4,000 participate in St. Thomas Sunday observances at Orthodox center (05/28/06)

4,000 participate in St. Thomas Sunday observances at Orthodox center

by Hieromonk Daniel Zelinsky

SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. - The first Sunday following the glorious feast of the Resurrection of our Lord, which is called St. Thomas Sunday and is known also as Memorial Sunday, brought some 4,000 faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. to its spiritual center and administrative headquarters for the two-day Annual Remembrance Pilgrimage.

This year's divine services and activities on April 29-30 at St. Andrew Memorial Center and Cemetery concentrated the attention of the participants of the pilgrimage on the sanctity of life, as they remembered the thousands of victims who perished following the world's worst nuclear disaster in Chornobyl on April 26, 1986. Archbishop Vsevolod, ruling hierarch of the Western Eparchy of the UOC of the U.S.A., dedicated a portion of his sermon to reflecting upon the tragedy.

Several days prior to the pilgrimage, the Permanent Conference of the Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops beyond the borders of Ukraine had issued an archpastoral letter, remembering "both the living and the deceased victims of human error and perhaps even vanity."

Looking around the crowded St. Andrew Memorial Church, Archbishop Antony of New York and Washington called on the flock to seek peace and love with each other as the Church celebrates the glorious feast of Resurrection of Christ. In addition, he expressed greetings to the gathered pilgrims on behalf of Metropolitan Constantine, Metropolitan of the UOC of the U.S.A. and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora, who due to his illness was not able to attend this year's spiritual pilgrimage.

Following the divine liturgy at St. Andrew the First-called Memorial Church - built and dedicated as a memorial to the victims of 1932-1933 Famine in Ukraine - Archbishop Antony and Archbishop Vsevolod, along with concelebrating clergy and Ukrainian American Veterans of the U.S. armed forces, led a procession to the Main Cross of St. Andrew Cemetery, where a memorial service was served for the victims of Stalin's genocidal Famine that destroyed over 10 million lives, the victims of Chornobyl, those who served in the armed forces of both Ukraine and the U.S.A. and perished in all wars, and those who gave their lives for Christ in defense of His Church throughout history.

The pilgrims to the spiritual center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, spent the rest of the day visiting the graves of their family members, friends, political leaders or spiritual fathers who repose in the cemetery.

Following a memorial service at the Great Cross, the procession moved to the Holy Resurrection Mausoleum, where the crypt of the first patriarch of Kyiv and all Ukraine, Mstyslav I, is located. The memorial service was offered for the patriarch and spiritual father of millions of Ukrainian Orthodox faithful and the 10 other hierarchs interred in St. Andrew Cemetery.

Next, Archbishop Antony, joined by members of the United Ukrainian Orthodox Sisterhoods of the U.S.A., proceeded to another monument, placed by the United Sisterhoods, dedicated to the women and children victims of the Famine-Genocide for another memorial service.

Archbishop Antony later served memorial services at the gravesites of the hierarchs and clergy of the UOC of the U.S.A., beginning with the burial site of the first metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A., Metropolitan John (Theodorovych), who served for 47 years as prime hierarch.

The pilgrims had an opportunity to visit numerous sites of the Metropolia Center that remained open through out the day: the historic Fisher Home, the Mausoleum, the Consistory, St. Sophia Seminary Library, St. Andrew Bookstore, the Ukrainian Cultural Center and the UOC of the U.S.A. Museum.

The Ukrainian Cultural Center was the site for dozens of vendors who return every year to offer a wide range of Ukrainian cultural artifacts like pysanky, original oil paintings, ceramics, jewelry, ecclesiastical vestments and vessels, music CDs and videos.

Offices of ministries and central organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. - among them the youth and adult ministries, the Church's public relations and development arms, All Saints Camp, the United Ukrainian Orthodox Sisterhoods and St. Andrew Society - offered exhibits about their ministries also in the Cultural Center.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Museum, in its temporary location, was open to the public, providing visitors with the opportunity to come close to their historical, spiritual and cultural roots. The groundbreaking of the new building, which will house the main portion of the Historical and Educational Center of the UOC of the U.S.A., is expected to be held in the late summer or early autumn.

In addition, the Ukrainian Cultural Center was the site of an ice cream social event hosted by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the young people who came to visit St. Andrew Center. This was an opportunity for youth to meet with the hierarchs of the Church. Archbishop Antony and Archbishop Vsevolod spent some time with children and distributed Resurrection icon prints to the youth.

The official schedule for this year's Annual St. Thomas Sunday/Pilgrimage ended at 5 p.m., however, hundreds of people remained on the grounds of the Metropolia Center, sharing in fellowship with each other.

| Home Page |