Please, be advised that our schedule for Sunday, March 20 had been changed. The Hours and Divine Liturgy will begin at 9 am.

On March 13, on the First Sunday of Lent, also known as celebration of the Triumph of the Orthodoxy, St. George parish had a nice liturgical service. Our Rector, Archpriest Igor Tarasov served the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. After the Scripture readings he preached the following homily:

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Today is the First Sunday of Lent, the feast known as the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Celebrating that solemnity we should ask ourselves what is the meaning of this word – ‘Orthodoxy”. Orthodoxy means right or correct teaching. A literally translation from the Greek tells us that it is “the right glory”. And since in the matters of faith the whole glory belongs to God, the Orthodoxy is a correct worship of God”.
“We are first of all Christians, followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. But every human teaching can be altered, perverted or deviated. Take any teaching in religion, politics or philosophy. It may have so many alterations, interpretations and doctrines. It is so in any area of human thought. And it is so in religious matters. Unfortunately, many people follow different religions, have many ways of attempting to understand the supernatural and to reach the Supreme Being. A lot of people on earth do not follow Christ. And even in the true faith in Christ we see many different and separate teachings and Church denominations. Thus, we need a correct understanding, interpretation of the teaching of Christ. Such a correct and true teaching, a right way to the Lord is Orthodoxy”.
“One of the most important parts of the Orthodox teaching is Incarnation of God. The Orthodox Church teaches that the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, took our flesh, became Man. Jesus Christ being one Person has two natures: divine and human. Some false teachings called heresies taught differently about the Incarnation of the Son of God and about His natures”.
“Another important aspect of Orthodoxy is especially celebrated today. We commemorate the victory of the Orthodox teaching regarding the holy icons. Again, many people in the past did not understand how we can venerate the images. And today a lot of non-Orthodox people do not grasp the idea of the holy icons being venerated. The Orthodox Church teaches that because Jesus being God is also Man, we can picture Him in a human form. Those pictures are the holy icons. We can see God through them”.
“In today’s Gospel lesson one the Apostles of Christ, Philip told another disciple, Nathanael, “Come and see” (Jn. 1, 46). He was answering to the doubts of Nathanael regarding the Messiah who came from the town of Nazareth. Nathanael was wondering how can “anything good come out of Nazareth” (Jn. 1, 46). It seems that Nazareth did not have the best reputation. But Jesus did come from that town. He lived there and was raised there as a Man. In the same way some people can be asking, “How can we worship God who is Man”? Or, “How can we picture God who is invisible?” These are the questions coming either from those who honestly wish to believe(like Nathanael who was an Israelite with no deceit) or from those who believe incorrectly (like heretics)”.
“We Orthodox can answer to both repeating the words of Philip, “Come and see”. Let them come to the Orthodox church and see the holy icons. Let them see our faith in all its beauty. Let them see our services and the people praying the true God incarnate.”
“God did come in an accessible and even human form. This is why He can be pictured as Man. But even before the Incarnation of Jesus, God did appear to the people in a human form. If we recall the Old Testament, God appeared to Abraham as the three men, or the three Angels. Abraham hospitably received them and we in the Orthodox Church have a very beautiful and mysteriously spiritual icon of those three Angels known as the Old Testament Trinity. It is one of our most beautiful icons, especially the one written by the famous Russian iconographer, Venerable Andrew Rublev. If God did so to Abraham, why we should not image Him in Jesus Who was a true human being? Jesus did not just appear in human form but He did become one of us. Therefore we have a right to picture Him as such”.
“Dear brothers and sisters! Despite the doubts of man (including the doubts of Nathanael) there is a true teaching of Christ saying that God became Man and we venerate His image. We venerate not wood and paint but the One pictured on and by them. And doing so, keeping this Orthodox faith we may see in the future the divine glory, “heaven open, and the Angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (Jn. 1, 51).

During the Litany of Fervent Supplication the Rector had a petition for the suffering country of Ukraine and its people. He also added a commemoration of the “suffering Ukrainian land” at the Great Entrance.

The choir prayerfully performed the 33rd Psalm during preparation for Holy Communion.

After the Ambo Prayer the Rector performed prayer service of the Sunday of Orthodoxy solemnly declaring the Orthodox faith and proclaiming eternal memory to the champions of that faith and the Polychronion to the Church hierarchy and Orthodox Christians.

