July 19, 2015
On Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th
of July, a dual feast awaited the clergy, parishioners,
and guests of St.
Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral in Howell, NJ.
On July 18, prior to the beginning of the All-Night
Vigil, the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon of the
Mother of God arrived at the cathedral from
Jordanville, NY. The clergy came out to greet the Most
Holy Theotokos and returned in procession to the
cathedral, where the Icon was greeted by His Grace,
Eastern American Diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of
Manhattan, who led the All-Night Vigil. His Grace was
co-served by cathedral and visiting clergy. Upon
completion of Vigil, the clergy and faithful piously
venerated the myrrh-streaming Icon; the faithful were
anointed with myrrh from the holy Icon, and each also
received a piece of cotton soaked in holy myrrh.
Made in Russia, the copy of the vanished
Montreal-Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was given as a
gift to Subdeacon Nektarios, a parishioner of Holy
Theotokos of Iveron Church in Honolulu, HI, and in 2007
– the year of the restoration of canonical communion
between the Church Abroad and the Mother Church in Russia
– began to abundantly stream myrrh.
Sunday, July 19, began with the greeting
of the Most Blessed Onufry, Metropolitan of Kiev &
All Ukraine. His Beatitude arrived in the U.S. in order
to take part in the OCA’s XVIII All-American
Council, which will be opening on July 20 in Atlanta,
GA. Metropolitan Onufry is accompanied by His Grace,
Bishop Eusebius, vicar of the Diocese of Chernovtsy
& Bukovina. On July 18, Metropolitan Onufry,
Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New
York, and Bishop Eusebius visited
Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, where they
celebrated Divine Liturgy, and where Metropolitan
Onufry served a panihida for his brother-concelebrant,
Metropolitan Laurus (Skurla; +2008).
A multitude of parishioners and guests gathered in St.
Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral, including many former
parishioners and spiritual children of His Beatitude,
Metropolitan Onufry, who before being elected to the
Kievan See had served as Metropolitan of Chernovtsy &
Bukovina.
Greeting the Primate of the UOC,
Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov (dean of New Jersey)
recalled Metropolitan Onufry’s prior visits to
the cathedral, expressed his condolences toward the
longsuffering Ukrainian people, and wished His
Beatitude God’s mercy, health, and salvation for
many years.
At the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Onufry was co-served
by Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New
York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Bishop
Nicholas of Manhattan, and Bishop Eusebius of Khotin, as
well as parish, diocesan, and visiting clergy. Singing the
Liturgy was the cathedral choir, under the direction of
Alexandra Lukianov.
At the culmination of the Liturgy, a multitude of the
faithful communed from three chalices.
Greeting the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,
Metropolitan Hilarion thanked Metropolitan Onufry for
visiting the cathedral and Holy Trinity Monastery, and for
their joint service and prayer, which brought joy to the
clergy and parishioners and would long stay in their
hearts. He likewise wished him God’s aid in his
primatial calling. In honor of their shared prayer in St.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, he presented Metropolitan
Onufry with a copy of the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron
Icon of the Mother of God.
In response, His Beatitude expressed his
joy at concelebrating with the bishops and clergy, many
of whom had foregone serving in their own churches on
this Sunday in order to come to the diocesan cathedral
for the joint service.
"I have been in this church many times, owing to the
fact that my relatives and many friends live here –
regardless of nationality, they are all simply Orthodox
Christians," said the Most Blessed Metropolitan.
"I am very grateful to Fr. Valery, who built this
cathedral. Laboring under his direction were his sons, his
whole family, and all of the parishioners – they all
labored in order to create this beauty, this marvelous
church. Everything here is appointed magnificently, and
every time I visited here, everything guided one to
prayer: the service, the singing, and the architectural
splendor."
His Beatitude continued: "Today,
times are difficult: human blood is being shed in
Ukraine. No one can justify the killing, because there
are always peaceful paths to resolving every problem.
We always speak of this, bear witness to this, and pray
for peace. I know that you pray here for peace in
Ukraine. The Lord gives us trials, and we must bear
them, not only preserving our Christian dignity, but
even our basic human dignity. No man can go through
this earthly life without trials, no matter where he
lives: in America, Australia, or Ukraine, there will
always be trials that will painfully manifest
themselves in human life." Metropolitan Onufry
wished the faithful God’s aid in the bearing of
their trials with prayer, gratitude, and repentance,
and wished them all God’s mercy and good health.
His Beatitude congratulated cathedral dean Archpriest
Serge Lukianov, who one day earlier had celebrated his
namesday, and presented him a jubilee jeweled pectoral
cross dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the repose of
the Holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Great Prince Vladimir.
"Welcome home!" Fr. Serge
greeted the honored guest in English. He recalled how
Metropolitan Onufry had visited the church before the
Reunification of the two parts of the Russian Church.
Today Metropolitan Onufry served in the cathedral for
the first time as Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church, to the joy of the clergy and faithful, who this
day received the great gift of interacting with an
archpastor and individual who is the embodiment of
spiritual fortitude, Heavenly wisdom, and true monastic
humility.
Upon completion of the service, a banquet was held in the
parish hall for the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful.
