Two Orthodox Communities Offer Prayers for the People of Ukraine and Georgia
By Fr. Vasyl Pasakas
Photos by Subdeacon Volodymyr Sukanets
Two Orthodox communities that share much of modern day history gathered together over the weekend of the Sunday of Prodigal Son (February 7-8, 2015) for the prayerful celebration of the Holy Eucharist, as a sign of mutual love, respect in the midst of tension in their ancestral homelands. Upon the invitation of His Grace Bishop Sava of the Georgian Orthodox Diocese of North America, His Grace Bishop Daniel, with the blessing of Metropolitan Antony, traveled to Ashley, PA for the celebration of the feast day of the monastery of St. King David Agmashenebeli (the Builder), which is under the jurisdiction of Georgian Orthodox Church.
(St. David the IVth of the Bagrationi Royal dynasty, later known as the Builder, ascended the throne in the year 1089 A.D. at the age of 16. He resurrected Georgia from ashes, united it and expelled foreign invaders, reorganized its governing structures, created an army, and built numerous churches and monasteries. An exemplary writer he wrote incredible hymns of repentance, a book of psalms, a treasure of orthodox spirituality very much like his ancestor the Prophet David, from whose lineage he descended. This most valiant and righteous servant of Christ left a great legacy of love and service for the Church and people. “Every man should leave behind two names, our nation believes, one to leave here – and one to take with you. No one fulfilled this as well as King David. Here he left a name of a King, who was a restorer, and with him he carried the name of a saint adorned with a crown of glory.” – Saint Ilia the Righteous).
Over two hundred pilgrims of Georgian descent from all over the country traveled to the hills of Pocono Mountains in order to share in prayer and to celebrate the life of the patron saint of the monastery. His Grace Bishop Sava kindly welcomed Bishop Daniel and the group of pilgrims that traveled with him in order to share in the celebration, but most importantly to share in the prayer for the fallen victims of numerous wars and unjustified murder of innocent people of Georgian, Ukrainian and American descent. During the Divine Liturgy Bishop Sava ordained to the Holy Deaconate subdeacon Leonidij, who is to serve in the canonical jurisdiction of the Georgian Patriarchate in the United States of America. Three national flags were brought out in the formal procession to the midst of the monastic temple: the flag of the United States of America, dedicated to the numerous men and women of US armed forces that have lost their lives in the line of duty, protection the freedoms upon which the democracy rests; the flag of Georgia, dedicated to the fallen heroes of Georgia that only a few years ago experienced the turmoil of aggression and the loss of life; the flag of Ukraine, carried by the seminarians of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Bound Brook, NJ) dedicated to the lost heroes of the ongoing aggression and war in Ukraine. Bishop Sava asked His Grace Bishop Daniel to lead the Memorial service in Ukrainian and English languages, while the mixed choir responded in Georgian chant.
Some 20 clergy of various jurisdictions of local Orthodox parishes took part in the prayerful service, sharing the pain of suffering of both nations. At the end of the service both bishops preached short sermons, making references to the feast day of the monastic community and the crisis in the world community, as it effects the ancestral homelands and peace, political and economic stability in the United States of America. Concluding his remarks, Bishop Daniel expressed gratitude of His Eminence Metropolitan Antony for the prayerful consideration and invitation provided by the Georgian Orthodox community in their outreach to the Ukrainian Orthodox.
Vladyka Daniel referred to the monastic temple as a spring of living crisp water and provides refreshing nourishment to our spiritual thirst and called upon those in attendance to live out their Faith in the midst of worldly trials. The afternoon hours brought the entire community even closer to each other, as the monastic trapeza (dining hall) was packed to its capacity with pilgrims that continued to arrive for a visit throughout the day. Georgian Orthodox singers and dancers from Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, Manville, NJ, Washington, DC and other locations offered entertainment and several times brought the entire audience to its feet as the traditional dances of Georgian culture were performed.
Numerous faithful approached both bishops to express their gratitude to His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I for his vision of the world Orthodoxy and constant intersession for the Church of Ukraine and His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II for his vision for the Church of Georgia.