At the dismissal the Rector congratulated the parishioners on the completion of the first week of Lent and wished them to continue an endeavor of further observance of the fast. He also made some announcements.

On the Cheesefare Sunday the Church commemorates the exile of Adam from paradise. This day is also known as the Forgiveness Sunday because Orthodox Christians ask mutual forgiveness before they begin the spiritual journey of the Great Lent. On this day, on March 6, St. George parish had services in our temple. Our Rector, Archpriest Igor Tarasov celebrated the Divine Liturgy. After the Gospel lesson he preached the following homily:

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! We reached today’s day, the Sunday of Cheesefare, a day right before we begin the Great Lent. This day is also known as Sunday of Forgiveness. The Gospel reading today is teaching about forgiveness. The Lord says, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt. 6, 14-15). Thus before we start the spiritual journey of Lent, we need to forgive others their faults against us”.
“Dear brothers and sisters! Those words of Christ were said right after He taught His Disciples and other people listening to Him how to pray. He taught them the most important prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father”. And we know that every time we pronounce that prayer, we say, “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”. Therefore, the Lord interpreted those words by saying that if we do not forgive men, God will not forgive us. This is why in our Orthodox tradition we ask today each other for forgiveness. We do it as a ritual and many of us attend special service, today’s Vespers that ends with the Rite of Forgiveness”.
“Of course, it is easy to perform that ritual of mutual forgiveness today and tonight, but it is very difficult to really forgive. These days, when many people are shocked and frustrated by the war on the lands of historical Rus’, it is almost impossible to preach forgiveness. Some people are blinded by error, some are outraged by the events taking place. Some are furious that lots of people perish in that conflict, that the civil objects are attacked and even some churches are damaged. There are two sides of the conflict, and both may belong to the Russian Orthodox Church. How to forgive? But we should”.
“Any war conflict is evil. And evil originated from the fall of mankind. On this day the Church commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise. Adam and Eve committed the first and original sin. Therefore, the Lord expelled them from Paradise. From that moment of the fall and from that time of the expulsion mankind began to live committing evil things – murder, larceny, fraud, adultery – you name it. Humans began to start wars, to hurt and to oppress each other. The first murderer was the son of Adam, Cain who killed his own brother Abel. Human kind became plunged in evil deeds. Only our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ could save us from that sinful condition, from that terrible spiritual disease. He did, but we still engage in hostility, murder and all other sins”.
“How to forgive our debtors, those who really trespass against us? How to forgive if your loved one is killed? Using our human mind and our human forces it is really impossible. But it is possible with divine grace, with the help from God. When Adam and Eve trespassed against God, when they broke the only God’s commandment in Paradise – God was ready to forgive them. The Holy Fathers say that God was waiting for their repentance. However, they did not repent. Instead, if you read the Bible, the Old Testament, you recall that Adam accused Eve that she gave him the forbidden fruit to eat. And he also blamed God saying, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3, 12). So God is to blame! And Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen. 3, 13). So, both of them blamed somebody else instead of saying, “Forgive me!””
“God still offers us a possibility to ask for forgiveness. We have the Holy Mystery of Penance, of confession. If we fall into sin, we can come and confess. God is always waiting for our repentance, He is ready to forgive. It is us who need to ask. Unfortunately, lots of people in the world do not wish to respond to God’s offer of forgiveness. They continue to do evil, to turn away from God and His love, from His mercy and compassion. Just like Adam of old they blame others and thus they are being expelled from blessedness – here and maybe in eternity”.
“Another thing is that it is us who need to forgive others. Now, as we said, that is much more difficult. But let us ask ourselves: if God Himself who is infinitely higher than us, who is totally without sin or blame – if He is ready to offer us His forgiveness – why we, who are sinful and corrupt, who are infinitely lower than Him – why we do not try to forgive? If it is hard, let ask for His help. That is why, dear brothers and sisters, today when we ask for forgiveness, others respond, “God will forgive!” then only they add, “And I do forgive”. Our forgiveness, even it seems to be impossible or unreachable, is based on God’s forgiveness. Only with Him we are able to reach that blessed virtue of compassion and capability to forgive”.
“Even if we are outraged by evil in the world, by the offenses or trespasses committed against us or against other people whom we love, let us recall Jesus. Our Lord gives us His great and brightly shining example: when He Himself was put to death, unjustly condemned and brutally killed – He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Lk. 23, 34)”.
“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us worthily prepare for Lent by asking God to forgive us and by attempting, at least trying, to forgive others – of course, with God’s help. Let us ask Him to comfort us in our desire to be forgiving and to begin Lent with His benevolent blessing!”

