Thanksgiving Message from Metropolitan Hilarion

Metropolitan Hilarion The civil holiday of Thanksgiving is a wonderful reminder to us of the need to thank God for all that we take for granted; for all that we have had, and all that we think we will have in the future; for our churches, for our priests and matushkas, for our parishioners. This Thanksgiving, I especially thanked the Lord for all of you – the members of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Thank God for our parishioners! Without the bishop there is no Church, but without the parishioners, there is no parish and no community in which we all might care for one another. This year, many of our lives were turned upside-down: some of us suffered from catastrophic natural disasters, while others of us lost our source of employment. Both laymen and clergy suffered – that is, our whole Church. Today, on Thanksgiving, I ask you all to support the Church, giving an especially generous donation to the Fund for Her Assistance – assistance to the Church Abroad. For more than half a century, this organization has been supporting clergy in need, our youth, and those suffering from the effects of natural disasters. Our Church is small, but we will survive if we apply every effort to support one another and those in need. Even a small donation of just $10 can help a poor family send their child to St. Herman’s Conference, can buy bread for one of our priests in need, or pay for a week’s rent for one of our Church members in Haiti or Uganda. I fervently ask your generosity and help for our Holy Church through the Fund for Assistance! May all those in need who receive your help pray alongside me for their benefactors, saying: Thank God for our Church! Thank God for the kindheartedness of our parishioners!

The First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad Makes a Thanksgiving Appeal

St Seraphim Memorial Church of the Reconciliation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sea Cliff, NY, Will Mark the 20th Anniversary of the Episcopal Consecration of Bishop Mitrofan of Boston

On Saturday, November 24, 2012, St Seraphim Memorial Church of the Reconciliation of the Russian Orthodox Church will celebrate a memorial Divine Liturgy to mark the 20th anniversary of the episcopal consecration of Bishop Mitrofan (Znosko-Borovsky, +2002) of Boston. Services will begin at 9 am.

Articles memorializing the late hierarch can be found here:

stseraphimschurch.org/bpmitrophan-e.html

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia Visits the Russian Convent in Gethsemane

Continuing his pilgrimage to the holy sites of Jerusalem, on November 12, 2012, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia visited St Mary Magdalene Convent in Gethsemane. There, His Holiness performed a moleben to Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara.

Patriarch Kirill was welcomed by Abbess Elizabeth (Smelic) of Gethemane; she gave His Holiness a portrait of the wife of Emperor Alexander II, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, noting that she had provided great assistance to the founder of “Russian Palestine,” Archimandrite Antony (Kapustin).

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the monastics and pilgrims with a sermon:

“It is with special emotion that I entered this renovated church today. As we ascended the staircase, I told Vladyka Mark that the last time I was here, this church still bore some sign of external desolation. Yet over recent years, everything has transformed so wonderfully, the golden cupolas of Mary Magdalene Convent shine again over the Holy City of Jerusalem. When we behold this beauty, both manmade and Divinely created, for without a doubt, everything here was done by Divine will, we cannot but remember the podvig of those who lay down the foundation of Russian holiness, of Russian piety here.

“My thoughts flow to the podvig of Fr Antonin (Kapustin). For it was he who planted the idea of building a church and convent here into the hearts of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, who arrived in Jerusalem together with their cousin, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich. The brothers then decided that this church should be built in memory of the pious mother, Maria Alexandrovna.

“Empress Maria Alexandrovna was a remarkable woman, about whom not enough has been said. Our people do not know her life, especially her spiritual path. I thank you, Mother Elizabeth, for giving me this portrait. I never had an image of Maria Alexandrovna. Everything I have read about her has endeared me heart to her life’s podvig.

“As we know, with time, Fr Antonin’s work took hold, supported by the grand dukes, and in 1888 this church was consecrated in the presence of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife Elizaveta Feodorovna, who at the time was not yet Orthodox. There is an opinion that it was actually her visit to the Holy Land and these places especially that turned her heart to adopting Orthodox Christianity. We know that she became Orthodox not only out of necessity, not only out of discipline, which required it of those who married into royal families, but out of conviction. Everything that happened to her from then on bears witness to the depth and strength of her faith, the faith with which she accepted Holy Orthodoxy.

“And when dark clouds covered the Fatherland, Elizaveta Feodorovna did not choose the easy path. Of course, she could have saved herself and fled Russia’s borders, but she remained with her suffering people, who had by then gone mad from deceit and temptation, and swept up in militantly atheist thoughts, rose up not only against each other but against God. We know that Elizaveta Feodorovna herself fell victim to this rebellion, brutally martyred in Alapaevsk. Subsequently, by Divine mercy, her honorable relics were taken on a long voyage through Siberia, the Far East and China to the Holy Land, and are now laid to rest here.

“The Russian Church bore the mark of the terrible divisions which befell our people for a long time. But by God’s mercy, by the prayers of the Royal Passion-Bearers, New Martyrs and Confessors, among whom is Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara, spiritual, canonical and Eucharistic communion between the parts of the Russian Church, once divided by evil human will, has been reestablished.

