“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it will labour in vain; if the Lord keep not the city, he that keepeth it shall watch in vain” (Ps. 126,1)
Through His great love and joy which He brings to the souls of the faithful on all His Holy Feasts, Christ truly resurrects us, spiritually raising us to greatness. For us, it is enough to participate with the desire to celebrate spiritually. Thus, we celebrate the feasts with joy and are overwhelmed with the blessings the saints bring us.
St. Nicholas is one of the most well-known beloved saints in the Church calendar, and our Holy Church calls him a "miracle worker." In recent years, the winter feast day of the St. Nicholas and St. George Church has been an occasion for prayer, unity, and communion for Romanians in New York City. This beautiful tradition was continued this year when, on December 11, 2022, His Eminence Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, accompanied by a sobor of priests, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in our church, on which occasion he also consecrated the iconography of the church.
Founded by the great shepherd of souls, Archimandrite Mitrophor Dr. Vasile Vasilache, the church dedicated to St. Nicholas and St. George was consecrated for the first time on December 9, 1984, by Archbishop Victorin Ursache of blessed memory. Since then, the church has gone through several stages of embellishment: the iconostasis and four paintings (The Last Supper, Jesus Christ Pantocrator, Mother of God Platytera, and The Dormition of the Mother of God), all made during the pastorship of Father Vasile Vasilache (1998-2000); the new Holy Table, Axionite, four carved lime wood stands, mosaic stained-glass windows on the exterior facade, and other consolidation works of the church (2011 - 2012), culminating in the church's re-consecration on December 9, 2012, by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae and His Grace Ioan Casian; and, with God's help, its adornment with Byzantine-style church paintings in 2022. These magnificent icons located in the interior of the church were painted in Romania, at Ponor Monastery in Alba County, by Mother Antonia, under the spiritual direction of Father Abbot Irineu Curtescu. The placement of the icons on the walls, according to the project approved by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, was done by the painter Constantin Coșa.
The consecration of the iconography of the St. Nicholas and St. George Church in New York in 2022 was a service to invoke the Grace and work of the Most Holy Trinity, so that these consecrated icons could become a source of power, blessing, and healing for all who enter this church, for all who pray before them in faith, and for all who ask for the intercession of the saints depicted in them. The service included a solemn moment of pious gratitude and esteem for the founders of this church and for all those who have preserved, restored, and embellished it over the years.
The organization of this year's feast day of St. Nicholas has been a true blessing from God through the liturgical services, which began on Friday evening and ended on Sunday, and also through the love and joy of the faithful who, to the glory of God, were able to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas and of the other saints which adorned the church.
The celebration of the church's feast day started on Saturday evening with the celebration of Great Vespers with Litya by Father Marius Dumitrescu, the parish priest, together with Father Theodor Damian from Saints Peter and Paul Church, Astoria, NY, Father Ionuț Voicu from the Church of the Life Giving Fountain, Long Valley, NJ, Father Ioan Proteasa from St. Andrew's Church, Jamaica, NY, Fr. Todor Mazur from Holy Trinity Ukrainian Church, Manhattan, Fr. Mircea Schirta from St. Sophia Ukrainian Church, Bayonne, NJ, and Deacon Bogdan Manea from Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia, PA.
On Sunday morning, at 9:30 a.m., a large group of faithful and a choir of priests dressed in beautiful liturgical vestments were waiting for the Hierarch, while the choir, led by Dănuț Grigoraş, was engaged in the service of the Matins.
Shortly after, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae arrived at the holy place, where he was welcomed with the traditional hymn of welcome for the Archbishop, "Our Lord and Archbishop, Lord, keep him for many years," by the parish priest with the Holy Gospel and Holy Cross, as usual, and by Father Abbot Ieremia from St. Dumitru Monastery, Middletown, NY, Fr. Vincențiu Temirov, Spiritual Director at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY, Fr. Theodor Damian from Saints Peter and Paul Church, Astoria, NY, Fr. Vasa Ghilezan and Deacon Bogdan Manea from Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia, PA.
