March 12, 2012 Sea Cliff, NY: Joint
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in St. Seraphim’s Church
The
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated triumphally and
with great spiritual uplifting by the rectors and clergy of
St.
Seraphim’s Church in Sea Cliff and the
Church of the Intercession of
the Holy Virgin in Glen Cove (Long Island, NY), sung by a combined
male choir consisting of singers from both parishes, under the
direction of P.A. Fekula.
On Friday evening, March 9, the feast day
of St. Tarasius, Archbishop of Constantinople, the rector,
Archpriest Serafim Gan, led the Vespers with Presanctified Liturgy
in St. Seraphim’s Church, co-served by Priest Alexandre Antchoutine
(rector of Holy Virgin Intercession Church), Priest Alexei Oulanov
(cleric of the same), Deacon Eugene Kallaur (cleric of St.
Seraphim’s Church), and Deacon Radomir Plavsic (cleric of the
Serbian Orthodox Church). Protodeacon Paul Wolkow (cleric of St.
Seraphim’s Church) was present at the service, as well, singing and
reading with the choir. Despite the workday and typical Friday
evening New York City traffic, many parishioners of both parishes
"made haste" to the Liturgy, which was preceded by the Ninth Hour
and Typica, in order to pray with their fathers, brothers, and
sisters. Some of them, having prayerfully prepared themselves,
communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.
"Let my prayer arise" (composed by D.
Bortniansky) was prayerfully sung by P.A. Fekula, A.S. Slobodskoy,
and N.M. Miro, longtime members of the parish choir, while the
clergy sang the refrains in the altar, inspiring prayer in those
present. This was but one of the more memorable moments of the
service, others of which included the choir’s singing of the
Dogmaticon of the Fifth Tone, "Now the Hosts," and other hymns of
this Lenten service, as well as the sermon delivered by Priest
Alexei Oulanov, in which he shared with the faithful the history of
this ancient Liturgical rite.
During the communion of the clergy, the
appointed reading from St. Theodore the Studite was read aloud.
Upon completion of the service, St.
Seraphim’s rector, greeting those gathered, noted that "the
concelebration of the Liturgy and shared communion of Christ’s Holy
Mysteries help us to understand and feel that we are members of one
body, that we are not isolated, not alone. When we gather, for
instance, for general prayer in church, our thoughts and prayers are
centered on one thing, and this firmly unites us. To be Orthodox
means not to lead a life separate from others. In the Church, we
become one with everyone else. For this reason, the Church has
spiritual labors that are common to all of us, such as Great Lent:
this is our joint undertaking; this is a time of spiritual struggle
for us all. Let us run to our shared prayer in church, so that here
we might find support, comfort, blessing, and aid in the carrying of
the cross of our lives, and so that we might help others in the
carrying of their cross. Let us according to the measure of our
abilities continue this Lenten struggle, so that, having been
renewed, we might greet in spiritual joy Christ’s Holy Pascha
together, alongside the whole Church."
At the lenten dinner in the rector’s home
following the service, everyone expressed their joy at the service
that had been held between the clerics of the two parishes, and
their gratitude to the choristers. The interaction of the clergy,
choir members, and their spouses continued in this informal
atmosphere, during which were discussed the planning and carrying
out of further joint events between the clergy and parishioners of
both parishes in their witness of Orthodoxy and salvific service to
God and the Russian Orthodox people of Long Island.
The next such joint service will be held at
Holy Virgin Intercession Church in Glen Cove on March 22, on the
feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.
A recording of the above-mentioned service and the sermon of Fr.
Alexei are available below and in the "Multimedia" section of St. Seraphim’s
parish website here:
www.stseraphimschurch.org.