During the Litany of Fervent Supplication the Rector had a petition for the suffering country of Ukraine and its people. He also added a commemoration of the “suffering Ukrainian country” at the Great Entrance.

During preparation for Holy Communion the choir prayerfully performed the hymns of repentance.

Following the Divine Liturgy the Rector performed Vespers with the Rite of Forgiveness. After the singing of the Great Prokimenon he changed his priestly vestments to the Lenten color of black.

After the dismissal of Vespers Fr. Igor preached a sermon in Russian about the importance of forgiveness at the beginning of Lenten journey towards Holy Pascha.

Following the services of this special day Rector and parishioners joined at the Blini Luncheon. All of them enjoyed delicious meals, especially the Russian blini prepared by Olga Roussanow and the Georgian khachapuri prepared by Liana Sukhishvili.

Мы, священники и диаконы Русской Православной Церкви, каждый от своего имени, обращаемся ко всем, от кого зависит прекращение братоубийственной войны в Украине, с призывом к примирению и немедленному прекращению огня.
Мы направляем это обращение после воскресенья о Страшном Суде и в преддверии Прощеного воскресенья.
Страшный суд ожидает каждого человека. Никакая земная власть, никакие врачи, никакая охрана не обезопасит от этого суда. Заботясь о спасении каждого человека, считающего себя чадом Русской Православной Церкви, мы не желаем, чтобы он явился на этот суд, неся на себе тяжелый груз материнских проклятий. Мы напоминаем, что Кровь Христова, пролитая Спасителем за жизнь мира, будет принята в таинстве Причащения теми людьми, кто отдает убийственные приказы, не в жизнь, а в муку вечную.
Мы скорбим о том испытании, которому были незаслуженно подвергнуты наши братья и сестры в Украине.
Мы напоминаем о том, что жизнь каждого человека является бесценным и неповторимым даром Божьим, а потому желаем возвращения всех воинов – и российских, и украинских – в свои родные дома и семьи целыми и невредимыми.
Мы с горечью думаем о той пропасти, которую придется преодолевать нашим детям и внукам в России и в Украине, чтобы снова начать дружить друг с другом, уважать и любить друга друга.
Мы уважаем богоданную свободу человека, и считаем, что народ Украины должен делать свой выбор самостоятельно, не под прицелом автоматов, без давления с Запада или Востока.
В ожидании Прощеного воскресенья мы напоминаем о том, что врата райские отверзаются всякому, даже тяжело согрешившему человеку, если он попросит прощения у тех, кого он унизил, оскорбил, презрел, или же у тех, кто был убит его руками или по его приказу. Нет другого пути, кроме прощения и взаимного примирения.
“Голос крови брата твоего вопиет ко Мне от земли; и ныне проклят ты от земли, которая отверзла уста свои принять кровь брата твоего от руки твоей”, сказал Бог Каину, позавидовавшему своему младшему брату. Горе всякому человеку, сознающему, что эти слова обращены к нему лично.
Никакой ненасильственный призыв к миру и прекращению войны не должен насильственно пресекаться и рассматриваться как нарушение закона, ибо такова божественная заповедь: “Блаженны миротворцы”.
Мы призываем все противоборствующие стороны к диалогу, потому что никакой другой альтернативы насилию не существует. Лишь способность услышать другого может дать надежду на выход из бездны, в которую наши страны были брошены лишь за несколько дней.
Дайте себе и всем нам войти в Великий Пост в духе веры, надежды и любви.
Остановите войну.

