10/28/2015

News on parish life (Sept-Oct)

On Saturday, September 5th , at the Apodosis of the feast of the Dorimition of the Most Blessed Theotokos, the parishioners and worshippers of the St. Seraphim of Sarov memorial church observed the 40th day from the passing of Theodore Georgievich Selinsky, who had reposed on the 28th of July on the 1000th anniversary of the repose of St. Vladimir equal-to-the-apostles. After the memorial service, the winding sheet of the Theotokos was taken into the altar, after which a memorial meal was offered. On that same day in the evening an All-Night Vigil was served, after which the rector chaired a meeting of the parish council.

On Sunday the 13th of September, upon the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy a charitable barbecue was organized by the sisterhood at the parish with great success. May God bless our hard working and caring sisterhood!

On Sunday the 20th of September, the forefeast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, there was a meeting of the cultural and spiritual children's group upon the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. The rector of the parish spoke to the children about the forthcoming feast, as well as the Kursk Icon of the Theotokos, while Elena Igit talked about the battle of Kulikovo field. On that same day in the evening, an All-Night Vigil was served, with a celebratory Divine Liturgy following the next morning.

On Sunday, September 27nd, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Life Giving Cross, the rector of the parish served a Divine Liturgy, along with an All-Night Vigil the day before. The annual St. Seraphim parish meeting was held after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy and lunch. The rector and council members presented their reports. After the reports and discussion, new members of the parish council were elected, as well as the warden committee, auditing committee, and delegates for the conference of clergy and laity of the Eastern Diocese, to take place on the 26th-28th of October. Filling the role of the late Theodore Georgievich Selinsky, who had been the parish secretary for many years, will be Alla Nikolaevna Ryl. The son of the late secretary, Georgiy Feodorovich, was elected as a member of the auditing committee, which had previously been the role of Alexander Alekseevich Kwartirow, who was elected to the warden committee.

On Sunday, the 4th of October, the day of the Sea Cliff Mini-Mart, St. Seraphim Russian Orthodox Church hosted an "Open House". Until 5pm that day the clerics of the parish gave tours of the church and the singers gave concerts of sacred and secular music while the Sisterhood treated our neighbors and visitors to traditional Russian food.

On the 10th and 11th of October, the Divine Liturgy was led by His Grace John, the Bishop of Caracas and South America. After the Divine Liturgy His Grace delivered a sermon to the worshipers . The clergy and worshipers socialized with the bishop at the luncheon, organized by the sisterhood. His Grace Bishop John discussed the history and current affairs of his diocese, and answered questions from the audience.

On the 14th of October, on the Holy Protection of the Theotokos feast day, the clergy of St. Seraphim’s parish participated in the parish feast days of the Holy Protection parishes in Nyack and Glen Cove.

On Sunday, October 18th, after the Divine Liturgy served in memory of the Moscow saints, there was a regular session of the spiritual and cultural children's group.

On Sunday, October 25th, the Divine Liturgy in our memorial parish was headed by the mitred protopriest Nikolai Florinskiy, the rector of the St. George parish in Kishinev, Moldova, and the Chairman of the Sobor and Russian society of Moldova. At the end of the service, Fr. Nikolai delivered a sermon to the worshipers on the gospel reading, after which he congratulated the rector of the parish, gifting him with a decorated cross, and gifting our parish with a golden cloth for the parish's communal chalices. In his response, Fr. Serafim praised the co-service, and thanked Fr. Nikolay for always trying to visit our St. Seraphim's church and pray with us during each of his visits to the United States. Fr. Serafim then presented to Fr. Nikolay an icon of the church of the Kursk Root Hermitage, which was restored in 2009 and was blessed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in the presence of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. Fr. Nikolay distributed icons of the Savior and the Holy Theotokos to the clergy and acolytes, and of the Great Martyr St. George to the worshipers . After the luncheon, where the clergy continued to socialize with Fr. Nikolay, priest James Carles of the Australian and New Zealand Diocese, who had been serving at the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in Manhattan, came to venerate the icons and relics of our church.