RED BANK. Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held at St. Nicholas Church in honor of the 75th anniversary of the parish’s founding

On December 20, the second day after the feast day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the church dedicated to this saint in Red Bank, New Jersey.

The service was dedicated to the patronal feast day and the 75th anniversary of the parish’s founding.

With the blessing of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the Liturgy was led by Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos. Concelebrating with him were: Archimandrite Alexander (Belya), Vicar of the Slavic Vicariate, Bishop-Elect of Nicopolis; Protopresbyter of Ecumenical Throne Alexander Belya, rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York; Archpriest Rostislav Zadorozhny, rector of the parish; and Protodeacon George Hero, cleric of Brooklyn Cathedral.

The solemn service was accompanied by the moving singing of the mixed choir of St. Nicholas Church and St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Brooklyn, conducted by choir director Nadezhda Mamysheva.

On this festive day, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were brought to the church for the spiritual support of the faithful, before which the parishioners offered prayers with reverence.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Athenagoras delivered a sermon dedicated to the life and spiritual deeds of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and called on the faithful to emulate his faith, mercy, and love for their neighbors. Then His Eminence consecrated an icon with a particle of the relics of St.  Jude Thaddaeus.

In memory of his visit to St. Nicholas Parish, the vicar presented Bishop Athenagoras with a panagia bearing the image of the icon “The Sign,” which is venerated as the patroness of immigrants. This is symbolic, since the church was founded in the mid-20th century by immigrants from Europe. Father Alexander also thanked Bishop Athenagoras for the divine service and the bishop’s prayers, which had not been offered here for more than 20 years.

In memory of this significant date in the history of the parish, Archimandrite Alexander presented the community with an embroidered eiliton (antimension cover). The vicar also presented icons of the patrons of the Slavic Vicariate Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius, to the parish elders and senior sister, Eugene and Olga Stupin, as well as to the choir director Nadezhda Mamysheva and singer Ekaterina Mamysheva, in recognition of their zealous service to the Church and the parish.

The festive day ended with a communal meal prepared by the parish sisterhood, during which the clergy, guests, and parishioners continued their joyful fellowship and shared in the spiritual joy of the feast.

The parish of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Red Bank was founded in 1950, and the building that houses the church is over 110 years old. During this time, the parish has experienced both periods of prosperity and decline. In the 2010s, the former rector did everything he could to destroy the church and close the parish. Only the prayers and fortitude of the faithful parishioners saved the church from complete decline. As a result, by the turn of the 2010s and 2020s, the historic church was in ruins and in need of repair.