1. Игумен Арсений (Соколов), представитель Патриарха Московского и всея Руси при Патриархе Антиохии и всего Востока
2. Игумен Нектарий (Морозов)
3. иерей Алексий Антоновский
4. игумен Никодим (Балясников)
5. иерей Хилдо Бос
6. иерей Василий Буш
7. протоиерей Стефан Ванеян
8. иеромонах Иаков (Воронцов)
9. иерей Александр Востродымов.
10. священник Дионисий Габбасов
11. иерей Андрей Герман
12. протоиерей Евгений Горячев (ветеран Афганской войны)
13. иеромонах Иоанн (Гуайта)
14. иерей Алексий Дикарев
15. иерей Александр Занемонец
16. протоиерей Владимир Зелинский
17. протоиерей Петр Иванов
18. протоиерей Георгий Иоффе
19. диакон Илия Колин
20. протоиерей Андрей Кордочкин
21. иерей Лазарь Ленци
22. протоиерей Андрей Лоргус
23. игумен Петр (Мещеринов)
24. протоиерей Константин Момотов
25. иерей Евгений Мороз
26. иеромонах Димитрий (Першин)
27. иерей Александр Пискунов
28. протоиерей Стефан Платт
29. протоиерей Дионисий Поздняев
30. протоиерей Георгий Рой
31. священник Николай Савченко
32. иеромонах Феодорит (Сеньчуков)
33. протоиерей Иосиф Скиннер
34. протоиерей Димитрий Соболевский
35. диакон Пимен Трофимов
36. протоиерей Александр Шабанов
37. иеромонах Киприан (Земляков)
38. иерей Иоанн Леонтьев
39. протоиерей Виталий Шкарупин
40. протоиерей Сергий Дмитриев
41. протоиерей Владимир Королев
42. протоиерей Сергей Титков
43. священник Артемий Морозов
44. иерей Алексий Зорин
45. протоиерей Андрей Львов
46. протоиерей Сергий Сторожев
47. иерей Илия Гаврышкив
48. протоиерей Виталий Фонькин
49. священник Артемий Колягин
50. иеродиакон Елисей (Романцов).
51. иерей Глеб Кривошеин
52. диакон Иоанн Мыздриков
53. диакон Валериан Дунин-Барковский
54. священник Владислав Богомольников
55. протоиерей Владимир Дробышевский
56. священник Вадим Карпенко
57. протоиерей Глеб Вечелковский
58. прот. Феодор ван дер Воорт
59. иерей Федор Косолапов
60. иерей Антоний Лынов
61. иерей Антоний Коваленко
62. протоиерей Дионисий Кузнецов
63. священник Дмитрий Лукьянов
64. иерей Павел Касперович
65. протоиерей Валентин Бонилья
66. иеромонах Онисим
67. священник Алексей Пичугин
68. протоиерей Олег Шульгин
69. протоиерей Дионисий Дуденков
70. протоиерей Виктор Теплицкий
71. протоиерей Анатолий Кора
72. иерей Алексей Козолетов
73. диакон Александр Пушкарев
74. иеромонах Иларион Резниченко
75. протоиерей Александр Дубовой
76. протоиерей Павел Сердюк
77. иерей Иоанн Бурдин
78. иерей Александр Кухта
79. диакон Дмитрий Коростелёв
80. протоиерей Георгий Завершинский
81. протоиерей Андрей Кузьма
82. иерей Павел Земляков
83. иерей Димитрий Виницкий
84. иерей Георгий Христич
85. священник Антоний Серафимович
86. иеромонах Лавр (Соломонов)
87. диакон Алексей Перуновский
88. протоиерей Василий Петров
89. диакон Стефан Кузьмин
90. иерей Дмитрий Ушаков
91. священник Яков Коробков
92. иерей Александр Насибулин
93. протоиерей Михаил Ильин
94. священник Константин Лебедев
95. иеромонах Петр (Белов)
96. Иеромонах Серафим (Стандхардт)
97. диакон Андрей Георгиевич Морозов
98. диакон Алексий Хилько
99. протоиерей Михаил Фаст
100. протодиакон Игорь Паначёв
