June 24, 2014
New York City: Meeting of New York City Deanery Clergy held in Synodal Hall

 

With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad and ruling bishop of the Eastern American Diocese, on Holy Spirit Day, Monday, June 9, a meeting of the clergy of the Diocese’s New York City Deanery was held in the main hall of the Synodal Mansion in New York City. Present at the meeting were Metropolitan Hilarion and the following clergy:

 

- Archpriest Alexander Belya (dean; rector of St. John the Forerunner Church in Brooklyn);
- Archpriest George Kallaur (rector of Our Lady "Unexpected Joy" Church on Staten Island);
- Archpriest Serafim Gan (rector of St. Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff);
- Archpriest Boris Oparin (rector of St. Joasaph of Belgorod Church in Brooklyn);
- Archpriest Petro Kunitsky (cleric of Holy New Martyrs of Russia Church in Brooklyn);
- Archpriest Alexandre Antchoutine (rector of Our Lady "Inexhaustible Chalice" Church in Brooklyn, and Holy Virgin Intercession Church in Glen Cove);
- Priest Ion Arama (rector of Holy Annunciation Church in Flushing);
- Priests Paul Ivanov & Vitaly Lalyukov (clerics of Our Lady "Inexhaustible Chalice" Church in Brooklyn);
- Priest Konstantin Gavrilkin (cleric of Holy New Martyrs of Russia Church in Brooklyn).

 

Among the deanery clerics absent were: Archpriest Serge Lukianov (diocesan secretary; rector of Holy New Martyrs of Russia Church), who was recovering from an operation; Archpriest Alexander Botschagow (rector of Holy Fathers Church in Manhattan) and Hieromonk Photius (Oulanov; cleric of Holy Virgin Intercession Church), both of whom were absent for work-related reasons.

 

Among the guests at the visit were Archimandrite Ireney (Steenberg; cleric of the Western American Diocese), Archpriest Andrei Sommer (senior priest at the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign), Archpriest George Zelenin (rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Paterson, NJ), and Hieromonk Eutychius (Dovganyuk; cleric of the Synodal Cathedral). With Metropolitan Hilarion’s blessing, matushkas of the deanery took part in the meeting, as well.

 

Calling the meeting to order, Fr. Alexander Belya first thanked Metropolitan Hilarion for giving his support to the idea of regular deanery clergy meetings, and for making every effort to be at the meeting in person, despite his busy schedule. Fr. Alexander also expressed his joy at the fact that the meeting was being held at Synod on the Day of the Holy Spirit, seeing in this a sign of God’s mercy and His blessing on this beneficial initiative. He further expressed his hope that, in the future, such meetings will become a regular occurrence, and with God’s help and everyone’s combined participation, the deanery will be able to adopt a more comfortable and welcoming meeting format for the clergy and matushkas. Fr. Alexander reminded those gathered that this year the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the 700th anniversary of the birth of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh (1314-1392), regarding which topic he asked Fr. Konstantin Gavrilkin to deliver a report.

 

Fr. Konstantin began with the fact that, according to a recent public survey, carried out in connection with the celebration of St. Sergius’ jubilee in Russia, only about 10% of the population has even an elementary knowledge of the fact that St. Sergius of Radonezh was a monk and is venerated as an Orthodox saint, while at the same time the commanding majority, 75%, either does not know who St. Sergius was, or thinks that he was a warrior, metropolitan, politician, or the like (4-10%). In the face of this depressing state of affairs, clergy and laity alike ought to expend every effort not only to renew our knowledge of the great saints, but to base that knowledge on historical research, which can help us clear away from our minds any superstitions or later revisions not based on firsthand accounts or the witness of the Church.

 

Fr. Konstantin spoke about the principal sources of our knowledge regarding St. Sergius, culminating in his Vita (Life), written by Venerable Epiphanius the Wise (d. c.1420), one of the monks of Holy Trinity Monastery, during the lifetime of the saint, who knew many of St. Sergius’ disciples and fellow ascetics in Holy Trinity Monastery, as well as his older brother Stephen. In order to examine our knowledge of St. Sergius of Radonezh, Fr. Konstantin recommended investigating a recently published work by the Russian historian Boris Kloss*, who in 1999 published a study on the Vita of St. Sergius, based on 400 handwritten sources across various libraries in Russia and other countries, and including within a restored text by St. Epiphanius the Wise, the original of which had not been preserved (see: B.M. Kloss, Selected Works. Volume I: Zhitie Sergiya Radonezhskogo ("Vita of Sergius of Radonezh"). Published: Yazyki Russkoy Kul’tury ("Languages of Russian Culture"), 1998). Also published in the book are the main versions of the Vita created by the Serbian monk Pachomius Logothetes (d. c.1484), who upon his arrival in the Princedom of Muscovy spent many years at Holy Trinity Monastery. In light of the finding of St. Sergius’ relics in 1422 and his glorification in the first years of the reign of Metropolitan Jonah of Moscow (1448-1461), Pachomius edited St. Epiphanius’ Vita for use as church reading, as well as including within renowned tales of the Battle of Kulikovo and many miraculous events, healings, and visions from the life of the Russian saint.

 

After Fr. Konstantin’s presentation, a discussion began on the subject of the format that future meetings would follow, and whether they ought to include presentations of a theological or historical character. Fr. George Kallaur spoke about his prior experience with meetings of diocesan clergy, which took place in an informal and friendly atmosphere, including a common meal, where priests and matushkas could share their experiences and discuss their problems. Fr. Boris Oparin spoke against academic-style meetings, proposing instead relaxed gatherings around a common table, where participants could from time to time discuss the problems facing priests of the Church Abroad in America. The discussion, which continued around a table with refreshments, gradually came to include all those present, which was the particular concern of Fr. Alexander Belya, who gave all of the clerics who came to the meeting an opportunity to speak their minds. Common to all in attendance was joy at the undertaken effort to unite the deanery clergy, and a recognition of the necessity of similar meetings in the future. It was decided to hold such meetings once every three months going forward.

 

In his concluding remarks, Metropolitan Hilarion expressed his gratitude to the dean, Fr. Alexander, for organizing the meeting, as well as his desire to take part in them in the future, provided that his schedule does not interfere. All those present thanked the matushkas of the deanery for preparing refreshments. The first meeting of the New York City Deanery clergy was defined by a warm, brotherly, and spiritually joyous mood.

 

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