On March 20, on the First Sunday of Lent, the Rector of St. George Church, Archpriest Igor Tarasov, Dean of the Eastern States of the Patriarchal Parishes participated in one of the traditional Lenten Mission Vespers served in our Deanery. This day such service had been celebrated at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Passaic, NJ.

Mission Vespers was headed by Chancellor of the Patriarchal Parishes, Archpriest George Konyev and co-served by our Rector, Archpriest Igor Tarasov, as well as by Archpriest John Kassatkin, Rector of the Holy Cross Church in Hackettstown, NJ, Hieromonk Stephen (Bushman), cleric of the Three Saints Church in Garfield, NJ, Priest Stephen Kaznica, Rector of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Passaic, NJ, and Deacon Demetrius Sukhorukov, cleric of St. Nicholas Church in Bayonne, NJ.

Following the Great Prokimenon a short sermon in English was delivered by Deacon Demetrius Sukhorukov.

After the Vespers dismissal the Cathedral Rector expressed his gratitude to the clergy and lay people present for their participation in the Mission service. Following the church service, a light supper was offered to the guests of the Passaic Cathedral in its parish hall.