101. протоиерей Михаил Евгеньевич Клочков
102. иерей Александр Лебедич
103. диакон Владимир Ольшевский-Давыдов
104. иерей Василий Максимишинец
105. протоиерей Пётр Коротаев
106. протоиерей Игорь Прекуп
107. протопресвитер Иоанн Гейт
108. протоиерей Сергий Маркевич
109. священник Олег Усенков
110. священник Александр Новиков
111. иерей Сергий Воинков
112. иерей Антоний Копаев
113. диакон Олег Карлащук
114. священник Димитрий Савин
115. протоиерей Павел Кивович
116. иерей Михаил Баккер
117. протоиерей Игорь Тарасов
118. иерей Сергий Дудин
119. протоиерей Андрей Лобашинский
120. протоиерей Михаил Немнонов
121. иерей Роман Савчук
122. священник Иоанн Тераудс
123. игумен Варлаам (Борин)
124. игумен Антоний (Логинов)
125. диакон Олег Агеенко
126. протоиерей Алексий Шишков
127. иеродиакон Климент (Волянский)
128. иерей Вячеслав Шафаренко
129. иерей Сергий Дырман
130. иерей Игорь Бурдейный
131. протоиерей Петр Борновалов
132. иерей Сергий Соболев
133. диакон Роман Высоцкий
134. протоиерей Вячеслав Власенко
135. иерей Сергий Бодань
136. игумен Геронтий (Галий)
137. протоиерей Михаил Устименко
138. иерей Силиций Силиконов
139. иерей Адам Кондратюк
140. священник Геннадий Комков
141. протоиерей Сергий Борский
142. протоиерей Иоанн Гербовецкий
143. иерей Григорий Гринько
144. иерей Василий Куценко
145. протоиерей Андрей Кореньков
146. протоиерей Максим Приходько
147. протоиерей Вадим Бойко
148. протоиерей Николай Ефимчук
149. протоиерей Андрей Федоров
150. диакон Андрей Пожилов
151. протоиерей Виктор Григоренко
152. иерей Тимофей Ноздрин
153. игумен Иннокентий (Русских)
154. иерей Олег Черниченко
155. священник Александр Ткачев
156. диакон Дмитрий Дудкин
157. иерей Пётр Богатырёв
158. иерей Алексий Залицаев
159. иерей Дионисий Чернявский
160. иерей Димитрий Жестков
161. диакон Евгений Кузнецов
162. иерей Петр Галанюк
163. священник Андрей Хазов
164. священник Филипп Самсонов
165. иерей Ярослав Пирковский
166. протоиерей Максим Фионин
167. иеродиакон Исайя (Назаров)
168. иеромонах Ириней (Грибов)
169. иеромонах Василий Зобов
170. диакон Артемий Щукин
171. протоиерей Александр Ноздрин
172. иерей Андрей Ноздрин
173. иеродиакон Лука (Старостин)
174. протоиерей Михаил Ялов
175. иерей Валерий Байдак
176. священник Николай Тихончук
177. протоиерей Игорь Гагарин
178. иерей Виталий Коваленко
179. священник Андрей Швайбович
180. диакон Леонид Джалилов
181. протоиерей Димитрий Свистов
182. священник Константин Жемчужин
183. иерей Андрей Поляков
184. иеромонах Петр (Смирнов)
185. диакон Иоанн Овчинников
186. священник Александр Данилов
187. священник Дмитрий Останин
188. священник Даниил Набережный
189. протоиерей Дмитрий Осипенко
190. протоиерей Виталий Шкарупин
191. протоиерей Владимир Вильгертс
192. протоиерей Андрей Пуганов
193. диакон Богдан Сердюк
194. протоиерей Владимир Федоров
195. протоиерей Тарасий Гаврышкив
196. диакон Алексий Костяновский
197. протоиерей Михаил Владимиров
198. священник Андрей Давыдов
199. священник Андрей Давыдов
200. протоиерей Леонид Грилихес
201. протодиакон Филипп Тернер