Surrounded by a choir of priests, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae began the service of the consecration of the church iconography. The rite of consecration began in the Holy Altar and continued in the church. It was followed by the Holy and Divine Liturgy, where the Hierarch, the priests, and the faithful transformed the church into heaven, just as a beautiful word from a prayer says: "In the Church of your glory I seem to be in heaven." His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae graciously led the entire ceremony, with the priests first encircling the Archbishop in front of the Holy Altar and then in the Holy Altar, with the banner and the faithful singing angelically, just as the Cherubic Hymn says: "We who mystically represent the Cherubim..." The children of the parish’s Sunday school and the faithful received Holy Communion, and at the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Panihida was celebrated for the deceased founders and ministers of the church.
In his vibrant and heartfelt sermon, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae emphasized the meaning and significance of the service of consecration of the church paintings, both from a dogmatic and a spiritual point of view. "The paintings reveal to us the greatness of God on earth, which is the Church to which we are all called," His Eminence stated.
He subsequently spoke about the Gospel reading of the 28th Sunday after Pentecost, the parable of those who were invited to dinner. "In the refusal of those invited to dinner the Holy Fathers reveal our own condition — that is, we are called into the Church of Christ at the Holy Eucharist, we are called to enter the Kingdom, but we too often refuse God's call. In the Holy Church we are all called to work out our salvation. In the time of the Church, we must work for our perfection, we must desire to enter the Kingdom and to be with Christ our Savior, the Mother of God, and the saints painted on the walls of the Church, and not to be tempted by this world with its riches and pleasures," said Archbishop Nicolae. Concluding his sermon, he recalled the life of St. Nicholas, urging the faithful present to live a pure life, to do acts of mercy for the love for God and their neighbors, to live a spiritual Orthodox life of fasting and prayer, presenting St. Nicholas as an example to be followed by all believers who seek the path to salvation.
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae then presented several awards of the Metropolia and diplomas to those who accomplished the work of decorating with paintings the St. Nicholas and St. George Church in NY. As a token of appreciation and gratitude for his pastoral work in the St. Nicholas and St. George Parish in NY, the Hierarch presented Father Marius Dumitrescu with the American Metropolitan Cross. The American Metropolitan Cross for the laity was awarded to the painter Constantin Coșa, who with meticulousness and talent accomplished the work of placing the paintings on the walls of the church, and to the Mila-Rus family, Marcel and Mirela, who with love and dedication contributed to the work of embellishing the church. Following this, the Metropolitan conferred the Order of Sfȃntul Ştefan cel Mare (Saint Stephen the Great) to the following parishioners: Constantin and Geta Alexandru, Adrian and Daniela Pală, and Marian Sevastița. In closing, the Metropolitan offered several Diplomas of Merit for the sacrifice, love, and dedication in the service of the parish to Mr. Vasile Pecurar, Mr. Livi Roksa, Mr. Sergiu Moraru, and Mrs. Felicia Badea.
Deeply moved, Fr. Marius Dumitrescu, thanked with warm and heartfelt words His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae for the honor brought to the St. Nicholas and St. George Church through his presence at this historic moment in the life of the parish. As a token of appreciation, the parish priest offered His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae a bishop’s staff. Then Fr. Marius thanked the priests and faithful present at this Holy and Divine Service. Worth noting are the active and welcoming presence throughout the service of the members of the Parish Council, the service at the Holy Altar of the young Teodor Dumitrescu, Antonie Bujoreanu, and James Dascălu, and the zeal of chanters Dănuț Grigoras and Leonard Milea. The event was also attended by Mr. Dorian Branea, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and Mr. Ionuț Tudorie, Dean of St. Vladimir's Faculty of Orthodox Theology. Christians filled St. Nicholas Church to the brim at the Sunday morning service, a sign of the blessings of Christ the Saviour and St. Nicholas.
After the service, all the faithful participated in the agape meal prepared by the Ladies’ Committee of our church. An important moment of the agape was the sweet presence of the children and the young people of the parish, who, through their innocence and wonderful interpretation, dripped into the souls of the faithful the sweet myrrh of the Nativity carols. The artists Constantin Soare (piano), Maria Grecu, and George Rotaru completed the artistic program.
Thank you to the organizers, donors, and all the faithful of St. Nicholas and St. George Church, NY, who over the years have obeyed God's command to have a holy and beautifully adorned place for the ages to come. These Christians of our community have sacrificed so much to build up this church in such a grand way. May the good Lord reward their love and sacrifice! Praise God for all!
Parish Priest Marius Dumitrescu
