EASTERN AMERICAN DIOCESE: February 12, 2020
The First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad leads feast-day celebrations at Brooklyn’s Church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia

On February 9, 2020, the Sunday of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York led the patronal feast of the eponymous church in Brooklyn, NY.

Concelebrating with His Eminence were: Archpriest Serge Lukianov (rector of Holy New Martyrs Church), Abbot Vladimir (Zgoba, Rector of Our Lady "Unexpected Joy" Church in Staten Island, NY), Archpriest Boris Oparin (Rector of St Joasaph of Belgorod Church in Brooklyn), Archpriest Petro Kunitsky (parish cleric), Abbot Eutychius (Dovgan, cleric of the Synodal Cathedral “of the Sign” in New York City), Archpriest Paul Ivanov (rector of Holy Myrrh-bearers Church in Brooklyn), Abbot Arseny (Manko, rector of SS Cosmas and Damian Church in Passaic, NJ), Hieromonk Gabriel (Astrahankine, cleric of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY), Priest George Kaplanov and Protodeacon Leonid Roschko (clerics of St Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral in Howell, NJ), Protodeacon Petr Utkin (parish cleric), and Deacon Andrei Silov (cleric of St Joasaph Church).

Beautifully and prayerfully singing at Liturgy was the male choir under the direction of Nikodim Buryakov.

Specially for the patronal feast, unto the joy and consolation of the faithful, a copy of the wonderworking Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was brought to the church from Holy Trinity Monastery.

A multitude of parishioners of the church and faithful from other parishes in the city gathered for the service. Upon completion of Liturgy, most of the worshippers present communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries.

Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia Church is the first in the Diocese consecrated in honor of our contemporaries, who suffered for the Faith and the Church in the Soviet Union.

Metropolitan Hilarion congratulated the clergy and faithful with the patronal feast, and spoke of the martyric struggles of the array of Holy Russian Martyrs.

In response, the parish rector thanked His Eminence for their shared prayers at God’s Altar. Fr Serge appealed to the faithful with a request that they become parish members, in order to support the church. He also underscored that the parish would always remain faithful to the Russian Church Abroad and its First Hierarch.

The parish sisterhood organized a festal luncheon for the clergy and parishioners, during which a fundraiser lottery was held with delicious prizes.