Священники и диаконы Русской Православной Церкви, желающие подписаться под письмом, могут написать на адрес russianpriestsforpeace@gmail.com

On February 27, on the Meetfare Sunday, Rector of St. George Church, Archpriest Igor Tarasov served the Divine Liturgy in our temple. After the Gospel lesson he preached the following homily:

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! This is a disturbing time. The war started in the old country. And in that time we came to the temple to celebrate another disturbing moment, the future Last Judgment. Today is Meetfare Sunday on which we commemorate the end of this world, we reflect upon something which is going to occur at the Second Coming of Christ. Many evil things had happened in the course of human history. Many evil things continue to occur. But at some pint in the future, this world will definitely end. Our Lord Jesus Christ will come in His glory to judge the living and the dead. Today’s Gospel lesson describes that Judgment in a very clear and impressive way (Mt. 25, 31-46). The outcome of that event will be very serious and harsh: some will be blessed and permitted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven while the others will be condemned to eternal torment”.
“Reflecting upon that future that, according to our faith, is certainly awaiting us, let us learn from the words of the Holy Gospel, from the words of the Savior. And His words clearly teach us that we may be saved by performing the works of love – feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, taking in a stranger, clothing a naked, visiting a sick or a prisoner. And, on the contrary, we won’t be saved if we fail to perform those good works”.
“Dear brothers and sisters, take a heed: Jesus Christ is speaking in a positive way. He does not say that eternal punishment awaits those who did some terrible things – murder, stealing, adultery. Of course, grave sinners may deserve it – that’s for sure. But in today’s Gospel the Lord does not speak about that. He speaks of eternal blessedness for those who do the works of love and mercy. They will join Him in His Kingdom. Then He says that if we lack those deeds, we won’t be worthy to be with Him in eternal life”.
“Many people tend to think that there exist good and evil in the world. They think that both good and evil are equally real and strong. I recently heard that idea from a political leader who is now conducting the war. Such an opinion is erroneous. A number of heresies and false philosophical doctrines stated that. But we, Christians, do not believe in that. We are now talking about Christian philosophy; and usually philosophy is understood as some very sophisticated thing, uneasy to grasp. But our Christian philosophy is, in fact, simple. We believe in God who created the world to be good. And all evil things happening in the world are not really existing. They are real and troublesome, however they lack independent being. If we sin, we lack love or any other virtue. If we do not help the needy, we lack love and mercy – that’s how the evil enters into our life. If we fail to perform the works of love, we multiply evil in the world. Therefore at the end of the world, when our Lord will come to judge us, we will lack salvation”.
“Dear brothers and sisters! Our unworthiness to be with Jesus in paradise will be the outcome of our own lack of love or other virtue. We ourselves will choose that destiny for ourselves refusing to fill our life with the love of Christ. It won’t happen because God is so harsh to judge the sinners or because hell does exist. The Muslims believe that if hell exists, then it has to be filled. No! Hell, all those eternal punishments would not exist at all, if we were not lacking virtues, not lacking love and mercy. But it does exist because of our failure to persist in goodness. And the devil himself, whom we call the evil one, is the prince of darkness and of the universal evil because he, being first created as a bright Angel, made a choice to be against God and to renounce His love”.
“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us make haste to perform the works of love and mercy to prepare for the day of the Last Judgment. Let us remember that on that day all of us will stand before the Lord, and our performance will be appraised. If we attempt to fill our life with good deeds, we may be saved, blessed and invited to eternal life with the Son of God. But if we fail and lack the works of Christian love, we may be rejected and condemned. But again, that condemnation will take place because of our own disposition and attitude. Thus, let us live our lives in such a way that Merciful Lord and the Judge most just number us among the sheep at His right hand and lead us into life everlasting!”

During the Litany of Fervent Supplication the Rector had a petition for the suffering country of Ukraine and its people, as well as a petition beseeching the Lord to spare the faithful from the outbreak of the disease.

Since there were no services for the departed performed on Meatfare Memorial Saturday, the Rector added the Litany for the deceased to the Liturgy with commemoration of those who had fallen asleep.

At the Great Entrance the Rector added a commemoration of the “suffering Ukrainian country”.

The choir prayerfully performed the Psalm 136, “Down the rivers of Babylon” during preparation for Holy Communion.

After the dismissal of the Liturgy the Rector briefly addressed the parishioners with a heartfelt request to pray for Ukraine and for the end of war. Then he made some announcements regarding today’s commemoration of the deceased, about the following compact week of Maslenitsa and our Blini luncheon planned for the next Sunday. He also called the parishioners for more active participation in all our parish events.

Following the service of the Liturgy the Rector performed the memorial Litia requested by one of the new parishioners.

Your Beatitude! Your Eminences and Graces! Dear fathers, brothers, and sisters!

