SOUTH BOUND BROOK, N.J. – Braving rain and a cold wind on the Saturday of St. Thomas Sunday weekend, the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. (UOC-U.S.A.) made their annual pilgrimage to the Spiritual Center – Metropolia of the UOC-U.S.A., especially St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church and St. Andrew Cemetery in South Bound Brook, N.J. Despite the chilly Saturday weather, a sizeable group of 2,500 took part in the two-day pilgrimage on May 7-8.
Divine liturgy was served on Saturday morning by Bishop Daniel, followed by a service of thanksgiving, vespers and numerous memorial services served at the gravesites of loved ones.
The responses to the very first prayer service on Saturday of the pilgrimage weekend were chanted by the seminarians of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary. In his sermon, Bishop Daniel called on those in attendance to live out their faith, to practice it beyond the doors of parish temples – because the mandate of Christ is to preach the Word of God throughout the world and not only in the comfort of our parish temples.
At the end of the service, all in attendance venerated the ancient icon of the Venerable Fathers of the Kyivan Monastery of the Caves, as well as approached for prayerful veneration the relics of 12 venerables of the above-mentioned monastery.
Metropolitan Antony blesses the faithful during divine liturgy on St. Thomas Sunday at St. Andrew Memorial Church.
In the late afternoon on Saturday, pilgrims had an opportunity to tour St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary and later on joined the seminarians of the Church for a picnic at the seminary that was sponsored by the seminary’s UOL chapter. Visitors were treated to hot dogs and hamburgers grilled by the seminarians. Both hierarchs – Metropolitan Antony and Bishop Daniel – joined the picnic in order to learn about the culinary skills of the student body.
The picnic concluded with Vespers served in the Three Hierarchs Seminary Chapel served by the Very Rev. Taras Naumenko. At the conclusion of the service, Metropolitan Antony welcomed the visitors to the seminary and explained to everyone in attendance the role of the Church’s academic pastoral institution and the rigorous formational spiritual and academic schedule that seminarians of the Church follow.
The weekend pilgrimage culminated with divine liturgy on St. Thomas Sunday inside the historic St. Andrew Memorial Church, concelebrated by Metropolitan Antony, Archbishop Jeremiah and Bishop Daniel. Clergy from the Mid-Atlantic states, and some from beyond that area, assisted the bishops in celebrating the liturgy. The choir, under the masterful direction of Dr. Michael Andrec, prayerfully sang the responses, as well as the memorial service on the entrance platform in front of the church.
Children of the Ukrainian Language and Religion School at the Metropolia Center greeted the hierarchs with flowers, and the president of the Protection of the Birth-Giver of God Sisterhood, Lesia Siwko, assisted by the members of the sisterhood, and church elder (starosta) Dmytro Kozlyuk welcomed the hierarchs with the traditional bread and salt. The Very Rev. Yuriy Siwko welcomed the bishops to the church with the request to remember in their prayers the thousands of faithful of the Church who have dedicated their lives in the service of the UOC-U.S.A.
Archbishop Jeremiah, who is the eparchial bishop of the Eparchy of South America, Brazil and Paraguay, in his sermon reflected on the welcoming words of Christ: “Peace be to (and with) you!” The archbishop spoke of the significance of the biblical peace, as well as the need for peace in the world of the 21st century.
Metropolitan Antony joins children and pilgrims during the ice cream social held at the St. Sophia Theological Seminary.
Following the divine liturgy, the hierarchs, concelebrating clergy and the Ukrainian American Veterans participated in a memorial service that was served for the victims of Stalin’s man-made Famine of 1932-1933 (Holodomor), the victims of Chornobyl on the 30th anniversary of the nuclear accident, those who suffer the consequences of the Canadian fires in Alberta, those who served in the armed forces of both Ukraine and the U.S.A., those who perished in all wars, and those who gave their lives for Christ in defense of His Church throughout history.
A memorial service was held at Holy Resurrection Ukrainian Orthodox Mausoleum, where the first patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Patriarch Mstyslav I, is interred. The bishops then prayed at the Ukrainian American Veterans monument, commemorating the sacrifices of men and women of Ukrainian descent that have served in the U.S. armed forces.
Pilgrims were able to visit the offices of the Metropolia Center that remained opened through out the day – the Consistory (main administrative building of the UOC-U.S.A.), St. Sophia Theological Seminary, the Ukrainian Cultural Center, the Holy Resurrection Mausoleum, as well as the exhibits of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and information about the future museum of the Church, which will be a part of the Historical and Educational Complex of the UOC-U.S.A.
The Ukrainian Cultural Center was the site where dozens of vendors 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. Several of the offices of ministry and central organizations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. – including the Office of Youth and Adult Ministry, St. Andrew Society – offered exhibits about their ministries.
In addition, St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary was the site of an ice cream social event (the 15th annual) hosted by the Consistory Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM), under the leadership of Natalie Kapeluck-Nixon, for the youths who came to visit the Metropolia Center. This was an opportunity for young people to meet with the hierarchs of the Church.
As in the previous years, this annual pilgrimage brought Ukrainians of various generations together to share their past and present, while looking forward to the future.
Much gratitude was expressed to all those who made the weekend a success: the Consistory Office staff members and property management staff under the direction of Petro Rudyy, the Cultural Center staff, Memorial Church choir and the members of the Ukrainian Orthodox League who handled the sometimes difficult parking program.
Finally, to cap off the pilgrimage, everybody had a chance to visit the building of Pokrova (Protection) of the Birth-Giver of God Sisterhood kitchen, as well as the kitchen of the Ukrainian Cultural Center, where the large crowd was treated to the traditional varenyky, holubtsi, hot dogs, hamburgers and home-baked pastries, all served with warm hospitality.
First-time visitor Markian Swirl, who came on the Pilgrimage with his friends from the local Rutgers University, particularly appreciated the spiritual dimension and hospitality of the Metropolia Center.
“I enjoyed the pilgrimage a lot; there was a real sense of community and I was able to feel the bond of spiritual journey that we all are partakers of. It was especially great being with everybody in the late hours of the afternoon on the lawn of St. Sophia Seminary and the center, being able to even play a quick soccer game with the seminarians. The food was amazing and the place had a really welcoming feel.”
When asked if he would do it again next year, he declared, “Yes, in a heartbeat.”
For more information, readers may visit www.uocofusa.org.