Church events

Your Grace! With tearful prayer, I request you publish my letter. Previously I labored in the Orthodox Church, but currently have fallen to despair and desired to succumb to my own hand.

 

I have a Group Two long term disability. I was brought up in an orphanage. My health rapidly deteriorated due to organic complex brain disorder with moderate mental impairment. I also have psycho-organic and affective disorders.  My associated conditions are hydrocephalous, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and angina. I also have stones in the bile duct, chronic inflammation of the gall bladder and chronic inflammation of the prostate.

 

In addition I currently need to undergo two operations. For this reason I ask you, perhaps in this desolate world, there will be some kind people? Who will advise me how to proceed with life? And to whom I have any value? Publish my heart's cry. May God preserve you!

Last Sunday, (18 July ns) on the Feast of St Sergius of Rodonezh the efforts of the children's camp at the Transfiguration Skete came to completion. The camp spanned two weeks, and was open to children of ROCA as well as others by invitation. A total of 42 children attended, largely from Montreal, but also from Toronto, Edmonton, Sherbrooke, Gatineau and even Moscow.

Each day began with morning prayer and ended with evening prayers. The focal point of camp life was the Church. While the children hiked in the forest, swam, played games and enjoyed singing and crafts - they also attended class in "the Law of God" each day with the exception of days when the Divine Liturgy was served. For these studies, the children were divided into three groups, based on age. Among the children were those who had attended such schooling before, had regularly Communed and can be described as "churched." There was also a representation of children who knew little of our Orthodox faith. Studies were conducted on a rotation by Frs. Kyrill Bartesovitch , Igor Grichinin and deacon Alexei Fimine.

During the camp, the Clergy served several vigils and Divine Liturgy. Nearly all participants received Communion. This was the first time for receiving the Divine Mysteries for several at the camp. Several boys were introduced to assisting in the Altar as altar-boys.

The feast of All Saints was met this year with a particular joy. During the Divine Liturgy, the deacon of our Montreal parish, Father Igor Gritsishin was ordained to the Priesthood by His Grace Archbishop Vladimir. This Ordination has been long anticipated, especially within the parish of St. Seraphim in Montreal, where for the past several years the spiritual needs of a large flock fell solely on the shoulders of Father Andrew Lomov. Of course the joy of this event is not just for the Montreal parish, but for the entire Church. In our spiritually scant times, when sincere service to the Church is not viewed as bringing worldly benefit, finding a worthy candidate willing to offer of himself for the salvation of his brethren is difficult. For this reason we feel particular joy over this ordination.

Father Igor was born in the Russian village of Khmelnitsky. From the first years of their life in Montreal, he and his future Matushka, Helen, attended the ROCOR Church and were spiritually fed by His Beatitude the now reposed Metropolitan Vitaly+.  In recent years our Lord especially touched the heart of the future Father Igor, who began taking on church obedience and in the course of two years was elevated through the ranks to the Priesthood.

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.

Around 6PM, shortly before the last panikhida (requiem service) for the Hierarch, bishops Vladimir and Victor and the clergy, singing the troparion for the Vladimir Mother of God Icon, went out to greet the miracle-working Mother-of-God icon that arrived together with abbess Isihia of the Vladimir Mother-of-God convent located in California.