MONASTERY of the FOUR EVANGELISTS in the THE ORTHODOX VILLAGE, His Beatitude, The Most Blesséd UAOC-OU Metropolit MAKARIOS, Svyachenno-Archimandrit, His Beatitude, The Most Blesséd BAOC Metropolitan SERAFIM, Elder His Eminence, The Most Rev. UAOC-OU Archbishop DAVID, Geron Tyler J. Scofield, Esq, Kluchar, General Councel & Bursar 3002-3015 ROE DR, HOUSTON, TX 77087-2409 B.A.O.C. Cathedral of the Zyrovicy Icon of the Mother of God His Beatitude, B.A.O.C Presiding Hierarch, Metropolitan SERAFIM, The Holy Synod of Bishops, The Reverend Priests, The Parishioners, Catechumen, Benefactors, and Banquet Staff Your Beatitude, Reverend Fathers, my dear Brothers & Sisters, Catechumen, and Benefactors of the B.A.O.C. Cathedral Parish, Observing the 100th Anniversary of the renewal of the Autocephaly of the Belarusan Autocephalous Orthodox Church, in the B.A.O.C. Cathedral of the Zyrovicy Icon of the Mother of God was truly a day full of God's Grace and Blessings. The community put forth a great effort, to adorn the anniversary with spiritual joy, Christian hospitality, and beauty. Attendance by parishioners was augmented by visitors from several states and various ethnic backgrounds, reflecting the universal appeal of Orthodoxy. In the Cathedral, the sonorous voices of the clergy choir sang with great compunction the Saturday evening Vespers, served by His Beatitude, Met. SERAFIM. Cathedral Committee members, Спадарыня Mary and Спадарыня Olga, and Chef, Mr. Richard Cicic together graciously offered and hosted a delicious dinner for all in attendance in the dining hall of the Cathedral. The beautiful morning of the Lord's Day was adorned by the dignity of the Synodal Archihierarchical Divine Liturgy, served by Presiding Hierarch of the Belarusan Autocephalous Orthodox Church, His Beatitude, New York and Vilna Metropolitan Vladyka SERAFIM with myself and His Eminence, Archbishop DAVID around the Holy Altar assisted by the Belarusan Cathedral clergy. The sweet, well tuned, and well rehearsed voices of the Ladies of the Gallery Choir were in beautiful contrast to the rich, sonorous sounds of the clergy who served. The Cathedral and the dining hall were beautifully decorated with autumnal mums offered by Спадарыня Mary, Parish Committee member, with the tetrapod flowers given by Спадарыня Nina. In the Belarusan-American Event Center adjacent to the Cathedral, a sumptuous luncheon, with a wide selection of various foods, (non-alcoholic) drinks, and deserts was offered by Chef, and Center manager, Mr. Richard Cicic echoing the Agape Feast of an earlier age before the American custom of lunch as fund-raiser displaced our Orthodox values. The chef and his assistant cooks as well as the banquet staff are to be congratulated on a such delicious, enjoyable, and memorable repast. The spiritual and emotional joy of the 100th Anniversary of the B.A.O.C. was contained by the shadow of the war in Ukraina. Sponsored by an American Citizen from Cincinnati, a presentation which was replete with shocking photographs of the destruction and the personal account by Пані Olha Vasilieva stirred memories of the Displaced Persons Camps in Germany after World War II in some of the older parishioners. Though the presentation provoked sadness, the consensus of the assembly was appreciation that it had been informed by the eyewitness account and the photographs taken by the speaker. We Orthodox Christians may enjoy life in the Americas but we are surrounded by heterodoxy, heresy, and secularized humanism, The Belarusan Cathedral in Strongsville, Ohio is an important witness to the Right-believing, Right-worshiping Faith of the Apostles in our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through His One, Holy Bride, The Eastern Orthodox Church. Let us be steadfast in our practice of the fullness of our Orthodox Faith and generous in the sharing of that Orthodoxy to the societies to which we Orthodox Christians have been dispersed. May our Great God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, through the intercessions of the Baharodzitsa-Theotokos, grant unto the hierarchy, clergy, singers, parishioners, and willing-workers of the Cathedral peace, safety, health, spiritual enrichment, salvation and the good things of this life for A HUNDRED YEARS. Дай Божа вам усім 100 гадоў. Met. MAKARIOS
October 11/24 Feast of the Holy Apostle Philip of the Seventy Урочистості з нагоди 100-річчя відновлення |
AuthorBELARUSAN ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL |