On January 26, on the Sunday after the Theophany, the Rector of St. George Church, Archpriest Igor Tarasov served the Divine Liturgy in our temple. After the Gospel lesson he preached a homily in Russian.

The Rector was discussing the importance of repentance, the main theme preached by our Lord Jesus Christ in the beginning of His ministry. The notion of repentance reminds us of the possibility to change our way or to make a U-Turn on the road. Sometimes we see a road sign saying “No U-Turn”. It may be useful sometimes but it is totally unacceptable in spiritual life. If it was used in the spiritual setting, no one could turn around, repent and convert. Holy Apostle Paul made a U-Turn on the road to Damascus; a thief crucified besides Christ on the cross also made such a turn asking the Lord to remember him in His Kingdom. Therefore, we also need to practice repentance and to remember about that wonderful possibility to turn our life around and to convert.

The choir beautifully performed hymns of the Theophany during preparation for Holy Communion.

After the dismissal of the Liturgy the Rector preached a brief sermon in English conveying the ideas of his Russian homily. He also greeted Tetiana Migal on the occasion of her past name day and handed her the Theotokian prosphora. Traditional Polychronion (“Mnogaia leta!”) was performed.

The Rector and parishioners continued their interaction at the luncheon served to honor Tetiana Migal.