Church Services
April 9, 2006 - SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church hosted a Lenten Mission Vespers on the afternoon of the fifth Sunday of Great Lent - the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt. Clergy and parishioners from area sister Orthodox churches were in attendance both at the service and at the Lenten repast which followed in our Church Hall. Below are scenes both from the Lenten Mission Vespers and the dinner which followed.
Your reporter was privileged to be in the Sanctuary of our Church for a few minutes to be able to record a portion of the service from that vantage point. In the photo above right and the three which follow, we see a portion of the service from within the Sanctuary.
The V. Rev. James Parsells (above), Rector of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Manville, N.J., delivered the homily. In his sermon, Fr. James spoke of St. Mary of Egypt, the need to change one's ways following confession, and the value of the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy Upon Me a Sinner"). Earlier in the day, Fr. Parsells's son - Deacon John Parsells - celebrated Divine Liturgy in our Church with Rev. David Garretson, Rector of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in South River.
In the block of four photos above, the first three provide views of the choir. It was largely comprised of children from Deanery parishes. The children were assisted by adult choir members from our own parish and those adults of neighboring sister Orthodox Churches. All were under the dedicated leadership of our Choirmaster, Mr. Basil Kozak. The fourth photo in the block (above right) offers a general view of the well-attended service. The block of four photos below offers additional views of the Lenten Mission Vespers.
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You may click on the photo above left to view an enlargement.
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You may click on the photo above right to view an enlargement.
Above right, Rev. Garretson (front right) participates in a group photo with all clergy who took part in the service. To Fr. David's immediate right is V. Rev. Joseph Lickwar, Rector of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Jersey City, N.J. and Dean of the New Jersey Deanery. To Fr. Joseph's immediate right is homilist, V. Rev. James Parsells, Rector of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Manville, N.J. Below, a post-service view of the choir which beautifully sang the responses to the service. Choirmaster Basil Kozak appears in the photo extreme left front.
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You may click on the photo above to view an enlargement.
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You may click on the photo above right to view an enlargement.
A reception was held in our Church Hall following the Lenten Mission Vespers. Above left, Fr. Joseph Lickwar leads those assembled in prayer before the meal. Above right, a general overview of the well-attended reception. The icon of our Patrons - St. Peter and St. Paul - is in the foreground.
Above and below right - the hard work of our parishioners in food preparation and food service made the reception an enjoyable one.
Above, members of various parish organizations - including the local chapter of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America - had various items for sale. Among the items were icons and babka.
Above left, Starosta James Kornafel checks in with the ladies of our parish. Above right, Rev. Garretson addresses those assembled.
Above and below are two examples of service and fellowship - two of the hallmarks of the Orthodox Christian faith. The weather cooperated, the choir and food preparers/servers performed flawlessly, and the guests and food were both plentiful. A wonderful way - in worship and fellowship - to begin the last week of Great Lent in anticipation of PASCHA!
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Copyright © 2006, Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, South River, NJ
