January 10, 2014
Brooklyn, NY: Bishop Jerome leads Joint Service on Lesser Feast of
"Inexhaustible Chalice" Church
On
Thursday, January 2, on the feast day of the Holy Righteous John of
Kronstadt, parishioners of the
Church of our Lady "The Inexhaustible Chalice" in Brooklyn, NY
celebrated their lesser patronal feast. The church operates a Mercy
House named in honor of St. John, where several homeless brethren
are able to take refuge. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His
Grace, Bishop Jerome, co-served by clergy from New York and its
environs.
His Grace was co-served by Archpriest Alexander Belya (New York City
dean and rector of St. John the Baptist Church in Brooklyn),
Archpriest Serge Lukianov (diocesan secretary and rector of Holy New
Martyrs Church in Brooklyn), Archpriest George Kallaur (rector of
the Church of our Lady "Unexpected Joy" on Staten Island),
Archpriest George Zelenin (rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral in
Paterson, NJ), parish rector Archpriest Alexandre Antchoutine,
Priest Paul Ivanov (parish cleric), and Deacons Nathan Mousselli
(cleric of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City) and
Vladimir Barros (cleric of Holy Virgin Intercession Church in Glen
Cove, NY). Also praying in church was parish cleric Priest Vadim
Arefiev.
That same day marked the feast of the Holy Hieromartyr Ignatius the
God-Bearer. According to Holy Tradition, when St. Ignatius was a
child, the Savior Himself embraced him and said, "Except ye be
converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). In honor of the great saint,
a piece of his relics were brought to the church, which the faithful
venerated with love and tenderness. In accordance with recent parish
tradition, the choir sang the Lord’s Prayer in Slavonic and
Georgian.
Upon
completion of the Liturgy, Bishop Jerome delivered a sermon in which
he said, in part:
"‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Matthew 22:39)… How is
our love for ourselves manifested? Not in some emotional attachment
or self-admiration. Of course, every person understands that he is a
sinner, that he has flaws. If he is in his right mind, he has no
illusions on the matter. But he looks out for his own wellbeing,
practically seeks his own interests, and herein is revealed his love
for himself… But if we were to look out for the interests of another
person the same way we look out for our own, then that would be
love. One who supports us, helps us, strives for our good, and prays
for us (this is, of course, the most important) ‒ is our best
friend. So our love for our neighbor must consist of wishing for him
the very best – that is, eternal salvation."
His Grace also joyously noted that the first joint concelebration in
"Inexhaustible Chalice" Church in many years had lent to a feeling
of brotherly love among the clergy. A short moleben was then served
to St. Ignatius and St. John. In turn, the rector, Fr. Alexandre,
greeted His Grace, thanking him and his brother clergy for their
holy and joined prayers, and noted that St. John is especially dear
to the Orthodox faithful because he lived relatively recently, in
the modern era. Fr. Alexandre reminded the faithful of the testament
of the saint of Kronstadt: "Only the prayer of a faithful man,
humility and patience, can overcome the snares of the evil one. This
is our principal strength."
After the service, a bountiful luncheon was held in the church,
during which were offered words of congratulation.
Republication of materials must include a reference to:
"Eastern American Diocese www.eadiocese.org."
Media Office of the Eastern
American Diocese
