September 11, 2012
Howell, NJ: A Concert was held in "Rodina" Russian House in Honor of
the 200th Anniversary of Russia’s Victory in the Patriotic War of
1812
On
Saturday, September 8, "Rodina" Russian House in Howell, NJ held a
concert in honor of the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the
Patriotic War of 1812.
The recently opened Russian House is the ideological successor to
the "Rodina" Russian Cultural Society, founded in 1954 and located
in the same building. The Society played a significant role in the
social life and benevolent functions of church society: within its
hall were held theatrical productions, presentations by famous
musicians, an art studio, a sports club, "youth circles," and much
more. The administration of the new "Rodina" center, which
opened
its doors in May 2012, plans to follow in the footsteps of its
predecessor and, in the words of the center’s director, Alexander
Bondarev, hopes with time to become a binding force for Russian
Orthodox Christians in the United States: "To be Russian means to be
Orthodox, to know one’s culture, and to speak Russian. Here it’s all
one thing, and we are obliged to help one another. Here people can
interact, even those who are not Orthodox, and become involved in
Russian culture; and, what's more, across the street is the church.
And we will, of course, invite everyone to church following all of
our cultural events."
Present at the concert was the First Hierarch of the Russian Church
Abroad, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New
York, who was visiting the center for the first time, and was met
with bread and salt by Mr. Bondarev. The last First Hierarch to
officially visit an event at the center was Metropolitan Anastassy
(Gribanovsky) in the 1950s. "We are grateful that fate so ordained
that we would open ‘Rodina’ and would be immediately visited by the
First Hierarch," said Bondarev.
The visit by Metropolitan Hilarion bears witness to the restoration
of good relations between "Rodina" and the Church. Relations were
strained for many years, owing to mutual misunderstandings.
"Glory to God, this is now in the past," commented diocesan
secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov. "The administration of ‘Rodina’
is working closely with the Diocese, and now we can open a new page
in our shared history, founded on mutual respect and our shared love
for the Church. The presence of the First Hierarch at this event is
a testament to our common desire to unite Orthodox Christians in
America."
Prior
to the beginning of the concert, His Eminence greeted and
congratulated all those present with the 200th anniversary of
Russia’s 1812 victory. The Metropolitan also called on the
administration of "Rodina" to continue its important work preserving
Russian culture abroad.
Included in the concert’s program were pieces sung by a choir, a
ballet performance, poetry readings and a theatrical presentation,
accented by outtakes from the Russian film "War & Peace." The
concert was produced by Vyacheslav Motsardo.
The center’s museum was also open to visitors, and housed a unique
exhibit of historic artifacts from the War of 1812. Many of the
displays at the exhibit were given on loan by the nearby Kuban
Cossack Museum in Howell. Ataman Alexander Pewnew and
representatives of the Kuban Cossack Voisko Abroad were also present
at the event.
The celebrations that day ended with a festal Vigil at St. Alexander
Nevsky Cathedral, located across the street from "Rodina" Russian
House.
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