Celebration of the 73rd Anniversary of St. Nicholas Parish in Red Bank, NJ

One of the traditions of the Orthodox Church is the holding joint services by the clergy from different communities on the anniversaries and the feast days of individual parishes.

On October 29, on the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, the parish of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Red Bank, New Jersey, celebrated the 73rd Anniversary of its founding.  With the blessing of Archimandrite Alexander, Vicar of the Slavic Orthodox Vicariate, relics of the community’s patron were brought from St. Nicholas Monastery in Fort Myers, Florida, to the parish in honor of the occasion.  Before the start of the Divine Liturgy, the relics were met by its Rector, Archpriest Rostislav Zadorozhnyy, with the members and guests of the parish, who awaited their arrival with reverence and spiritual joy.  While hymns to St. Nicholas were chanted, the reliquary was placed in a specially decorated place in the center of the church.

The Divine Liturgy was led by Archpriest Alexander Belya, Rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Forerunner in Brooklyn, New York.  Archpriest Rostislav, Abbot Tikhon Gayfudinov, Rector of the Holy Protection Hermitage in Buena Vista, New Jersey, Fr. Peter Prokoptsov, and Protodeacon George Hero, clergy of the Brooklyn Cathedral, served with Archpriest Alexander.

At the end of the liturgy Archpriest Alexander gave a sermon on the theme of the Sunday Gospel, which was the parable of the Sower of the Word of God.  He also touched upon the recent tragic history of the parish, when it was openly vandalized, destroyed and closed by those who were supposed to take care of it.  He stated that the patron of the church, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, inspired Archimandrite Alexander to accept the community into the Slavic Orthodox Vicariate.  With his blessing, through the efforts and labors of the clergy and parishioners the church was restored and a new life began for the parish. Archpriest Alexander especially noted the efforts of Warden Eugene, Treasurer Nadezhda, and their assistants, who had strong faith and hope for the Lord’s help in the revival of the parish.  By their prayers the Lord granted them their dream. Archpriest Alexander honored Archpriest Rostislav for his zeal in prayer and hard work in renovating the church.  A special prayer service to St. Nicholas followed after which the faithful venerated the relics and were anointed with consecrated oil.

The Rector and teachers of the parish Sunday School, who had worked hard developing the spiritual life of the community, prepared a children’s concert in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which concluded the anniversary celebration. 

The St. Nicholas Church Sisterhood prepared a festive meal for the parishioners and guests that followed the services, at which the clergy and the laity offered congratulations and good wishes.