I take the suffering of people caused by the events taking place with deep and heartfelt pain.
As the Patriarch of All Russia and the primate of a Church whose flock is located in Russia, Ukraine, and other countries, I deeply empathize with everyone affected by this tragedy.
I call on all parties to the conflict to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.
I appeal to the bishops, pastors, monastics, and laity to provide all possible assistance to all victims, including refugees and people left homeless and without means of livelihood.
The Russian and Ukrainian peoples have a common centuries-old history dating back to the Baptism of Rus’ by Prince St. Vladimir the Equal-to-the-Apostles. I believe that this God-given affinity will help overcome the divisions and disagreements that have arisen that have led to the current conflict.
I call on the entire fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church to offer a special, fervent prayer for the speedy restoration of peace.
May the All-merciful Lord, through the intercession of our Most Pure Lady the Theotokos and all the saints, preserve the Russian, Ukrainian, and other peoples who are spiritually united by our Church!

+KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUS’

Ваше Блаженство! Ваши Высокопреосвященства и Преосвященства! Дорогие отцы, братья и сестры!

С глубокой и сердечной болью воспринимаю страдания людей, вызванные происходящими событиями.
Как Патриарх всея Руси и Предстоятель Церкви, паства которой находится в России, Украине и в других странах, глубоко сопереживаю всем, кого коснулась беда.
Призываю все стороны конфликта сделать всё возможное, чтобы избежать жертв среди мирных жителей.
Обращаюсь к архиереям, пастырям, монашествующим и мирянам с призывом оказывать всемерную помощь всем пострадавшим, включая беженцев, людей, оставшихся без крова и средств к существованию.
Русский и украинский народы имеют общую многовековую историю, восходящую к Крещению Руси святым равноапостольным князем Владимиром. Верю, что эта дарованная Богом общность поможет преодолеть возникшие разделения и противоречия, приведшие к нынешнему конфликту.
Призываю всю полноту Русской Православной Церкви возносить сугубую, горячую молитву о скорейшем восстановлении мира.
Всемилостивый Господь предстательством Пречистой Владычицы нашей Богородицы и всех святых да сохранит русский, украинский и другие народы, которые духовно объединяет наша Церковь!

+КИРИЛЛ, ПАТРИАРХ МОСКОВСКИЙ И ВСЕЯ РУСИ

ADDRESS
of His Beatitude, ONUPHRY, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine

 To the faithful and citizens of Ukraine,

The Annual Parish Meeting of St. George Church was held on Sunday, February 20, 2022, following the Divine Liturgy. Parish Rector, Archpriest Igor Tarasov presided.

Church Warden, Olga Roussanow read the minutes of the last Annual Meeting held in 2021.

The Rector, Archpriest Igor Tarasov had a speech. He first spoke about our spiritual state. The Rector mentioned that during the last year our parish grew acquiring 4 new members, most of whom converted to the Orthodox faith. Our attendance increased and despite difficult times of the pandemic we made certain progress.

Secondly, the Rector reported on financial situation. He stressed that in the last year our parish did well receiving some generous donations. Despite our challenges, parish revenue was relatively high. Most of the donations were given by some generous parishioners (like Tamara Gusnezow and Emilian Suric) and fiends of St. George (like Stelios Tatsis). Others were also supporting the church, perhaps not so noticeably. However, it is known that some of the parishioners offered their time, labor and assistance in performing different parish activities, for which we all should be grateful.

Our expenses increased. Partially it was due to the fact that last year we had to incur certain unexpected spendings, like removal of the fallen tree on the church property. Partially, the removal was covered by Emilian Suric who also organized the work, but the parish had to pay also.

After accepting the financial report, the Rector and parishioners discussed the work of the parish lay activists. While the performance and dedication of our parish Warden and Sacristan were noted and commended, the performance of the Treasurer was discussed with some criticism. After certain remarks and suggestions, the parish Treasurer assured the Rector and parishioners that he will pay closer attention to the matters discussed. It also had been decided that the duties of the Treasurer will be adjusted, so he will be assisted in his work.

Having discussed some other matters the meeting was adjourned.

