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Church events
Celebrations at the Glorification of Hierarch Philaret The Confessor
For many years, the Russian Diaspora has longed for the glorification among the saints of the third First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad-Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) of Eastern America and New York. Especially after the discovery of his incorrupt relics, the requests for the glorification started to arrive more often at the Synod and the Bishop's Council. Heeding the hopes of the flock and by the will of their hearts, the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, at the 2005 Council, decided to create a committee to prepare for the glorification, and at the 2008 fall Council decided to perform the glorification of Metropolitan Philaret on 10/23 August 2009. It was decided to perform the glorification in Eastern America at the Holy Transfiguration skete, the final living and resting place of Hierarch Philaret's heir-Blessed Metropolitan Vitaly.On Friday 8/21 August, at 3PM, in the Seraphim Sarov church in Montreal, Bishop Vladimir blessed the "New York" icon of the hierarch-work of icon-painter Peter Dzuba as well as many small copies of the Hierarch sent by Bishop Alexei of Soltanova from the Hierarch John of Shanghai monastery in Kiev. On the evening of the same day a parastas (Grand Requiem service -panikhida) was served for the Ever-memorable Metropolitan Philaret. Then, on the following day, a Liturgy for the reposed after which the celebrants moved to the Holy Transfiguration skete to continue the celebration. Many guests from different corners of the world arrived for the celebration. Some were able to come to Montreal for the beginning of the celebration and some came directly to the Transfiguration skete for the glorification.
The Glorification of the Holy Hierarch St. Philaret took place on Sunday 10/23 August in the Holy Transfiguration Skete, Mansonvilee
O Lamp of the true Church, O Confessor of the Russian diaspora, O zealot for the purity of Orthodoxy, O denunciator of the heresy of Ecumenism and of church divisions, O glorifier of the New Martyrs' struggle and the Catacomb Church, O thou who didst shame the wicked Sergius' church of evildoers, O father First Hierarch Philaret, pray to Christ God that our souls be saved - Troparion to the Holy Hierarch, St. Philaret (Tone 4)
New Ordination and Tonsure in California
On March 21st o.s./April 3rd n.s., 2009, during the Vigil service of the Feast of the Akathist to the Mother of God, his Grace Vladimir, Bishop of San Francisco and Western America, tonsured novice Sister Elizabeth Williams into Rassaphore rank of monasticism, now as Mother Dosifeya.
Biographies of the Newly-Consecrated Bishops
Bishop of Paris and Western Europe
His Grace VICTOR (in the world Alexander Henry Parbus) was born on March 9/22 of 1972 in the city of Lomonosov (formerly Oranienbaum, St Petersburg province). He finished school and the technical college specializing in communal-living-quarters construction. In 1990 his father Henry Emmanuel, a German by nationality, was able to move to and live permanently in Germany. The entire family left Russia, but a year later (1991) Alexander returned. In January, 1996 he was baptized in the former podvorie (a church/chapel/mission associated with a monastery but located far away from the latter-trans) of the St Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery in old Peterhof (Moscow Patriarchate). In March of the same year he joined the Holy Trinity monastery (Alatyr, Chuvashia) where he was tonsured a novice on July 12.
Death of Archpriest Sergei Petrov
Last week, on the feastday of the Lord's Circumcision and memory of Saint Basil the Great, Archpriest Sergei Petrov, oldest priest in the Russian Othodox Church, passed away at his home in Mansonville. Father Petrov was 93 years old. Father Sergei served the Church for many decades. Before his ordination as a deacon, at the age of 60, he was the warden (starosta) for more than 30 years at the Saint Nicholas parish with Vladika Vitaly. Everyone knew him as an extremely hard worker; much of what now exists at the Holy Transfiguration skete in Mansonville was built by him personally or by his direct participation. He also did a great deal of work for the church in Montreal.
About recent events in the Parish of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in New York
As the Parish Council of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, we consider it our duty to convey the events that occurred in our Parish within the last two weeks.
On Wednesday, November 26th, in a telephone conversation with bishop Vladimir Mrs. Peter Budzilovich demanded that he would vacate the premises in their house immediately. She informed the Bishop that they have already changed the locks, and they no longer wanted the Church to remain in their house. Bishop Vladimir asked for the Church property and his personal things to remain in their house for another month, so that another place could be found. That request was denied. Now, Mr. Peter Budzilovich states that his actions were motivated by the "anti-church activities of the Sobor", not explaining, however, what exactly he means by it. At the time of the occurrence, Sobor just ended, and none of the documents were published yet.
Feast of the Holy Transfiguration in Mansonville
Again, by God's grace, the faithful of the Eastern Canadian Diocese, and also our brothers and sisters in Christ from other parts of the world, had the opportunity to come together to Holy Transfiguration Skete in Mansonville for the annual Feast of the Transfiguraton of our Lord. So many of the faithful arrived that an improvised camp was organized around the Skete.