Thousands of People Visited the Brooklyn Cathedral for Holy Pascha

“Christ is Risen!” — these triumphant words filled the vaults of the St. John the Forerunner Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York, on the night of April 11–12, and warmed the hearts of the many parishioners and guests who gathered to share in the joy of the Church’s greatest feast.

The festive service began at midnight with a solemn Cross Procession carrying the icon of the Resurrection of Christ, along with other icons and the relics of saints. Singing the sticheron “Your Resurrection, O Christ the Savior,” the faithful circled the cathedral, symbolizing the journey of the Myrrh-bearing Women to the Tomb of the Lord. At the entrance to the cathedral, the rector, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Olexander Belya, greeted the worshippers with the joyous Paschal exclamation: “Christ is Risen!”

Afterward, the Paschal Matins and the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom were celebrated in the church. Assisting the rector during the festive services were the cathedral clergy: Archpriests Borys Babeshko and Vasyl Deiak, Priest Anatoly, and Protodeacons Volodymyr Oliynyk and George Hero.

At the conclusion of Paschal Matins, Protopresbyter Olexander read the Catechetical Sermon of St. John Chrysostom for Holy Pascha, as well as the Paschal Address of the Vicar of the Slavic Vicariate, Archimandrite Alexander, Bishop elect of Nicopolis, addressed to the clergy and laity.

A special moment during the Liturgy was the reading of the Gospel in multiple languages, reminding everyone of the apostolic preaching to all nations. The Good News was proclaimed in Church Slavonic, English, Ukrainian, Georgian, Greek, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Latin, and other languages.

“The Resurrection of Christ is the victory of life over death. I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the bright feast of Pascha! May the risen Lord grant your families peace, strong health, and unfailing joy,” noted the rector of the cathedral, Fr. Alexander, in his sermon.

For the Paschal service, the St. John the Forerunner Cathedral in multi-ethnic Brooklyn drew a huge crowd of believers. The church was filled to capacity with parishioners — many came with their entire families, children, and friends to greet the Risen Savior together. The atmosphere was truly warm and familial — people embraced one another and exchanged the traditional Paschal greeting: “Christ is Risen!” — “Truly He is Risen!”

On Great Saturday, after the night service and throughout Sunday, the traditional blessing of Paschal baskets took place in the cathedral. Over the two days of the feast, thousands of people visited the Brooklyn cathedral.

At the end of the celebrations, the warden of the St. John the Forerunner Cathedral, Ivan Belya, thanked the police for helping organize the Cross Procession and the Paschal festivities in New York.