On February 20, on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, St. George parish had a beautiful celebration. Our Rector, Archpriest Igor Tarasov headed the Divine Liturgy in our temple. After the reading from the Holy Gospel he delivered the following homily:

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! On this Sunday the Church tells the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15, 11-32). It is a very profound and detailed instruction on repentance. Last Sunday we began to sing, “The doors of repentance open to me, o Giver of life”. It is important to remember about repentance these days. Last week we also celebrated feast of the Meeting. It reminded us about our spiritual destiny – to meet our Lord and God. Today’s parable is also about a meeting, the meeting between the Prodigal Son and his merciful Father. But today we may also talk about some other idea of today’s parable. It is about the Father who had two sons. Let us ask, “Who is the Father and who are the two sons in that parable?”.
“The Father represents God the Father, the Father of all mankind. The older son represents the Jewish people because alone of all people they knew the true God. They remained with the Father. They kept the memory of God having the Bible, the book describing God’s creation, the fall of mankind and telling that God will save His people, will send the Messiah. If we again recall feast of the Meeting, we may remember that holy elder Simeon who encountered Child Jesus in the Temple, recognized that Messiah in Him and proclaimed that this Child will be the glory of God’s people, Israel (Lk. 2, 32). So, the older son represents the chosen Jewish people”.
“On the other hand, the younger son represents the Gentiles, that is the pagan world. At the time of Christ, this meant the whole world except for the Jews. Unlike the Jews, the pagans had confused their memories of God the Creator with all sorts of false stories, myths and legends. They had confused the Creator with creation, and instead of worshiping God, they worshiped stones and rivers, the sun and the moon, kings and queens, thinking that they were gods and so making them into idols. The pagans, the younger son, had journeyed into “a far country” and there “wasted their possessions” (Lk. 15, 13). In other words, they distanced themselves from God, forgot His Truth, so wasting their spiritual inheritance. As a result, they suffered from “a severe famine”, in other words, from spiritual hunger, and so ate with “swine”, that is, ate with the illusions of the demons. However, they repented and turned back towards the Father, who welcomed them with open arms, running out towards them to embrace them”.
“And again recalling feast of the Meeting, we should remember that holy Jewish elder Simeon proclaimed that the Child Jesus, the Messiah will be “a light to bring revelation for the Gentiles” (Lk. 2, 31)”
“This parable is in fact a warning to the Jews. We can see the Father showing love and forgiveness towards the repentant son, who lies at His feet, begging forgiveness. The older son, however, is angry, full of bitterness and jealousy”.
“Perhaps we feel some sympathy with the older son. After all, he never wasted his possessions, he did remain loyal to the Father. The problem is that the older son’s service was a form of slavery; he did not stay with the Father out of love, but out of self-interest, in expectation of a reward. This was not love, but an obligation fulfilled in the hope of being paid. We can compare this with the attitude of the Father. He instantly forgives all that the younger son, the pagan world, has done and says: “Let us… be merry” (Lk. 15, 23). The attitude of the Father is not gloom, but joy. The older son, on the other hand, is full of gloom and cannot bring himself to be joyful or express love, because he has no love for his brother. The Father says: “All that I have is yours” (Lk. 15, 31), and shares everything. The older son wishes to share nothing, for he is locked up in pride and self-love. Indeed, the older son does not want to share in all that the Father has. He does want to share in His wealth and His property, but he does not want to share in what the Father has above all else – in His compassion and merciful love”.
“Thus, dear brothers and sisters, we are reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, that though we may have all qualities, if we do not have love, then we are nothing (1 Cor. 13, 1-3). In this way, this parable has a meaning for us. We may have great wealth, wonderful gifts or talents, we may have a great profession, we may have a high position and a great power, but if we have no love, then all what we have is worthless. Then our lives themselves have no meaning. If there is no love, there is only the emptiness of vanity and the gloom of selfish pride”.
“Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us not imitate the older son from today’s parable, but let us learn from the merciful Father. Let us too be merry, for God the Father Most Compassionate and Merciful is waiting for us, prodigal children. Let us rejoice, for Jesus, the Lord of Love rejoices even out of the greatest sinner who repents. Let us be glad that all we prodigals are able to return to the Father and be embraced by His love!”

During the Litany of Fervent Supplication, the Rector had a petition beseeching the Lord to spare the faithful from the outbreak of the disease.

During preparation for Holy Communion the choir prayerfully performed hymns from the Lenten Triodion.

After the dismissal of the Liturgy the Rector made some announcements. Then he greeted Richard Beltran on the occasion of his name day. Fr. Igor wished our recently joined parishioner all divine blessings, fervent intercession of his patron Saint and many years. Traditional Polychronion was proclaimed and the Theotokian prosphora was handed.

After the Liturgy the Rector performed the Memorial Litia requested by Malyshev family.

Following all the services the Rector and parishioners continued their interaction during coffee hour. Then our Annual Parish Meeting was held right after that.