“We have already felt the great joy and great benefit from this reunification. We are truly one Church, one people of God, gathered around the Divine altar and finding nourishment from one Body and Blood of Christ. I believe that the reunification of the Russian Church is a sign that by Divine mercy, the most terrible tribulations and sorrows in history can be overcome. Many of our people thought that the Revolution and Civil War marked the beginning of the end of the world, that the Antichrist had arrived, the end of history had come. One can only imagine what these people experienced, our pious ancestors, when they witnessed the destruction of churches, the desecration of holy things, the victory of the militantly atheistic state, the mockery of the deepest religious sensibilities of our people, sensibilities which were always inherent in our people. It seemed that there could be no salvation, and even the most mature and wise could not see the light at the end of this tunnel. But then, in a mere matter of days, the chains fell, our Church was granted the opportunity to reunite, and most of all, to bear witness to Divine Providence which we cannot grasp.

“Understanding these Divine paths means we are faithful to the Lord, in glory, in sorrows and in joy, in sadness, in sickness and in health. Today our people, again tempted by new attacks by the godless, with a different ideological bent but with the same goal, stands before the danger of repeating the terrible errors of our past. Here in this place, we recognize with special power how important it is for our people not to make a false step, not to repeat the same mistakes, not to fall into a struggle against God, not desecrate the holy places, not to destroy the work of God, which was built upon in our Fatherland for many generations

“Before these healing relics, we especially ask Holy Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Nun Barbara to pray for our Church, for our people, that the Lord gives all of us wisdom, strength, the ability to discern spirits, to create a peaceful and pious world, in the words of the prayer ‘in all piety and purity.’”

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia then thanked Archbishop Mark for his labors in overseeing the part of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission which is under the authority of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and gave him a gift of a panaghia.

Abbess Elizabeth received a pectoral cross from the hands of the Patriarch. “Remember our prayerful meeting and pray here before the holy tombs for the Russian Church and for the Patriarch,” said His Holiness.

His Holiness also gave the convent a gift of an icon of the Mother of God.

Press Service of the DECR/Patriarchia.ru

The Union of Descendants of Gallipoli Makes an Appeal

Dear Friends, Descendants of the Russians of Gallipoli:

Lieutenant General Baron Wrangel established the Socity of Gallipoli on November 22, 1921, exactly one year after parts of the White Army arrived in Gallipoli.

To mark this occasion, the administration of the Union of Descendants of the Russians of Gallipoli decided that every year, on the Saturday nearest to November 22, pannikhidas should be performed in every city where the descendants of the Russians of Gallipoli live. This year, the nearest Saturday will be November 24, 2012.
Solemn pannikhidas are scheduled in the following cities:

PARIS, FRANCE: Memorial to the Russians of Gallipoli at Ste-Genevieve-du-Bois at 2 pm.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: Church of St Job the Much-Suffering and Memorial Church of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II at 4 pm.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: Elevation of the Cross Cathedral at 5 pm.
LUXEMBOURG: SS Peter and Paul Church at 4:30 pm.
JERUSALEM: Judgment Gate at St Alexander Nevsky Church at 10 am.
MONTREAL, CANADA: The Museum of Imperial Russia, 4100, rue Saint-Antoine Ouest, Montreal, H4C 1C1, at 3:30 pm.
LONDON, UK: Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral and Royal New Martyrs at 4:00 pm.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: The Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” at 10 am.
SEA CLIFF, NY: St Seraphim Memorial Church of the Reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church will celebrate a commemorative Liturgy at 9:00 am.
HONG KONG: SS Peter and Paul Church, #701, 7/F, Arion Commercial Centre / 2-12 Queen's Rd West - Sheung Wan, at 5:30 pm.
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: Dormition Church, Chram Zesnuti presvate Bohorodice. Olsanske hrbitovy Praha 3.
Wolkerova 14, 160 00 PRAHA 6, at 10 am.
LOS ANGELES, CA: Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, November 25, after Liturgy at 1:00 pm.
LANDSBERG, BAVARIA, GERMANY: St Anastasius Church at 3:00 pm.
MARNE, FRANCE: The Skete of All Russian Saints at 5:00 pm.
CARACAS, VENEZUELA: St Nicholas Church, 1a. transversal con Calle Avila, Urb. Los Dos Caminos, Caracas, at 3:30 pm.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Life-Giving Trinity Church in Serebryanki, Серебрянический переулок, 1-а - метро "Китай-город" или "Таганская," at 12:00 pm.
ALTHEA, SPAIN: Holy Archangel Michael Church at 5 pm.
NICE, FRANCE: St Nicholas Cathedral, Avenue Nicolas II, at 4:00 pm.
PHOENIX, AZ: Archangel Michael Church, November 25, after Liturgy, at 11:30 am.
FLORENCE, ITALY: The Church of the Nativity of Christ at 5 pm.BAD-HAMBURG, GERMANY: All Saints Church at 4:30 pm.

