan
Church in Newark, NJ), Archpriest George Zelenin (rector of St.
Michael’s Church in Paterson, NJ), Priest Ilya Gun, and parish
Priests Paul Ivanov and rector Vadim Arefiev. The sacrament was
especially significant for the faithful, because the parish has a
great many ailing people: "blind, halt, withered, waiting for the
moving of the water" (John 5:3) and the church could not hold them
all. The Church of the Mother of God "The Inexhaustible Chalice" is
not only too small for the parish, but for over a year has been
battling city authorities, who declared the altar to be an illegal
construction and ordered the parish to dismantle it. As a result,
the roof and walls were removed, and the priests serve in
intolerable conditions under a tarpaulin awning, which lets in the
rain and cold.
The parish was especially joyful because
the sacrament was led by the Hierarch. The whole community prepared
diligently for Unction. Virtually the entire parish confessed their
sins, standing in long lines while the priests confessed all those
desiring absolution until one in the morning on Saturday night at
Vigil. On the Sunday of St. John Climacus, the very day the
sacrament was performed, the faithful communed at two Liturgies,
which the church usually serves.
Article and photos by Elena Soboleva
http://es.nashgolos.org
http://www.svxram.org
Because of the small size
of the church and the large amount of parishioners who often work on
Sundays, it was necessary to perform two services of the sacrament
of Holy Unction. Those who were not able to attend the service on
March 25th,
were able to receive Holy Unction on March 16th.
The performance of the sacrament was led by Eastern American
Diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov, co-served by Priests
Vadim Arefiev (rector), Ilya Gun, Leonid Goferman (rector of Holy
Protection Church in New Brunswick, NJ), Paul Ivanov (parish
cleric), and Seraphim Chemodakov (cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky
Cathedral in Lakewood, NJ).
Click here for photographs from March 16th.
Media
Office of the Eastern American Diocese