The Acting Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission of the Russian Church Abroad Arrives in Jerusalem

On Thursday, November 8, 2012, Hieromonk Roman (Krassovsky), recently appointed Acting Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, accompanied His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, Overseer of the REM, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Despite the fact that Fr Roman's arrival coincided with the first visit to the Jerusalem Patriarchate of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, he already managed to meet with the clergymen, abbesses and monastics of the convents in Gethsemane and the Mt of Olives, and discuss ongoing affairs of the Mission. He also participated in divine services and other events connected with the pilgrimage to the Holy Land of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Archbishop Mark introduced Fr Roman to His All Holiness Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine, who blessed Fr Roman's new obedience.  

The First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad Sends a Letter to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

Alexander Bastrykin Much-Esteemed Alexander Ivanovich: I send my heartfelt greetings to you along with my wishes for God’s help in your work. With this letter I inform you that the “Appeal to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation” from Vladimir Lavrov was reviewed during a session of the Synod of Bishops held on October 21 of this year, and its initiative was given approval. Mr Lavrov, the renowned Russian historian, has brought forth clear evidence of the extremist and terrorist viewpoints, declarations and actions of Lenin before and after the October Revolution. The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia expresses hope that the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, on this basis, will in the near future issue a corresponding legal assessment to the statements and actions of the “leader of the revolution,” whose activity cost the Russian people millions of lives. Respectfully, + Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. October 24, 2012.

The Divine Liturgy of Mikhail Konstantinov is Sung at New York’s Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign”

According to Christian writers, “Church singing can fill the soul with heavenly ecstasy, or tears of endearment. They can elevate our thoughts above the entire world, reconciling us with ourselves and with our neighbors, mitigating our weaknesses, lightening our sorrows and warming our hearts with heavenly love” (Hegumen Gury of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, from Pravoslavnaya Rus’, 1992, No. 20).

Just such consolation was imparted to the clergymen and worshipers of the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” on Sunday, October 28, 2012, in New York City. The 30th anniversary of the death of the renowned choir director and composer of the Russian diaspora, Mikhail Sergeevich Konstantinov, was marked in New York by the performance by the Cathedral Choir of his Divine Liturgy under the direction of Peter Fekula. The service was headed by the cathedral’s Senior Priest, Protopriest Andrei Sommer, along with Priest Nicholas Olhovsky, caretaker of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign,” the cathedral’s clergymen and those of St Seraphim Memorial Church of the Reconciliation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sea Cliff, NY, the singers of which also sang at the cathedral service that day.

The magnificent singing of the compositions of Konstantinov revealed the great soul of the composer to those in attendance, enabling them to piously participate in Divine Liturgy. He harbored great love for the Russian Church, her traditions, divine services and the New Martyrs and Confessors.

Protopriest Serafim Gan, Rector of St Seraphim Church, read a sermon on the day’s Gospel reading following the singing of “Blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

Before the veneration of the cross, Fr Andrei expressed gratitude to Mr Fekula and the singers, and proposed singing Eternal Memory to Konstantinov; Protodeacon Pavel Wolkow then intoned the commemoration prayer for the composer.

During the trapeza luncheon that followed, prepared by the cathedral’s sisterhood, Fr Andrei shared his recollections of the life, divine services and celebrations of the San Francisco cathedral under the late Archbishop Anthony (Medvedev, +2000), its priests, Mikhail Konstantinov and his singers, who also participated in his spiritual growth. Peter Fekula expressed his profound gratitude to the singers for their work, their efforts during rehearsals of Konstantinov’s Divine Liturgy, and also read aloud a greeting from Vladimir Krassovsky, student and successor to Konstantinov in leading the Cathedral Choir in San Francisco.

In 2006, with the blessing of Metropolitan Laurus of blessed memory, the Synod Cathedral Choir marked the 150th anniversary of the birth and 80th anniversary of the death of Alexander Kastalsky, and in 2009, the 65th anniversary of the death of Pavel Chesnokov, performing the works of these composers at divine services in the Synod Cathedral. Mr Fekula and his singers intend to mark important anniversaries of Russian composers in the future, whose works reflect the sounds of our Fatherland, in order to continue the good work of bringing people to the wealth of the spiritual culture of Holy Russia.

It is good to see in our difficult era the good efforts of these workers in the harvest fields of church music. They honor the memory and works of their predecessors, who in turn followed in the footsteps of the great hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church: Bishop Amvrosy (Klyucharev) of Dmitrovsk, who in the 1980’s founded the Society for Lovers of Church Singing; Holy Hieromartyr Arseny (Stadnitsky) of Novgorod, who published the Sputnik psalomshchika [The Psalmist’s Companion] and convened church music conferences; these singers heed the words of the great leaders of church capella music AF Lvov: “All the power, all the importance of church music is contained in the words of the prayer. The goal of singing is to give the words of prayer clearer expression. It is clear that such singing should not only concord with the meaning of the words of prayer they convey, and submit to their meaning, but the very musical notations must submit to the rhythm of the words.”

May the Lord help them in their work!